The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-24
IN MINE
WAS THE CALL Of DEATH

sA0 otSIAlSt, originally open
ed about eighty years ago. 1t was
once owned by a Cincinnati company.
Thirty years ago there was an explo-
sion In the mine Of such force that
mule cars were blown into the Mon
ongahela river.
Word was passed around among
the watchers today that the govern
ment relief station at Pittsburgh offer
ed aid to the Pittsburgh officials when
they first heard of the explosion early
Yesterday afternoon and that the
company replied that they had re-
liable first aid company which could
cope with the situation.
Until the government helmet merr
arrived about seven o'clock last night
no progress had been made toward
the rescue. The gas drove the COM
pany rescuers back from the en-
frances. The helmet men were able
to successfully fight the fumes.
One Of the brave life savers. Hell
metman McCullen, the first to enter
the mine, was overcome twice by the
afterdamp. Revived once by his COM
panions he continued the fight until
they missed him again and returning
found him lying in pool of water.
With his last breath he told the men
10 leave him and get some one else
out, according to the story Of his com.
panions.
Although watchers early today
gave up hope of the rescue alive cf
the entombed men and the estimate
OF dead at ten o'clock was Ill. res.
cuers with long experience III fighting
explosions and fires in coal mines ex
pected many to be rescued alive and
believed the death list would be less
than one hundred.
The bodies recovered have been
from entries one and two, nearest the
entrance, and 1t is said the mine be
yond that point is badly wrecked
The bodies recovered today were In
some instances mutilated by falling
coal and timbers, some showed the
force of the original explosion, while
lothers Indicated the men had beer
overcome by gas while attempting
escape.
Identified dead:
ANDY WOOD. driver.
WALTER CONLEY. driver.
McCUIJLEN, helmetman.
| ROBERT THOMPSON, miner.
| STEVE LONG, miner.
EMIL LEROY, snapper.
i CHARLES BOWEN.
BY wagon and trolley car hundreds
arrived during the day and more thai
| 1000 watched from the hillside a
rough wooden litters or canva
stretchers were carried to box car
waiting on the mine siding. Th
streets around the railroad station
were roped off and guarded by TIL
/ police. The bodies were rushed t.
Monongahela City whence many 0
| the entombed miners went during tn
morning hoping and fearing to ider
tify the dead.
That Ill of the 122 men penned il
the Cincinnati mine by yesterdays e1
plosion are dead was the belief Q
many rescuers at noon today
Preparations were being made t
4 force air into the mine and clear
of gas and men experienced in figh
ing mine disasters expected to fin
:. men yet alive in the mine. They b.
lioyed the death list would be we
uader one hundred.
Thirty bodies have been recovered
The searching party today numbe
, ed thirty-four trained rescue mel
, They were divided into squads OF fou
to six. Bodies discovered in the mine
were assembled, held there unit
enough had been collected to make
trainload. then string Of cars bea
: ing burlap wrapped figures was pusi
ed to the surface, and the men place
! in box cars.
CONTINUED on page 81