The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-17
BRING CORPSES
OUT OF NINE
Nearly Every " = q of Explo-
SION Was American,
Some B 3 Sons of
WealF = sanchers.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.
NEW CASTLE Colo, Dec. IT,
Early today twenty-eight corpses had
been recovered from the Vulcan mine
Of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Co., which
was wrecked by an explosion of black
damp yesterday. The mangled bodies
Of nine other men remained in the
mine and arrangements had been com
pleted to take them out before noon
Fifteen women are widowed and
thrity-four children left fatherless by
the disaster. Virtually every one Of
the victims was born in Colorado.
All were Americans and many Of the
unmarried were sons of wealthy
ranchers and had lived in the vicinity
Of the mine all their lives. Yney went
to work recently after the union min
ers were called on strike.
The mine Is so filled with gas that
the work Of bringing out the bodies
is hazardous in the extreme. EARLY
today one of the rescuers was over
come while at work but >as rescued
alive by fellow helmet-men.
The scene at the mouth today, un-
like that of most disasters, was that
there was not the slightest hope that
the entombed men could have sur
vived. The chief desire of waiting
women and children was mat their
loved ones might be recognizable. In
most instances even this scanty con-
ISOLATION was denied.
Herbert Woods, twenty-eight. one Of
the victims, became father at almost
the exact moment the explosion killed
him.
Lee Crawford, aged three, sat near
the entrance of the mine until after
midnight and not even his mother
could induce him to leav.s. To sug-
gestions that he go home he replied
that he was waiting for papa"
II was stated today by mine officials,
that there were forty-two men in the
mine when the explosion occurred.
sEiEe OF them were. in chambers not
reached by the Blast and quickly
escaped. They Immediately donned
oxygen helmets and re-entered the
mine. The thirty-seyen miners work
ing in the lower levels were instantly
killed The only thing in the levels
which survived was a mule which
came running out of the mine during
the night. The work of recovering the
bodies may be retarded by terrific
snow storm which began shortly after
midnight.
At noon today thirty bodies had
been recovered. Seven or eight other
corpses were still in the mine buried
under tons of debris. The exact num-
her of dead is uncertain because of
differences in the estimates of the
number of miners working at the
time OF the explosion. Some Of them
say that there were forty-four and
some forty-two Five escaped alive.
All bodies so far brought up have
teen terribly mangled. So great was
the force of the explosion that many
victims were decapitated. others had
arms and legs torn off and still others
were disemboweled.
Union miners, who went on strike
here several months ago and whose
llaces were taken by the men who
perished in yesterdays diastser, have
not rested since the explosion. To a
man they volunteered to enter the gas
filed shaft and work to recover the
corpses of the dead. Secretary Doyle
of the Union Mine Workers, has wired
$4,000 to be used by the union to re-
lieve the distress Of families of nom
unionists.
He Is Dead Again.