The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-11-07
(By the Associated Press.)

CpillS lcI, Td., ANOf. l.-A1A 1AC 6eoo
choked channels Of the Reilly
mine were giving up their dead to-
dav ...-
The bodies of fifty miners who
lost their lives in the Reilly mine
explosion here yesterday lay in the
city morgue at 9 o'clock this morn
ing. Thirteen more were in sight in
the mine, rescue workers said, and
32 injured were in the miners hos.
pital.
Leaders Of rescuers summarized
the situation at that hour.
Men, in mine when explosion oc-
Cured not more than 112.
Bodies recovered so. .
Bodies located in mine 13.
Injured in hospital 32.
Total accounted for 95. r.....
There was still some uncertainty
as to the number of men who went
to work yesterday, but it was point
ed out that if the total was III as
some authorities believed, the MISS
ing II miners would probably be
found in the eighth heading where
the water had risen SO, rapidly that
exploration this morning had been
impossible. Even if these men had
gone into the mine, it was assert
ed, they had probably perished.
If that proved true, the leaders
said, the number of dead woula
reach 80. ..t ."
Forty victims of the explosion
were brought to the surface early
today as rescue workers searched
through the treacherous, water
soaked passages for the remaining
dead, Is to 20, believed to nave
perished when the blast entombed
more than 80 men soon after they
reported for work yesterday morn,
ing. Officials Of the Reilly coal
company, owners Of the mine, were
not certain of the number of work.
ers in the pit when the disaster
occurred. They expressed the be-
lief that the death toll would pe
between so and 60.
81 Men Rescued
Thirty-one men rescued last
night are in hospital here and
physicians said they would recover:
Rescue workers expressed belle1
that there were no more living
miners in the mine. On this as
sumption the total death lsit would
be siXty-One.
The grim task of removing the
dead started about 2 o'clock this
morning after widows and children
of the missing men had been IN
duced to return home. They stood
in the misty rain all through yes
terday. Rescue chiefs believed that
the mine would be cleared OF bodies
soon after day break. -
State Troops on Duty
Six state troops patrolled the
area about the mine mouth and
kept hundreds of curious persons
away.
When rescue workers entered
the mine soon after noon yesterday
thev encountered bodies in the
main way only 100 feet from fresh
air. They halted only long enough
to make sure there was no spark OF
life and then hurried on into the
gasy chambers to search for pos
sible survivors.
Their hopes were high when they
came upon a rudely constructed
barricade on which was scrawled: q:
"There are 20 miners behind
this"
Gas Is Strong
But the rescuers pushed on deep
er into the mine for men who had
not fortified themselves. The gas
was strong at this point and they
feared that should they break down
the barrier the weakened condition
of the men could not stand the in
rush of the deadly fumes.
Other rescuers later found more
than a score of bodies huddled to-
gether. 1t is believed that this
group was the one behind the plank
partition.
Five times an explosion has oc-
CURED in this mine, but the other
four did not register fatality.
Damage to the mine itself is not
great, officials announced. They
would not issue a statement as to
the cause of the explosion but they
did say the mine had been exam
ined and reported free of gas just
a short time before the explosion.
Many Mexican Indian tribes, un-
r -.