The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-25
IL HUNDRED BID
LAST FAREWELL
TO DEAD MINERS
Continued From Page one.)

CONTINUED From Page One.)
Bdgewater. e. B. Calling and A. j,
Batson Tributes to the loyalty of
! the men to the company and their
! felIowmen were paid by the min
| listers.
4 representative of the Dolomite
! Lodge of knights of Pythas, of
| which every miner for whom services
were conducted was q member,
was present and delivered short
address to the assembly, in which he
also paid tributes to the dead.
At the conclusion of the services
| the collins were removed to the
! cemetery, where the Knights of Py-
thias took charge,
In addition to the seven funerals
at Pleasant Grove, the following men,
victims of the mine accident, were
buried Friday: James Summerlin,
Eamwood; Percy Waldrop, Hueytown;
Gene Robertson, Bethlehem; Hobart
Justice, Hokestown; Herbert Knight
Brighton; Ed L. Brill, Brighton;
Grady Crowder. Concord; Sam Huey,
Eueytown Gail Burchfield, Pleasant
Ridge, and John d. Morris, body
shipped to Pell City.
The bodies of the three remaining
white men, Jim Scott, Clarence An
derson and Virgil Dates. are being
held at the residence of rela tives,
pending funeral service arrange
ments.
over 100000 Compensatory
Advices received from Chicago and
other northern points where offices
of companies insured lives of en-
ployes of the mine were that over
100000 will be paid relatives of the
dead and to the injured. 1t was esti-
mated at the offices of the company
that for the death of each miner, an
average of about $1,000 will be paid
and that $170 will be paid every
miner injured.
Officials of the State Federation of
Labor have advised claimants to
compensation resulting out of the
Woodward Iron company to accept
the money coming to them under the
compensation act of Alabama.
Lewis Bowen, secretary, said: The
claimants under this disaster will get
more money and will get it quicker
through the compensation act than
through any other means.
Horrors of Explosion
A grapic account OF the coal dust
explosion at Mine No. 3 of the Wood
ward Iron company was given Fri
day by Palmer Paige, at work at the
time of the explosion.
Paige stated that some of the in
cidents, while he was making his
exit from the mine shaft seemed like
a dream but gave the following ac-
count of the explosion from the ex
plosion to his escape from the mines
Paige's story follows:
My buddy, Hubert Early, and |
were at work in the mine, side by
side when the explosion occurred
which we thought at that particular
time, caused by a giant rock falling
from it's bed The air rushed out,
and we Immediately slapped our
hands over our ears. AS We turned
we saw John and Charley Anthony,
who were at work near us, lying on
the ground having been knocked
down by the force of the explosion.
Encountered Gases
zone of the Anthony boys stated
that the report We heard was that of
an explosion, so the four of us started
out of the entry to investigate. As
we reached the trap door, we were
met by George Rainey, who said that
he had encountered heavy gases from
the explosion and told us to go back
with him, which we did, making our
way to another section of the mine.
"As we got to the point where we
expected to make our way out
through mine No. .. we were cut off
by gas. We then turned to escape
through mine No. | and were again
cut off by gas, this being our last
means of escape from the deadly aft
erdamp
Built Brntticc
scharley Anthony suggested that
we build up a brattice with rocks and
stop jhe cracks up with mud at the
mouth of the entry. We quickly
built the brattice which no doubt
| saved our lives. We remained behind
the rocks and mud for a period,
judge, of about three hours
AT the end of this time, Fred
Moore and John Busby came in
where we were with safety lamps.
/ John Busby was unable to follow us
when we started to make our way to
the entrance of the mine. After maxi
| ing three attempts, we finally passed
| the most dense part of the gas, John
| Busby being carried by each of us at
various times. After we had gone for
some distance, we found Andy Busby
an old miner. and father of John
Busby, laying in a pool of water.
dead. l don't know whether he died
| from the gas or was drowned.
All Men Dead
FINALLY, we all reached the yard
and there | tainted. l don't know
1 how | came in such a position. but
when l came to my senses, l was
propped up against coal car. Lay
/ ing around me. all of them dead,
\ were Gene Robertson, sam Huey, Ed
| Brill and Hubert Knight.
! II crawled out over the dead men
| and several others whom | do not
remember | reached the rail leading
/ to the entrance and crawled out. They
| told me that l reached the top about
6.30 or O'clock"
Paige and all the other survivors
/ of the explosion stated that they
were enjoying their usual health Fri
day with the exception of severe
| soreness in their lungs. caused by
| their inhaling the gas fumes
1 Paige has been an employe of the
/ Woodward company for the past
seven years. he having aided in sink
/ ing the slope of the mine.