Imperial Valley press., 1922-09-22
Jackson Stops
Work While 46
Miners Buried
United Press Leased Wire

bodies of Jackson S miners who died
in the Argonaut disaster went back into
the earth of Amador county's hills to-
day.
Forty-six caskets, flag draped to the
last, were lowered into. 46 graves by
the careful hands of Jackson s citizen
ry, while ministers and priests uttered
words Of prayer asking the Almighty
to spare the world from another such
| catastrophe.
Before the sun had broken over the
hills into the town of Jackson, the
bodies had been brought in quiet,
solemn cortege from the mine buildings,
where they had lain, to the cemetery
where the 46 graves awaited.
| At 9 a. m. services .were held at the
Catholic cemetery and those among the
Argonaut s dead who were of that
faith were buried.
"We know that when the supreme
call came they were not found wanting
in faith and courage" said the Rev.
Father Michael Q O'Connor.
1 .EThey did not surrender to fear os
flee in panic. They died like men they
were--fighting to the very last
| Protestant services were held an hour
| later.
"'This is not the time nor place to
discuss the phases of the disaster whicl,
bear upon the continual safety of men
working underground, said the Rev.
Edwin F. Brown, of the Methodist
Episcopal church, who officiated.
"But it is very fitting that we
should, ON this occasion, give emphasis
to the value put upon human life ana
cXtol those noble qualities thai have
been so conspicuous IN The work of the
rescue.
| "Never can we say life is held cheap
| ly when we have such a demonstration
as this.
| Many Services Held
He gave high praise to the rescue
| crew which fought to release the in-
prisoned miners from their tomb.
The Rev. Archimandriti Kodiich, of
| the orthodox Greck church in San Fran
cisco, conducted services for those who
We're members of that church.
Evans Ely was buried with the of
ficers of the Mormon church, w. Arid
Mcdonald, San Francisco newspaper
| man and elder of the church, having
dedicated the plot for his burial
jackson closed all business activities
and declared today a day of mourning.
No business will be resumed until
6 clock tonight.
Still Hunt for One Lost Man.
JACKSON, Calf, Sept. 22.--,iaok-
son s great tragedy, the death of II
miners in the Argonaut mine, today
was resolving itself into as great
mystery.
Searcn pressed until late into the
night had failed to reveal any trace
of the body of William Fessel, the 47thc
imprisoned miner.
Investigation thus far has failed TO
answer the question OF who owned the
18th suit of clothes which was left in
| the "change room the night that fire
and cav-ins imprisoned the men.
Mystery of the missing body was
made deeper by the fact that no eX
panation has been offered as to how
| it came that officials announced whom
the bodies were first found that IL
were brought out there were but 46--
| dlI anu Il tSStt HilSSiHS
Miners believe Fessel died trying to
reach ventilators in one last desper.
ate effort to save himself and his com
radcs. But such Il theory would not
explain the count of Al bodies OH Mon
| day night.
Search of the mine thus far mas net
| revealed any trace of Fessel or any
other man having MADE a dash for
| safety into any remote part of, the
+, mine.
AS for the 4sth suit of clothes
thus far it has been impossible to
identify it as the property of any
known cmploye of the mine. 1t has
| hung in the "change room since the
night of the disaster, unclaimed.
| Investigation showed that AZ men
were sent underground that night.
That number of Identification checks
were issucd--a check to each man as
he went under ground. @a
| Some today advanced sinister the-
ory that the man who owned the 4Sth
suit of clothes might shed light ON the
origin of the fire if he could be found.
Thus far the questions of how the fire
started has remained unanswered.