The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-11-24
PATHETIC SCENES
STIRRED CROWD
Rescue Work Continues In
Alabama Disaster
STORIES OF HEROIsM
Dust Explosion Yesterday Trap
ped z75 Murders In Under
ground Pit


23.-Company officials announe-
ed at ten O'Clock that all bodies
had been removed from the pit
and at that hour a check was
being made to determine the
exact list of fatalities.
Eighty -four lives were lest
mad sixty persons were injured
as a result of the explosion, ac-
cordins to statement issued
at noon today by Frank n.
crockards president Of the
company. OF the injured, thir-
ty-five were removed to their
homes; twenty five were In
hospitals. Work OF identifIca-
ton at that hour had not been
competed but ii was believed
thirty eight white dead. and
twenty white injured.
ASSOCIATED Press DispatchI
Birmingham. Ala, November %.
Following rescue work which
continued throughput the night, Of
fcials Of the Woodward Iron com
pany. owners of the Dolomite mine
No. 3, where dust explosion trap
ped AIS miners yesterday afternoon,
announced early today that eighty
three bodies had been taken from
the mine, and that they feared the
total toll of dead might reach one
hundred.
Approximately sixty men were re-
ported to have been injured by the
blast, and the other men to have Is
capped unframed.
Scenes of pathos about the time
mouth during the night and early
morning hours, continued as reia
tives and families of miners known
20 have been In the mine when the
blast occurred waited expectanfly
for news Of their loved ones.
Reenkered The Mine
Many OF these meu. IL wa zheliexs
ed. had reached <he Snffane Il
safely Through the runway con
meeting the mine with mine No. 2.
and had re -6ntered the WORKINGS to
help In rescue work without cnm
municating with company officials
The anxious reiatiyes kept their
watch about the mine mouth all
post until they learned definitely of
husbands, fathers, brothers or 9th
or loved ones.
Throughout the night happy re-
unions occasionally relieved the
sorrowful scenes. One small girl
gave a cry of delight ais q griruy
miner emerged, his face smoke
blackened and his clothing bearing
signs of his struggle TO reach the
surface in safety. As the man came
out the little girl threw herself in.
to his arms and the pair hurried of
before the name Of tho man could
be learned.
Stories of Heroixm
Another aged woman is said to
have collapsed as she greeted two
sons after several hours Of anxious
waiting at the entrance, fearing
that both had lost their lives. The
boys, meeting rescuers In the mine
as they were making their way out
and learning that the workings
were safe again from poisonous
gases. had instantly turned backed
to aid in the search for other men,
thus keeping their mother in Sas
pense until they. finally reached the
surface exhausted.
Stories of heroism, common in
coal mime disasters, began to reach
the outside world early this morn
ing as reScuers came to the surface
after long hours Of work in the
mine.
y Rescue Work Received,
Work of removing the. dead was
renewed today with vigor by rescue
crews aided by undertakers' assist
ants. Company officials estimated
that the list of dead might be In
creased from 49, Checking OF in
jured indicated that the list OF six
ty was approximately correct. OF
the dead 35 WERE white men, OF the
injured 80 percent ara negroes,
according to company officials.
Stories of Tragedy Related
One ,rescuer told of an unidenti
fed mine foreman who assembled
about him thirty workers and soon
after the blast took place, ordered
all to remain with him and work on
fixing up brattices with stones and
to shut on the dreaded aft
err damp gas that he felt sure was
work was going on, according TO the
rescue worker one miner objected to
remaining with the rest of the men.
He argued with the foreman, and
family saying he was determined to
try for the entrance by himself be-
gan to fight way outward. The
rest stayed behind with the fore
man and completed the brattice of
stones and canvass when, the fans
being started UP again, the air
cleared sufficiently to indicte, that
it was safe to tear down tho tenn
porary wall, the foreman led his
men out, the body Of the man VINO
refused to stick with the rest was
found only few feet away from
the temporary brattiQe. 9 victim Of
the gas.
Other Tales Told
Tales of numerous cases of single
miners who hurTiedly built walls
across inches and hollows In the
workings, stopping the chinks with
parts of their own clothing and
thus saving their lives from the