The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-10
Little Hope Expressed Any of Workers Will Be Brought to Surface Alive Heroic Work Being Done by Rescue Teams in Effort Reach Men.
CANADIAN BLAST TAXES LIVES OF 35 MINE MEN
Many of Men Thought to Have Died Outright and Others to Have Succumbed From Gas. 300 Employees Were in Shaft When Great Explosion Came

DAWSON, N. M., Feb. 9.-(By Associated Press. )-While Dawson waits and watches in silence, bowed down with grief at the disaster which afflicted her yesterday, res- cue crews and volunteer workers continued tonight to comb the laby- :inth of passages in Dawson mine No. l for the dead and the living. When the shifts of rescue work CTS were changed today, 32 bodies had been removed from the subter- ranean tomb in which they had been struck down at 2:30 yester- day afternoon. Two men, whose ingenuity and presence of mind saved them from the deathly after lamp which followed the explosion, were at home tonight with their families.
 In the mine, some buried be- heath the huge mounds of debris, others lying behind mammoth ob- structions that blocked rescue workers and others far back, some where in the dark depths of the many passaseways not yet cleared, are 98 men.
 Dawson has not abandoned faith hat they will be brought forth live, though officials of the com )any held out little hope for them. The arrival of two mine rescue cars of the United States bureau of mines from Tucson, Ariz., and Hanna, Wyo., tomorrow is being anxiously awaited.
 Calls CorOner's Jury
 Justice of the Peace T. L. Kinney this afternoon impanelled coroner s jury which has begun the work of identifying the dead; temporary morgue has been established; sup plies are being rushed to Mine No. 1 for use in rebuilding the interior of the tunnel and preparations for bu- rial of Dawson's dead tomorrow are being made.
 The cause of the explosion still renamed unexplained. J. R. Nor row, outside superintendent of the mine, declared it would be imposs- ble to fix the exact cause at this time. One theory Is that column of dust, raised by a passing motor in the main shaft of the mine ma y have been ignited by a short-cir- cult. Another is that spark, caused by pick striking against a rock in the mine may have set fire to the accumulated dust
 Fans Were Working
 Just prior to the explosion the fan system, which prevents the accumu- lation of gases, was in operation Officials are at a loss to account for the blast as consequence.
 From the condition of four bodies taken from a point near the center of the mine this afternoon, indica- tions are that the blast centered near the heart of the workings. The four bodies were badly burned, thelr clothing had been burned away, and their forms were scared almost be- yond recognition. Other bodies re covered earlier today did not show such burns. Officials are inclined to the belief that the four were caugh, by the full force of the detonation.
 Tunnel No. Il, south, has been wrecked by the blast. This cut is a considerable distance in the inte- rior.
 The two men who escaped were working in Cross-cut four. north This is believed by mine officials to indicate that section of the work ings was not as ba1ly damaged as other parts or the smart.
 Must Rebuild Tunnel
 Rescue workers and repairing crews declare the openings into the cross -cuts have been crumbled b, the blast making it necessary to re- build such portions of the tunnels and cross-cuts before proceeding further. From these reports. 1t is announced virtual certainty. ac- cording to experienced miners her. that the whole interior of the mine was affected by the explosion ant the entire workings damaged to ar extent that will require severa months to repair.
 Only a handful of spectators re. mained about the mine tonight Among them were wives, sisters ant sweethearts of the toilers whose fats is still unknown In the homes O. the workers. fringing the spider like tipple and the shattered ruins O. the tunnel entrance, there are those who have seen a Husband, father ol brother carried from the under ground tomb on a stretcher that i always carried back.
 Thus far, only seven families hay, been left fatherless by the explo sion. Three-fourths of the identified dead were unmarried. Eight of tn, identified were American citizens.
 Scott Dupont, general inside su perintendent led rescuers in thei work today. after injuries receive, in the explosion yesterday He wa about to enter the mouth of tn mine when he saw the smoke com ing out of the tunnel As he steppe,
 1cortfuued nm Doc. urcw-t..-l