Imperial Valley press., 1923-08-15
ONLY 81 SAVED
FROM SHAFT IN
UTAH DISASTER

(Continued From Tage One)
was the hero of the explosion. Beg
ging his comrades to stay in their
rooms ON the Goth level he pre-
vailed upon 26 to remain with him.
All of the 80 who ran to the main
shaft perished. Tavlizin said to-
day that no one could tell what had
occurred.
We felt q terrible concussion and
knew what it meant without any
one speaking, he said. After that
we did not know what any ono else
was doing We found out all about
it when we reached the surface.
If every man had remained in his
room casualties would have been
much less, he said. OF course many
would have been killed in other
levels but no one, l believe would
have lost his life in the Goth entry.
by United Press Leased Wire
II KEMMERER, Wyo., Aug. b
Eighty six bodies had been removed
from the shaft of the Inflated KEN
merer Coal company mine No | at
a. M, today. Eleven more bodies
had been located in the workings
and it was believed they would be
removed at an early hour.
Officials of the mine reported
this morning that according to their
check up 1877 men entered the shaft
yesterday morning. OF these 81
were brought out alive and Il total
of 81 bodies have been accounted
for, leaving three missing.
Bad air on the 30th level makes
rescue work slow. The ventilatiug
system on this level was put out
of commission and every caution is
being used to protect rescue parties
from poisonous fumes.
Virtually all wreckagc caused by
the blast has been removed and
officials said that if a crew were
to be had, mining could be resumed
today on nearly all levels.
AS most of their crew was wiped
out by the explosion, it will be sew
eral days before No. l mine is
again operating.
Mile Below Ground
Most of the lives were lost near
ly mile below ground. There was
a terrific explosion which resulted
in a cave-in on several lower levels
and poisonous gases swept through
the shafts, snuffing out lives of the
imprisoned workers.
The dead were charrcd beyond
recognition, indicating that an in
tense flame had shot and and scared
its way through the underground
shaft, turning tunnels and passage
ways into an inferno.
Removal of the victims to the
Odd Fellows hall, turned hastily in
to morgue, in Kemmerer, was
slow. AS the ears came up the main
shaft from below with their tragic
freight, the 1000 watchers, mothers,
sweethearts, wives, children and
fathers, surged through the guard.
The cargocs were more grim be
cause on several caps of dead min
ers the electric mine lamps still
burned, casting weird shadows
about.
Transfer of the bodies to KEN
mercr was also slow. The rough
roads are choked with townspeoplc,
relatives and the curious. The trip
from Kcmmcrcr to the mine by the.
death wagons takes an hour.
Bring Bodies To Surface
Bodies were brought to the sur
face at intervals throughout the
night and carried by rescue squads
to temporary morgues, where fran
tic relatives of men who might be
dead or missing clamored about.
Thirty seven escaped alive from the
gas-laden shafts and these quickly
recovered. An accurate check of
the number missing was impossible
until late today, officials said. They
believe that approximately 14O