San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-15
81 Dead Workers Brought
to Surface; 81 Come
Out Alive.
FRANTIC VIGIL ENDS
Grim-visaged CrowdLeaves
Mouth of Shaft for
Morgue.
BY the Associated Press.

Frontier, one mile away. where ap'
proximately 100 miners persisted yes
terlay morning in an explosion in
mine No. 1 of the Kemmerer Coal
Company, today set about the task OF
preparing her dead for burial.
Early today 81 bodies had been re-
Throughout the hours of darkness
as arc lights shed a pallidA illumina-
ton oyer weeping, grief-stricken
throng at the portal of the mine. res
cue workers brought forth the blast
charred bodies of the victims who suf-
located as they sought safety from
poisonous gases.
Thirty-s seven of the 134 min
ers entombed by tine blast have
emerged from the mine alive. Of these.
one lien at a hospital here in n seri-
Gus condition as result of the inhala-
ton of smoke and gas fumes. 1t is be-
lieved he will recover.
blast Cause a Mystery.
The exact cause of the blast re-
manned n mystery, although officials
of the Kemmerer Coal Company, in
a statement issued late yesterday, de.
clared that a blown-out shot was re-
sponsible for the defamation. Another
theory is that q careening "trip" car
which Jumped from the track on the
11OO-fOot level, where the explosion
occurred. had caused a spark when
ignited cloud of dust or gas.
Disastrous as was the loss of life,
the interior of the mine was only
slightly wrecked. and rescue workers
who plunged into the smoke-filled
passageways early yesterday were
hampered but little by debris. At en-
try IL it was necessary to clear away
cave-in which had buried six mine
were forced to relay stretches of
track torn up by the detonation.
Charred timbers and smoke-black
ened cars found by rescuers at first
led to the belief that fire was raging
in the workings after the explosion,
but investigation later is said to have
revealed no other traces of conflagra-
ton.
Frantic. Fearful Vigil.
As news OF the explosion spread
quickly throughout Kemmerer and
Frontier yesterday. crowd estimated
to number 1000 persons gathered at
the portal of the mine and maintained
q frantic, fearful vigil throughout the
day and far into the night. Wives,
mothers, sisters. sweethearts and chill
dren of the entombed men pressed
against the rope barrier strung around
the shaft and at times overwhelmed
the small force of Kemmerer police
and volunteers. as rescue crews
emerged from the underground tomb.
Historically. women wept for hus-
band, father, brother. or lover as the
hours passed, and only a few surviv-
ors struggled from the mouth of the
pit.
Children's walls mingled with the
heartbreaking cries of faithful watch
ers when it became apparent earlJ
last night that no more men remained
alive in the mine and rescue worker
ceased their search for the living and
turned to the task of bringing forth
the dead. The eyes of strong men
were wet with tears as they waited
hoping for the appearance of com
rades with whom they had WORKED
shoulder to shoulder, but who never
came.
On the streets of the town, grim
yisaged men and drawn, sad-faceC
women went about the sorrowful tasi
of preparing for the last Homecoming
Of those they loved.
Long Row of Dead Forms.
At the temporary morgue in KEN
merer throngs Of weeping relatives oil
men who had lost their lives in the
blast passed slowly along before tht
long rows of forms, many still un
| identified, or stood in small groups
assuaging the sorrow of those whf
! had been bereft.
The first intimation Of the disaster
Yesterday was long tongue of smoke
which shot from the fans used to ven
! tilate the mine. The electric alarn
system had been destroyed by the ex
plosion, the pumps had been wrecker
and tracks on which the trip car
operated had been torn up.
Relief crews were organized imme
diately and. under the direction of L
j. Quealy. vice president and genera
manager of the coal company, and Il
C.. Russell. superintendent of the Dia
mond Coal and Coke Company. an ex
perienced mine rescue expert, the wOrt
Of exploring the mine began. Russo.
entered the mine at once and. as vol
unteers rushed to the mine from ad
joining properties of the company ant
from other mines within a radius O,
fifteen miles of the camp, more mer
were sent into the slope until more
than 100 rescuers were at work.
At entry IL the rescuers were de
layed until shortly after noon by thu
task of clearing the passageway oi
debris left by the cave-in. The body
Of pumpman was found, and th,
workers rushed forward desperately AZ
the hope of saving some of those whr
had escaped the deadly after damp.
In the meantime fresh air had bee!
restored in the main slope and tn,
pumps had been started again. \ few
hours after the rescuers entered the
mine two men who had been working
in entry - emerged from the work
ings, the first survivors to appear.
Far back in the mine. in a room of
entry 30. where they had barricaded
, themselves in with brattices of canvas
timbers and portions of their owl
clothing to keep out the death-dealinl
, gases, 26 survivors were rescued. SIS
others were found in entry IS ant
still others in entry 30.
\ first aid station was established
at the mouth of the mine and. as tn,
survivors came out, they were giveI
emergency treatment. A corps of SiA
doctors. twelve nurses and Red Cross
workers I remained at the portd
throughout the day. In the mine H.
crew Of c6r No. . of the United State
Bureau N Mines assisted rescuers an'