Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-14
TWO MORE SAVED
FROM MINE WRECK;
81 BELIEVED DEAD
Rescue Crews Again at Work
After Temporary Halt
Due to Flames.
70 ARE STILL IN DEPTHS
AND ALL THOUGHT DEAD
Owner Denies Charge of Commits
sioner That Inspectors Were
Incompetent.
Ry the Associated Press.

y
Two men were rescued alive today
from the lower levels of mine No. u
of the Mcconnell Mining Co,
where an explosion yesterday en-
tombed 1ul miners. \ fire which for
Il while halted the recovery of bodies
was eNtinguished shortly before noon
and rescue crews again entered the
mine. Ninety-one men are dead or
unaccounted for.
Those rescued today were Cecil
Mckinney. white. and Beryl Hollan
negro.
Mckinney had crawled over the
body of his father and recognized him.
he said, when he walked from the
mine apparently suffering little eX-
cept nervous exhaustion.
The first body taken out today was
that of Is. A. Thomas, an engineer,
who had gone into the mine shortly
before the blast to make a survey.
He was not employed there regularly
Bodies Are Identified.
There followed five others, and as
the bodies were hauled up each was
identified by his fellow workers. 1t
was a subdued, grim group of men
who brought the bodies up and put
them on trucks to be taken to the
morgue The supply of Stretchers
soon was exhausted and Army cots
| were pressed :nto service to transport
| the bodies.
A record of the bodies recovered was
kept in crude chalkmarkS on the tim
bers of the tipple. a mark for each
body, checked off in groups of five.
Jim Mcconnell, owner of the mine.
returned today from Illinois, where he
| had gone to attend the funeral of a
friend. He at once issued statement
denying the declaration last night of
Ed Boyle. State mine commissioner.
that the catastrophe was the result of
having inexperienced men in the mine.
which is being operated on a non
union basis.
Every gas man in the mine held
certificate" Mr.. Mcconnell declared.
And the majority of the men who
were at work had been there some
time. 1t Is not true to say that the
mine was being worked with men who
did not know their business"
Mckinney's escape reduced the mum.
Der believed to be dead to 80. 1t be-
| came known today that the company
carried its own insurance on the min.
ers who were killed. The State in
| policy of allowing a fiat compensa ton
of $4,000 for loss of life in industrial
accidents. and at this rate the deaths
of 90 men would cost the company
| SS2S,0 900. Four of the six men taken
out today in addition to Thomas, be-
fore the renewal of the fire, were iden-
titled.
Forty-fve coffins arrived today by
truck from Fort Smith, Ark Three
,I~,-t ,1rD
prepare the bodies for burial, with the
first funerals due late today. Each
victim will be buried separately, no
effort being made TO conduct a gen
eral funeral service.
Eight Brought Out Alive.
A terrific explosion wrecked the
lower levels of the mine yesterday
shortly after 1O1 white and negro
miners descended the shaft to start
their daily toll. OF these eight negroes
were brought out alive.
Responsibility for the disaster was
placed squarely on the mine operators
by Ed Boyle, State mine inspector
after an investigation. Boyle de-
clared that, in his opinion, the explo-
sion was due to the employing Of in
competent inspectors. He said that
he believed the explosion was from
gas collected in one or more passages
in the mine, and that competent in
spectors could have found evidence
of the gas before the five score men
went to work Wednesday morning.
A report from Supt. w. H. Powers
of the mine stated that fire bosses had
inspected the mine at o'clock In the
morning. two hours before the min.
ers went to work. Boyle declared
that enough gas could not have col
lected in the mine in that time to blow
two cages from the shaft and wreck
the tipple.
At midnight six bodies had been
brought to the surface. They were:
John Evans, white, pit boss: Sam
Wilson, white: Robert Lucas, white:
George Phillips, negro: Nichola 8
Moore, negro, and Oscar Bobbins,
negro.
The interior of the mine is scene
of destruction. rescue workers said.
although they declared there was
little damage below the slope outside
of cave-ins and burned timbers.
Bodies of the men brought TO the
surface indicated that they had been
burned to death, relief men said
Despite the tragedy that touched
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