The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-08-27
MINE BLAST
TAKES TOLL
. OF: Al LIVES
Forty-0ne Bodies Removed
From Shaft in PennSV-
Vania.
THREE UNDER DEBRIS
All Brought Out Have Been
Identified.
BIZ United Press

BU CntteG Press
OLYMPIA, Pa, Aug. 27.-The. in
ner recesses of Clymer mine No. /,
of the Clearfleld Bituminous Coal
Corporation, have given up forty
one bodies Of victims killed in
Thursdays explosion.
This afternoon nine additional
bodies were brought out. Three
more miners are known to be dead
within the workings, and it is be-
lieved the death toll will not SUR
pass it's present mark-forty four.
Officials Of the bureau of mines
estimated it would require three
more days to recover the bodies OF
the three men, lodged within a room
virtually sealed as a tomb by the
tons Of debris All Of the bodies,
lying in an improvised morgue in
the machine shop of the Clymer,
have been identified by friends and
fellow workers. They were mangled
and lacerated.
The cause of the explosion, which
occurred Thursday afternoon, re-
manned matter Of conjecture to-
day.
1t was definitely established that
ten miners escaped from the mine
shortly after the blast. while four I
more, Mike Puro, Wasko Ratach, AL
Beechy and Robert Record, were
saved by mine rescue crews and to-
day were reported as resting easily
in the Dixonville hospital. All are
suffering broken bones and internal
injuries.
Fumes Strong
Carbon monoxide fumes were still
so strong in the shaft early today
that the squads could not remain be-
low the surface for more than two
hours at a time. Huge boulders had
dropped into the main passageway,
blocking it.
j. NJ. Olson, one Of the four sur
vivors, gave a vivid account Of his
experiences.
II was 1000 feet from the place
where the explosion took place." he
said. II was thrown to the ground
by the force Of the blast. When I
got up I was dazed. For minutes,
suppose, 1 wandered around.
"When I became conscious Of
things, saw a cloud coming toward
me.
Il led six other miners along the
passage to a point beneath the air
vent. l had to walk across the bod
les of twenty workers before / could
reach it.
Other Bodies
'I counted at least eight other
bodies lying in the doorway of a
short hallway which crosses the CEN
ter Of the long passage. Several had
been decapitated.
1.-TWO of the twenty over which I
stumbled had been torn in two.
''At the air vent we felt warm air
coming down. My comrades thought
it was the after. r.damp. The six left
me.
Il knew however, that the air was
being pumped into the mine. and
stuck to the air vent. Later, after
an hour, climbed out"
Die on Way to Hospital
OF the men first brought up from
the pit two died on the way to the
hospital. Phy sicians believed that
three of the four known survivors
might not live.
A crowd of several thousand gath
cred near the rescue workers head
quarters. The Pennsylvania State
troops were in charge of handling
the crowd and Red Cross and Sal
vation Army units were on the
ground.
From the appearance Of the recov.
cred dead relief workers believe that
the coal dust in the mine had caught
fire. So charred were bodies found
it was impossible to take finger
prints
When the explosion came, sixty
miners were ready to enter the pas
sages leading to the elevator shaft.
They ESCAPED unharmed. For an
hour after the explosion, clouds Of
smoke came from the mine, driving
back those who attempted to enter.
By nightfall, however, rescue work
was well under way.
A similar explosion here in June,
1924, killed thirty-seven persons.