The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-01-29
CYCLONE OF
FLAME WIPES
OUT 29 LIVES
Veteran Miner Tells Vivid
Story of Rescue Work
in Linton Pit.
BRAVE DEATH BY GAS
Volunteers SCorn Danger in
Attempt to Reach
Their BuddieS.
By United Press

By United Press
LINTON, Ind, Jan. pa fam
ing cyclone" was the description
placed on the Little Betty mine gas
explosion here Wednesday by An
drew Docherty, Paxton, Ind, leader
of the first rescue team to descend
the shaft where twenty-nine miners
lost their lives.
Docherty, hero of many mine res
cues during his thirty seven years
experience throughout America and
Scotland, today told the United
Press how eagerly fellow miners
sought to risk their lives in search
ing the mine passages, filled with
poisonous fumes.
Equipped with safety lamps which
detect the presence Of gas, the first
crew felt it's way cautiously through
nearly mile of mud and slime of
the Inflated mine floor.
Bodies Everywhere
aside from a Pickering of the
safety lamps, which indicated the
presence of a slight amount of car
bon monoxide gas, there was moth
ing to show that anything had hap
pened," Docherty said, 'but as we
neared the place of the explosion,
we could see bodies all around on
the mine floor.
'"They were mangled and torn and
most of them were burned to a
crisp. AS We approached to within
a few feet of them, our lights flashed
the danger sign and we could do
nothing more than retreat, without
touching the bodies.
1--WE came to the surface and
made plans for restoring the VEN
tilation system of the mine. This
work proceeded slowly and it was
several hours before we could reach
the first bodies, although we could
see them distinctly. We were sure
they were dead, so we stacked them
in piles to clear the way and pro-
ceeded deeper into the mine.
Restrain Young Volunteers
'It was necessary several times
to jerk back and get pretty tough
with some of the young members
of the crew, who tried to go ahead.
They we're anxious to reach their
buddies and did not seem to care
about the danger of the deadly
after damp.
when we had stayed in the mine
two hours, our heads throbbed and
it was hard to breathe. We had no
masks, so we went back to the sur
face and another willing crew took
up the work.
when I came out, I saw Mrs.
Letote standing near the shaft err
trance. She hurried over, clutched
my arm, and asked if I had seen her
Two sons.
IT had. Both was down there,
stretched in the mud, but I couldn't
tell her. I brought out two other
sons of hers a few years ago, when
an explosion like this occurred in
Sullivan, Ind. Her husband got out
alive this time"
They'll Go Back Down
Andy relaxed in his chair, drew a
deep inhale from his strong pipe,
and continued reflectively:
you know we think the Structu-
raj steel workers have a dangerous
job because we see their danger,
but those who sit down beside a
warm fire give no thought to the
risks we run to get the coal to make
the heat for them.
"Those charred men piled up
down there 200 feet underground
and a mile from the nearest exit,
are real soldiers. But all the dan
ger doesn't bother us. Well be back
tomorrow at work, just the same, SO
we can help the families those poor
fellows left behind them"