St. Louis Post-Dispatch
December 2, 1907

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a RESCUERS | UL TO SAVE 4 ~ BURIED BY BLAST -—— -- Explosign Transforms Coal Shaft Into Gas-Filled Living Tomb. AWAITS SIGN OF LIFE

‘Gtoup oft Palo Face Women and Children, Torn by Grief, on Watch. alR SENT THROUGH PIPE em ee Pumper Regained First Level! Only to Be Killed by Fatal Fumes.

—— BELLE VERNON, Pa., Dec. 2.—In the hope of yet saving a few of the 46 min- brs who are entombed in the Naomi coal mine, near here, which was wrecked last night by fire damp explosion, a gung of rescuers is frantically working at the utmost pitch of human endur- ance. It is thought that before this evening bey will have burrowed through the s of earth and rock that blocks the trance to the mine, but scant hope is 4 out for the recovery of the victims alive. ' Around the mouth of the shaft are clustered, white-faced women and chil- dren, worn and spent with agony, hop- ft hope that all will yet be well d

that their loved ones will be re- to them. Not one sound of life has come from the depths as yet and all that can be fone is to dig, dig, dig, until the closed level, supposed to be fiiled with deadly gases, where the victims are, is reached. 2 js Sigms of life Awnatted. ‘Alb, that human ingenuity can do is bein Gone. A small pipe has been driv- $m through the debris until it is now ossible to force sir and water into the pthe.~2f.there comes a sign of life— Eee the little pipe is being watched un- y—food will also be ‘sent down. - The mine bosses are all at their places “iplectine the work of cue, but one and all are apprehensive and heartsick over the prospect that the work may be all for naught and that the waiting doctors will have nothing to do when ‘the entry finally is forced and the men ‘$n their rocky prison uncovered. The rescuers are being utilized In ‘ghifts, relieved at half-hourly periods, go that fresh strength is always bur rowing at the thousands of tons of de- bris that blocks the way. Little Hepe for Life. It is known that 46 miners were en- totibed in the Naomi mine. It is not believed any will be taken out alive. Bes This afternoon the large force of res- “ ewers had only succeeded tn reaching the entry and no sign of the had been found. There are 37 en- } in all and the men were working k in the mine when the explosion | #1 ote Feb. a met 4 . Pet et 3 ceo reg ~— a Sd aks Sacre FE Ge ME eT eR ee 7 : yi P SO . ¢ 4 ett a - a pumper of the regular night was found at the bottom of first air shaft, where the man had ‘aturnbled and been overcome by the deadly after-draught. While holding out expectancy of the t gabene of the men, Machine Boss A. Hopwood declares this hope is faint. Mae fears that more than half the shift were killed by the initial explosion, which rocked buildings for miles around ana completely filled the main shaft. Open Lamp Causes Blast. Tt is said a miner entering an old shaft + erttty an open lamp caused the explo- @on. Had the disaster occurred on any og? night except Sunday the number -edechegrapeard would have been twice as i The mie employs from 275 to 300 reg- ularly, about one-fourth of them driving @ntry at night, but on Sunday nisxhts only about AEF ? Work of Hunting Down Boodlers Will Begin in Earnest With Session Tuesday Afternoon

COYNE FIGHTS INDICTMENT = IN THE ASPHALT CASES

Warner. Priesmeyer and Warner case. Priesmeyer and Warner were in- dicted by the October grand jury, fol- lowing their arrest on the floor of the House of Delegates Oct. 13, charged with having accepted $500 from Henry Ascher, 5011 Delmar ave- nue, to vote for a garage bill which ‘Improvemetit “Committee of the House. Ascher probably will be the first. witness examined: by the De-. cember grand” jury.” : Sager Expects Re-Indictments,. Circuit Attorney Sager nolle prossed the former ind nents against Pries- Mey erent rner bécause ‘hesdid not like the appearance of the panel. of petit jurors selected to try the case. He did so with the expectation that the December grand jury would re- indict the accused men. No witnesses were cailed Monday, as the grand jury desiree to hear from Circuit Attorney Sager the status of the graft investigation, which was unfin- ished by the former grand jury. Sager will appear in Judge Williams’ court Tuesday morning to argue against the motion to quash the indictment of William R: Coyne, reputed legislative agent of the House of Delegates, charged with perjury for failure to re- member when asked questions consid- ered pertinent to the graft inquiry. If the motion to quash is overruled, Sager may have to lay aside temporarily the grand jury investigation to attend te the Coyne case. Coyne Fights Indictment, Horace Dyer, attorney for Coyne, has served notice on Sager that if the mo- tion to quash the indictment is over- ruled he will go to New York some time during the week to take depositions in behalf of the defendant. As the case Is set for trial in Judge Williams court next Monday, Sager now fears that he will not have time to push the graft investigation during the early sittings of the December gran djury. He expects to have the Priesmeyer- Warner matter disposed of promptly by the grand jury. It is not improbable that another effort will be made to force Daniel E. Naughton, assistant clerk of the House of Delegates, who was de- nounced by the October grand jury as unfit for any office of public or pri- vate trust, to tell how he came into passession of the $500 alleged to have been used by Aschel in the bribery transaction. What the Jury Learned. The October grand jury learned that Naughton delivered the five bills to Sam Weisman, a bondsman, but they were unsuccessful in forcing him.to tell where he got the money. Naughton will be a witness again if service can be obtained upon him. One of the members of the new jury is James W. Allison, who was Gov. Folk’s appointee as chairman of the Board of Election Commissioners, suc- ceeding Andrew C. Maroney, when the latter resigned to become for atime a member of the Police Board. E. F.

the grand jury at 2 p. m. Tuesday. Sager, in Work of Resisting Court Action, May Have to Delay Inq uisatorial Work—An- i other Effort to Make Naughton Talk Probable. The first matter to be considered by the December grand jag impaneled Monday by Judge Fisher, will be the investigation of oe charges of bribery against Delegates F. W. Priesmeyer and Ferd After the grand jury had been sworn in and instructed se by Judge Fisher it held a brief session, during which Cirenit At — fe torney Sager outlined the scope of the graft investigation of the Oc- ee tober grand jury, which adjourned Saturday. : The new grand jurors were eager to renew the investigation: of official corruption, and issued subpenas for the witnesses in the These witnesses will appear before _ Se ae? _

had been held up for months by the Public AR a BUSINESS MEN MEMBERS — DECEMBER GRAND JURY. JOSEPH LL. GRISWO prietor Laclede Hotel, JAMES W. ALLISON, p Wilson Windew Glass McPhérson ayenue, THEODORE CONRANT, presi- dent Sligo Iron Stone Gas 4479 Washington avenue. J. M, GORMAN, president Moran Nut and Bolt Mie. Co., 2714 - Spring avenue. JOHN 8, LOWRY, agent North- Western Life Insurance Co., Pek ont On veal, Byihe) St SARR Shas ey oa Delmar avenue. AUGUST MUELLER, . commis- sion merchant, 5068 , enatageen ‘ avenue. LYMAN 4G, passenger agent B. & O. acarnweateen, Vernon ptingseg a WILLIAM nt rem oe treasurer yoadard Grocery 56838 Bartmer avenue. CHARLES M. SUD fg neh merchant, 2028 Sout elfth | street. JOHN THYSON, merchant, 5205 Florissant. ave- nue. H. A. TRORLICHT, salesman Trorlicht. Duncker & Renard Car- pet Co., 3234 Copelin avenue, EDMUND F. WICKHAM, coal place. |

merchant, 26 Vandeventer

= —— tions, relating to the graft cases, was in general terms, and was as follows: “Your attention is called to the fact that your predecessors have had under investigation some matters which they were not able to fully complete, and have recommended the invesigation pur- . sued further by your body. ‘The Circuit Attorney will undoubted- ly call your attention to these matters. In any event, you should take them up and fully and thoroughly complete the investigation, and take such action in the matters as-the law requires at iasaall hands. “In this connection you afte referred to the report of that body, filed in a vision No. 10 of this court last Satur- day.” Statues to which Judge Fisher cae the grand jurors’ attention were relating to the blocking of switch and governing the conduct of judges. clerks of court of record. These are hibited from practicing in other Another statute mentioned Was forbidding clerks and deputies in co to purchase fee claims from witie or others. INDIANS A

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