~Noon
At the mines:
“At noon today no additional bodies had been recovered from the mines…” (WT 12.13.07 pg. 8)
John Graham Smyth, assistant chief engineer, is placed in charge of recovery efforts underground. (McAteer)
Smyth reports to E. Scott outside. (McAteer)
E. Scott reports to Ruckman and Malone. (McAteer)
~2:00 pm
In Fairmont:
Jess Severe is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. The Improved Order of Red Men is in charge of the funeral. (FWV 12.13.07 pg. 1)
In Monongah:
“The work in the mine was resumed this afternoon, but the men are engaged in cleaning out the debris. In this manner they may run across more bodies.” (CDT 12.13.07 pg. 1)
“A census taken of the town shows three hundred and thirty-eight men missing, which leaves eighteen bodies still in the mines.” (CDT 12.13.07 pg. 1)
“In addition, however, there was a number of contractors and men hired by these contractors are believed to have been in the mines when the explosions occurred.” (CDT 12.13.07 pg. 1)
At some point during the afternoon:
In Fairmont:
The Fairmont West Virginian receives a letter from Elkins post office employees with a donation of $50 included. (FWV 12.14.07 pg. 1)
In Monongah:
One body is recovered from #6. (FWV 12.13.07 pg.1)
“One more body was found in the Monongah mine disaster this afternoon, bringing the total number of bodies recovered up to 321. The last body is that of a man named Burt. It is at the mouth of Mine No. 6, in which mine it was found.” (CDT 12.13.07 pg. 1)
Frank H. Wilmot and George A Campsey, representatives of Carnegie Hero Fund Commission of Pittsburgh are still in town “to find out the progress made in relieving the sufferers and in what way the commission could best serve the needs.” (FWV 12.14.07 pg. 2)
J.H. Wheelwright makes a statement speaking of the difficulties that the searching parties had to encounter: “The difficulties the rescue parties have undergone cannot be realized or appreciated by those outside the mines. It is necessary to make an inspection inside to know the actual conditions.” (FWV 12.13.07 pg. 1)
~3:00 pm
In Fairmont:
Union Relief Association holds a meeting in the M.P. Temple in order to get “As full a report of committee as possible…” (FWV 12.13.07 pg. 1)
Coroner Amos deposited the sum of $367.12 in the People’s Bank of Fairmont to go toward the relief fund. This was all the money found except $23.19 found on the body of Andy Morris which was turned over to the proper relative. (McAteer) (FWV 12.13.07 pg. 1)
Mr. George Linn and daughter, of Benton’s Ferry, attend the funeral of J.H. Mort, member of Marion Lodge No. 27 R.P. (FWV 12.14.07 pg. 2)
The remains were taken across the river in a boat and interred at Maple Grove cemetery. He leaves a wife and four children. (FWV 12.13.07 pg.1)
In Monongah:
Coroner E.S. Amos and Prosecuting Attorney Scott C. Lowe went to Monongah to confer with State Mine Inspector J. W. Paul in regard to the time of holding the inquest. “It is not known at this time if the jury will be taken through the mines or not. If the jury does go through the mines it will likely be after the evidence is taken.” (FWV 12.13.07 pg.1)
~3:30 pm (Press Time)
“Although search was abandoned last night, two more victims…were found today. This makes the total number recovered three hundred and twenty-two.” (BDT 12.14.07 pg. 1)
“Two bodies were taken out of the wrecked No. 6 mine…making the total of recovered bodies 322, of which number 96 were unidentified.” (CET 12.16.07 pg. 1)
“One body taken out of No 6…was identified as Nick Tertza, a Greek, aged 29, single, of West Monongah, and another body was taken from the same mine the same afternoon and has been identified as Henry Burke, an American, aged 69, of East Monongah.” (CDT 12.14.07 pg. 1)
“The census takers made another report, which increases their list from 338 to 344, and it is now predicted that the fatalities all told will number nearly 350. The bodies taken out…were in a bad state of decomposition and identification was made from their mine checks.” (CET 12.16.07 pg. 1)
~4:00 pm
State Mine Inspector J.W. Paul leaves Monongah and travels to the Naomi Mines in Pennsylvania. (FWV 12.14.07 pg.1)
By Late Afternoon
Some 40-50 horses have been removed over the past few days. (McAteer)
The matter of dealing with carcasses was put off for some time in favor of corpses and these carcasses had merely been covered with canvas tarps until all corpses had been found and mostly recovered. (Haas) (McAteer) (News)
Information on the conditions of these animals is included in the formal report made by General Manager Frank Haas for the Fairmont Coal Company:
“One driver was found beneath a loaded car completely covered, only one foot sticking out, his horse lying nearby, stripped completely of harness, which was found 100 yards up the heading lodged in a pile against a pillar fall.” (Haas)
“On another heading, pieces of horse were scattered for a distance of 500 feet, torn so badly that the remains had to be gathered with a shovel, while in a small hole in the rib of this heading the body of a trapper boy was found in a sitting posture without a mark or scratch of any kind.” (Haas)
“Tracks had to be thoroughly cleaned up to the carcass which after being thoroughly disinfected, were pulled on trucks by block & tackle, wrapped in canvas and hauled outside.” (Haas)
“Where roof falls made it impractical to clean up tracks to get trucks to livestock, block & tackle was attached and they were skidded for hundreds of feet, sometimes over falls and through crosscuts, to the track, occasionally necessitating the sawing off of a leg or head in order to make progress possible.” (Haas)
One of the most notorious and lingering ghost tales about the Monongah Mine Disaster includes this information about the horses:
“In just one crosscut, in one section halfway up 3rd Right of Old #6, at least 12 horses perished-and some said many more.” (Coffin Hollow, Musick)
“When the explosion came, the pressure from both ends of the crosscut pressed and squeezed the horses into one solid mass of flesh and bone.” When rescue/clean up crews came upon the pile, they decided “the best and quickest disposal that could be made was to gob their remains into an old working area and seal it off.” (Coffin Hollow, Musick)
More on How Death Gloated!
The Monongah Disaster 