Campbell, James Orval

Treece Kansas. Feb 1.--Three crushed bodies had been recovered today as miners dug deeper into a mountain- like slab of dirt and rock in a drift 220 feet underground at the Southern Mine, near Treece, in their search for two others of five who lost their lives yesterday in the worst mine disaster in the Tri-State district in years.

A work-weary crew came upon the body of James Orval Campbell, 34 years old, of Galena Kansas, at 4:30 this morning, after digging all night. He had been crushed to death under a slab weighing thousand of tons.

Fresh Crew on Job

Two other bodies had been reached yesterday afternoon and last night. That of Jesse Crossland, 28, living on the Oklahoma-Kansas state line road, was recovered at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and the body of John Frederick McCumber, 24, of Black Jack, near Galena Kansas, was found at 8:10 last night.

The men yet missing, both given up for dead are: Harry Burtrum, 32, of Galena Kansas, and Frank Porter, 40, of Wilburton Kansas. A fresh crew of 30 rescuers went to work this morning, but progress in clearing away the mammoth slab was slowed down as the workmen reached a thickness of 20 feet thick.

Where under the mass of fallen rock the bodies of the other two victims are, none could say, as all five victims apparently were trapped and crushed to death while fleeing for their lives as the slab fell.

A. Snodgrass Kansas district mine inspector remained in the ground all night and was still there today assisting in directing the rescue work.

Danger Not Apparent

Snodgrass said the underground at the Southern Mine did not appear to be dangerous.

"It was old ground, of course," he said, "being about 20 years old, but all of the pillars seemed to have been in good condition except the one which collapsed and permitted the slab to fall." He said he inspected the ground yesterday, following the accident, and pronounced it safe. He estimated the slab fell about 40 feet from the roof of the drift.

Two miners injured in the tragedy remained in the American hospital at Picher today. One is John Wesley Anderson, 23, of Columbus Kansas, who is in a serious condition, suffering from a possible skull fracture and a leg injury. Louis Hannesbaugh, 35, of Galena Kansas, Route 2, received only minor injuries and will be discharged from the hospital.

Seven men were in the drift when the slab fell. Hannesbaugh and Anderson escaped by running, but both were hit by falling rock. Hannesbaugh said he saw Campbell buried alive 20 steps ahead of him while both were running. He said he was knocked down twice while running toward the shaft with rocks and dirt falling all around him. The second time he fell his leg was pinned by a rock. Rescuers found him about 100 feet from the shaft. His escape from the main body of the slab was regarded as being miraculous.

"Creaking Noise" Only Warning.

Hannesbaugh said the only warning he had was a "creaking noise" which he and others had been hearing for several days. He likened the noise of the falling slab to that of a cyclone.

The slab fell at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon and within a short time rescue work had started. Miners from nearby mines volunteered their services.

Later in the afternoon the Ottawa county Oklahoma and Baxter Springs Kansas Red Cross chapters set up a first aid station and coffee kitchen for the workmen on the grounds. It was maintained throughout the night and today.

State highway patrolmen blocked roads to the mine to keep curious crowds away. Approximately 75 persons were gathered at the mine today, including friends and relatives of the victims and miners. Only workmen and officials were permitted to enter the ground.

Dr. C. H. Jones of Galena Kansas, Cherokee county coroner, was expected here today to start an investigation.

The Southern Mine is owned by the Dines Mining Company and operated by Pete Dines of Picher Oklahoma. It was at one time owned by F. W."Mike"Evans. It is located north of the Wilburton road, about a mile and a quarter north of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line. Approximately 40 miners were employed there.

It was the first mine in which McCumber had ever worked, he having been first employed last December.

Surviving Crossland are his widow, Mrs. Donna Crossland; two small children; a brother, Frank Crossland of Picher; two half-brothers, Delmar Crossland and Oliver Crossland of Picher; two sisters, Mrs. Florence Clark of Los Angeles California, and Mrs. Gertie Mills of Girard Kansas, and his mother, Mrs. Mary Crossland of Picher Oklahoma.

Campbell, who had worked in the mine only a few months, was a drummer in the Kansas Ramblers' band which played at dances throughout the Tri-State District. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Della Campbell and a son, Billy Campbell, at home; and a daughter, Betty Campbell, of Bakersfield California; a stepson, Guy Morgan, at home; two sisters, Mrs. Hazel Belcher of St. Joseph and another sister in California, and a half- brother, Wilbur Campbell.

Employed Only a Month

Burtrum had been employed in the Southern Mine only a month, but he had worked in other mines of the district. His home was at Eleventh street and Bellevue avenue in Galena Kansas. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Wanda Burtrum and two daughters, Peggy Burtrum and Betty Burtrum, all of Leeds South Dakota, his mother, Mrs. Nellie Burtrum of Coffeyville Kansas; his father, James Burtrum of Seneca Missouri; three brothers, Joe Burtrum of Idaho and Harold Burtrum and Paul Burtrum, both of Coffeyville; two sisters, Mrs. Hattie Sims of Welch Oklahoma, and a sister in Coffeyville.

McCumber was a lifelong resident of the Galena Kansas vicinity. He is survived by his young widow, Mrs. Virginia McCumber; a son, Johnny McCumber, 4 years old; his mother, Mrs. Grace McCumber of Black Jack; three brother, Luther McCumber and Joe McCumber of Galena Kansas and Frank McCumber of Carthage Missouri. His body was removed to the Boice undertaking company establishment at Galena.

Surviving Porter are his widow, Mrs. Nellie Porter; three sons, Wilburn Porter, Willard Porter and Wayne Porter, and two daughters, May Porter and Genevieve Porter, all at home; his parents, and a brother living in Cassville Missouri, and three sisters.

Treece Kansas, Feb 1--Hard-rock miners tonight prepared to blast huge boulders as they worked to recover the bodies of two men still covered by a mass of rock and dirt which fell in a drift at the Southern Mine near here yesterday afternoon, killing five men and injuring two.

The bodies not yet recovered are those of Harry Burtrum, 32 years old, of Galena Kansas, and Frank Porter, 40, of Wilburton Kansas.

Funeral services for James Orville Campbell, 34 years old, of Galena Kansas, a victim of the Dines Mine tragedy Tuesday, will be held at 1 pm Friday at the Assembly of God church in Galena, it was announced this morning by the Todd funeral home. Burial will be in Hillcrest cemetery. Campbell's body was the third recovered from beneath the massive slab which fell about 1:45 pm Tuesday, killing four other men and injuring two others. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Della Campbell; a daughter, Betty Campbell, 13 years old; and a son, Billy Campbell, 11 of Oildale California; and a step-son Guy Campbell, 17, of Galena.

Campbell's Body Found

At 4:30 this morning the miners uncovered the body of James Orval Campbell, 34, of Galena Kansas. The bodies of the two other men, Jesse Crossland, 28, living on the Oklahoma-Kansas State line near Picher Oklahoma, and John Frederick McCumber, 24, of Black Jack, near Galena Kansas, were found yesterday.

Officials could only guess how long it might be before their grim work could be completed. Some of the miners estimated that almost half of the huge mass already had been removed. Others said they believed the remaining bodies were under a 35 foot slab that would have to be blasted, and that it might be many hours before the work could be completed. The work was delayed because the roof of the chamber was reported as "creaky," and other rock falls were feared. Tonight a crew of approximately 45 men was on the job, working in groups of 15. Another crew took the place of the first at 10 o'clock.

At the American hospital, Picher, the attending physician express belief that John Wesley Anderson, 28, of Columbus Kansas, seriously injured in the accident, would recover. Anderson was reported to have suffered a skull fracture. Still a patient in the hospital was Louis Hannesbaugh, 35, of Galena Kansas route 2, who was recovering from hip and ankle injuries. His condition was not regarded as serious.

Crowds Visit Scene

H. C. Snodgrass Kansas district mine inspector, who was assisting in directing the work at the mine, declined official comment as to the cause of the accident beyond saying that pillars in the drift, with the exception of the one which collapsed, appeared to be in good shape. He said he inspected the ground following the accident and pronounced it safe.

Hannesbaugh, who gave an eye-witness account of the disaster, reported hearing a "creaking" noise before the huge slab fell, and said he had heard the same "creaking" several times before. The slab which fell was estimated to weigh almost 4,000 tons. PHOTO caption "William Fagan, above, 30 years old, a mule skinner at the Southern Mine, raced to safety just in time to avoid sharing the fate of five fellow workers Tuesday afternoon when a huge slab fell. The mule he was driving also fled unscathed."

Picher Oklahoma, Feb 2 A lone body, hidden perhaps by 10 feet of rock and dirt, separated 50 rescue workers today from completion of their task at the Dines Southern Mine near Picher. Search for the last body of five men who lost their lives Tuesday in collapse of the roof at this mine was speeded this afternoon following the discovery of the corpse of Frank Porter, 45 of Wilburton Kansas. The body, badly crushed, was found shortly before 1 pm in 10 feet of dirt. The corpse was first taken to the American hospital at Picher, where identification followed immediately.

Volunteer workers and regular crews of the Southern Mine and Muncie Mine sought the body of Harry Burtrum, 32, of Galena Kansas before their grim task is ended. After the discovery of Porter's body, workman took new heart because they thought the other would be located nearby. Dynamite had been used carefully in certain sections of the rock filled drift. As volunteers and regular mine workers entered the forty-eighth hour of their tremendous task this afternoon, a call was issued for more volunteer miners. The roof of the ill-fated mine was being trimmed from time to time, it was reported, as the rescue crews pushed through rock and dirt for a body that may be torn into small pieces. Dan J. O'Donnell of the Pittsburg mine department and H. C. Snodgrass, district Kansas mine inspector, were still directing the work today and both said they would stay until the task is finished.

More than 50 miners were engaged in shoveling this morning. A Picher funeral home employee, who left the mine after an all-night wait at the shaft, said he learned on a visit underground that the search may not reach completion in less than two or more days. One or both of the bodies may be shielded from workmen's tiring shovels by as much as 20 feet of dirt. Boulders are impeding progress and their blasting may lead the way to the victims by nightfall. A miner's glove was uncovered late yesterday and searchers were given a new spark of hope. But no body was near and the hunt went on as it has for the last 30 to 35 hours.

Meanwhile, funeral arrangements have been completed for all three victims, whose bodies were brought to the top of the shaft late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Rites for Jess C. Crossland, 35, or near Picher, will be conducted at 2 pm Friday at the Baptist church in Picher. Burial will be in G.A.R. cemetery, Miami, under direction of the Durnil funeral home. Pallbearers will be Woodrow McClarey and Ray McClarey, Ollie Stoner, Carl Gilmore, Ralph Stoner and Kenneth Smith.

Services for James Orval Campbell, 34, of Galena Kansas, will be held at 2 pm tomorrow at the Galena Assembly of God church. Burial will be in the Hillcrest cemetery at Galena under direction of the Todd funeral home, Picher Oklahoma.

Rites for John Frederick McCumber, 24, of Black Jack Kansas will be held at the Little Mission church in Galena Heights at 10 am tomorrow. The Rev. Clifford Thacker will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Hill cemetery at Galena.

Picher Oklahoma, feb 3 Their grisly task at end, sorrowing rescue workers extended today unrestrained sympathy to the families of five men who lost their lives Tuesday in the Dines Southern Mine disaster, one and one- half miles northwest of Picher.

The fifth and last body entombed in a drift since shortly after noon last Tuesday, was discovered about 10:30 am today. The corpse was that of Harry Burtrum, 32 years old, of Galena Kansas. An arm protruding from beneath a huge boulder was reported to have give some 30 rescue workers the exact location of the body. The boulder had to be broken carefully and jackhammers were employed to shatter the rock.

Body to Surface at 1 pm

The body was brought to the top of the Southern shaft shortly after 1 pm.

Later reports said the victim's head was discovered beneath boulders about 9 am. Workman jacked up the boulders to extract the corpse, which was removed to the Todd funeral home, Picher.

J. W. Burtrum of Seneca Missouri, father of the miner, went to the funeral home immediately. Three brothers, Harold Burtrum and Paul Burtrum, both of Coffeyville Kansas, and Joe Burtrum of Idaho are among the miner's survivors.

The widow and two children, who survive Burtrum, were reported en route to Picher from Lead South Dakota.

Besides Burtrum, others killed in the collapse of the mine roof were Jess Crossland, 35, of near Picher; Frank Porter, 35, of Wilburton Kansas; James Orval Campbell, 34 of Galena Kansas and John Frederick McCumber, 24, also of Galena.

Two were inured, but both are recovering at the American hospital in Picher. The are Louis Hensbregh, 35, of Galena, and Wesley Anderson, 21, of Columbus Kansas.

Rescue workers labored for more than 65 hours to recover all the bodies. Volunteers and regular employees of the Muncie Mine and Southern Mine properties began their grim assignment Tuesday afternoon.

Funeral services for Frank Porter, 40 years old, of Wilburton Kansas, who was killed in the accident at the Dines Southern Mine, north of Treece Kansas, Tuesday afternoon, will be held at 2 pm Saturday at the Corinth church, near Cassville Missouri. The Rev. C. F. Siler, pastor of the Baptist church at Cassville, will officiate. Burial will be in the Corinth cemetery with the Durnil funeral home of Picher Oklahoma in charge. Porter is survived by his wife, Mrs. Nellie Porter; three sons, Wilbur Porter, Willard Porter and Wayne Porter; two daughters, Mary Porter, and Genevieve Porter; and two brothers, Jim Porter of Albuquerque New Mexico and Sam Porter of Cassville. Porter's body was the fourth recovered from the mine.

Treece Kansas, Feb 3.--The last of five miners' bodies buried under an estimated 3,800 tons of rock and dirt when the roof of a drift in the Southern Mine collapsed at 2 Tuesday afternoon, was removed at 1:10 this afternoon, almost 72 hours following the catastrophe.

Working constantly since the disaster occurred, rescuer reached the body of Harry Burtrum, 32 year old Galena Kansas man, at 10 this morning but had to spend three hours freeing it from underneath an 800 ton boulder. The lower part of his body had been caught by the huge rock and it was necessary to use lift jacks to free it.

From Deepest Point

Burtrum's body was found in the deepest point of the fallen slab. A crew of 25 weary miners followed the body from the mine, their work completed. The mine was closed, at least temporarily.

The body of Frank Porter, 45 years old, of Wilburton Kansas, was the fourth body to be taken from the ground. It was found at 12:10 yesterday and brought to the surface at 1:20 o'clock.

Funeral services for John Frederick McCumber, 24, were held this afternoon. Campbell's funeral was at the Galena Kansas Assembly of God church. The Rev. Mr. Hertwick officiated. Burial was in Hillcrest cemetery. Services for Crossland were at the Picher Oklahoma First Baptist church, with the Rev. Evans, pastor, in charge. Burial was in G.A.R. cemetery at Miami.

Services for Porter will be at 2 Saturday afternoon at the Corienth church, east of Cassville Missouri. The Rev. C. F. Siler of Cassville will be in charge. Burial will be in Corienth cemetery.

Surviving Porter are his widow and five children, William Porter, Willard Porter, Wayne Porter, Mary Ida Porter and Beneva Belle Porter, all at home; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Porter of Cassvelle, Missouri; five sisters, Mrs. H. O. Longby, Mrs. W. O. Scott, Mrs. W. A. Rowley, Mrs. Margo Simpson and Mrs. J. C. Fuller, and two brothers, Sam and Jim Porter.

Two Others Injured

Two other miners were rescued alive shortly after the accident. They are Wesley Anderson, 28 of Columbus Kansas, who suffered a fractured skull, and Louis Hannesbaugh, 35, of Galena Kansas, who suffered less serious injuries to a hip and ankle.