Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-15
HALIFAX.
Later from the COal-Mine Horror.
Continued Explosions - Narrowing
Scenes.
The Fires sttlI Raging.

HALIFAX, May 1.-THE latest news
from the Drummond Colliery this morning
represents that the fire is still raging in the
shafts and slopes, and that all hopes OF res
cuing the men must be abandoned. IL is
now stated there were sixty men in the pis.
Another heavy explosion occurred in the
mine about two O'Clock this morning. 1t
is thought to be almost impossible that any
of the men in the pit can be living. 1t is
known that only four or five got out before
the explosion. The fire caught from
flask of gun powder and the men remained
to put out the flames. One report says Mr..
Dunn and thirty volunteers went down to
assist ia putting out the fire about twenty
minutes before the explosion occurred, at
which time it is supposed that all the men
were near the flames and that many if not
all were killed at once by the explosion.
Later.
The fire at Drummond's colliery contin-
ne, but is slowly sbatiug, all the openings
being filed up, and stream has been turn
ed into an air shaft lately worked. The list
of killed, as far as known, comprises rs
men leaving wife and family, and % single
men. The total number of killed will prob
ably reach seventy-fve. The wounded are
six, of whom two are fatally injured. The
men who have escaped with great difficulty
from the slope report that on their way up
they passed bodies of their comrades who
| had probably become Supplied by smoke.
SeVera! violent explosions took place last
night. One was perceptibly felt four miles
| distant. An inquest commenced yesterday
and adjourned until this evening.
A Terrific Spectacle.
| NJ
| From 10 O'Clock last night until dayligh.
| this morning the fire at Drummond col
| liery ragged with great ferceness, gathering
volume and violence each moment. The
sky in the vici ity of the calamity was illu
minated with the flames from the air
| shaft to the height of nearly one hundred
feet. all through the nigut there were
| explosions at intervals. There were pre-
ceded by rumbling noise resembling
thunder. The weary watchers, who re-
NAMED around the pits mouth and air
shaft, and labored to subdue the flames,
were obliged to seek shelter in an adjoining
wood, as stones, debris, etc, were thrown
from the pits mouth at each explosion, be-
ing scattered around in all directions, and
threatened instant destruction or injury to
every one within reach.
| AUOub bMU U ClOCh ILLS aiIChuOCA bHOOO
explosions were followed by one which,
4 for terrific violence and destructive force,
| dWarfed all the rest. All the wooden
works in and about the Main Slope were
instantly d, stroyed stones, wood and
burning embers were driven high into
the air; smoke, flame and horrible
noises accompanying the explosion,
giving the beholder vivid idea OF a vol
canic eruption. The earth for miles around
was shaken with the violence of the explo-
sion. The laoorers are now at work filing
up the shafts with clay, and hopes are en-
tertained that the worst danger is over
unless another explosion takes place.
The scenes in and around the
villages ara saddening. Westville
and the village at Drummond Colliery are
in mourning. The shops are closed and the
men and women wander about in groups,
their saridened eountenances betOkening
the great grief that has befallen them. No
pen CAM correctly picture the narrowing
scenes Of yesterday when the terrible truth
was conveyed TO the mourning
wives, sisters and friends of these
who were so suddenly hurled into eterni-
ty. The utmost excitement prevailed, and
for hours it was impossible to ascertain who
were or were not in the mine. The women,
many of whom bad husbands ard sons
working in the colliery, made the air dismal
with their crying. One of the rescuiDg
party was killed by an explosion yesterday
and driven into the air a distance of 100
feet and fell into the wood near by, where
his dead body was picked up this A. NJ
About As of the men lost were married, all
of whom leave families to mourn their sad
fate. Nearly every family here lost some
relative or friend by this terrible calamity
Many reasons are given to account for
the disaster, but the direct cause is attribu
table to the stoppage of work at the mines
and the accumulation of gas. Whether
proper care and precaution were exercises
during the stoppsge in looking after th'
mine are facts which will be determined
upon official inquiry.
At 4:30 P. NJ, there was no change in tn
condition of the fire. The flames are still
! Issuing from the shaft and an opinion pra-
| walls that there will be more heavy eXplo-
sions. The number known to be kIle'
, has now reached SO.