The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-07

Relief Parties Hard ut Work-ProbabIe
Cause OF the AocIdcnf-D;strcss and Suffer-
ing OF the Widows and Orr Efforts TO
Secure Help from the Generous People OF
the Country.
The bodies Of Ned Ross and Robert
Booker were recovered from the Grove
shaft pit on Sunday. Yesterday those OF
Tom Summels and Joseph Cournow were
taken out. Courn0w was the engineer,
and was found about fifty feet from his en-
gine. He was not disiigured, save slight
bruise on his nose. Regular shifts OF ten
men are now organizing, relieving each
other every four hours. IL was thought
the body OF lsham Graves wouid be gotten
out last night, and the search is being Wig
orolisly prosecuted.
The following Is the hiest from the
mine, and u graphically tells the story OF
the relief-OpertOrs and Of the distress
wrought by the accident:
COALPIELD, VA, February 6, 1882.
All day long the miners have been work
/ ing with renewed yigor clearing away
deJriS, putting in "stoppings," restoring
ventilation, and driving back the black
damp or carbon gas as they advance. De
tails, or shifts, OF four miners relieved each
other until about O'Clock p. d., when the
shifts were increased by Superintendent
DOddS 10 ten men each. nnder an eXpe-
ricnccd foreman. These viii now work
four hours on and eight hours of day and
night until the bodies 0i the victims OF this
awful mine disaster are an found and
brought 10 the surface. During the morn
ing johnson Marshall, who was the night
pit-boss that turned the mine over on the
fatal day OF the explosion 10 bis brother,
! William Mashall. the day boss, made
Az EXTENDED EXPLORATION.
lie worked hi- way by crawling over
masses Of timber, COal-boXes, water-bar-
rcls, and rooi-tumbles, 10 the extreme end
OF the tunnel, 600 feet from the base
OF the shaft. Marshall IL bent on dis
covering the remains OF his brother, TO
whom he was devoted, and the grief Of
whose family appeals to his strongest SYM
pathics, and on this account exposes him
self 10 the greatest danger. On Saturday
night, while advancing down the tunnel,
he was overcome by
TUE BLACE-DANf,
and narrowly escaped with his life. His
companion, Thad. Crump, Was also over
come by the poisonous atmosphere at the
same time. To-day Marshall, after reach
ing the end Of the tunnel, erept into the
incline, which leads down 1000 feet to The
drifts. or the face OF the coal Here he
found a tangled mass OF broken and twist
ed machinery, overturned Coal-cars, smash
ed Woodwork, wrcnehcd iron implements,
and all the terrible evidences OF
MONSTER FIERY HURRICANE
OF death and destruction. Creeping lit
tie further by the pale light oi his safety
Davy lamp his eye fell upon the mangled
body Of Isliim Graves, the cOlored banks
man" at the head OF the incline. At thi'
point the flicker Of the little flame in his
lamp warned him OF the presence OF th'
deadly fire damp, and he was again forced
to crawl back. Marshall then same TO The
top for some materials required by tli'
miners at work in the tunnel, and feelins
badly did not go down for some hours.
THE BODY OF IsHAM GRAVES
could not be reached at tho time. Abou:
> O'Clock the remains OF Tom Summeis
the cOlored fireman discovered yesterday,
were brought out. When found his bod,
was wing athwart % Water-Cask, his head
hanging over on the side facing TO The
shaft. An examination Of his body show
that the explosive tornado must have beer
tclTilically fierce ~ il swept up the tunne
seeking vent at the shaft. The black skin
on his face and left hand was scOrched a
il peeled of, though his hair was not even
singcd, and his right arm was broken
The features OF
MD ROSS AND RODENT BOOKER
were in q similar condition, and both had
limbs broken and manglcd bodies, bui
there was no evidence Oi tire about
their clothing or their hair. The
hair oi dead muic found close
10 the body OF Robert Booker,
who was driver. was also Unsinged. Thi,
goes 20 prove that the fash from the eXplO-
sion became instantancously eXtlngui>hed
where it originated in the lower depths OF
the mine, and that IL was only IT, fiery
breath pregnant with hot eoal-dust that
came rushing up the tunnel 10 the shaft.
II il believed that in the next day or two
the source OF the explosion " iil BE- reached
and its cause fully explained. At $50 i.
VI. tbc
BODY OF JOSEPH C0URNOw,
the engineer, was found aud brought ont.
COurBow j. the first white man discovered.
He WAS promising young man Of twenty
two years Of age, and the sole de-
pendent Of q widowed mother and large
family. His father was Killed nearly
In the same place, in the same mine. in the
explosion Of May, 1916. In all, four bodies
have been brought out, and a fifth found.
This leads me 10 add that almost every
house here is house Of mourning. one
can scarcely move in any direction without
hearing women weeping and Wailing and
children piteOusly crying. The hand Of
misfortune has fallen heavily upon
THE POOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS
whom destitution stares in the face unless 2
! generous public comes promptly 10 their
/ aid.
The arrival Of twenty-soycn colhns to-day
was a sad spectacle.
A meeting OF the citizens here is called
for tomorrow, at the scene Ot the disaster,
to consider what measures can be adopted
for the relief Of the unfortunate people.
| am satisfied that little or nothing
can be done here, as the small mining
community has its charitable resources
fully tested now by the support Of the
families OF the victims OF the niue disaster
OF May, 1876.
A STRONG APPEAI.
will be issued 10 the wealthy cities and
towns OF the country, and Il is hoped 1t
will meet with favorable response.
SENT on TO THE UNITED STATES GRAND
JURY.-Cbarles Logan (whiic) aud Tom
James (colored), arrested by the police for
receiving stolen goods knowing them 10