The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-03-21
CHASTITY SPECTACLE
Witnessed by the Men Who En-
tered the Pocahontas
Coal Mine.
Armless and LegIess Bodies Found Upon
Every Side-The Inquest Will
Develop the Cause of
the Explosion.
TERRIBLE SCENES.

BALTIMORE, March 17-William H.
Cochran, inside mine manager, gives a
graphic account of the Virginia Coal Mine
explosion. He says he was sleeping in a
frame house near the fan tunnel. and his first
sensation was that of whirlWind followed
by hail storm. A rock weighing one hun
dred pounds was hurled upon the roof with
terrific force, and came crashing through on
the floor above him. A bed in which
woman and her three children were sleeping
III an adjoining room was torn in pieces, but
its occupants escaped uninjured. Cochran
sprang out of bed and rushed to the window.
Four reports followed in quick succession,
the second being the most terrific. 'There
is no language adequate to describe it, )" said
Cochran, who is an old Cornish miner. Il
never heard anything like it before.
The whole valley was full Of dust, smoke
and flying pieces of coal. hurried to the
main entrance with safety lamp,
and after sending word to Superin-
tendent Lathrop, l entered the mine.
was the first to enter, and was
accompanied by two miners, William
Whitaker and John Peters. We went about
300 feet into the main entry, and were then
driven back by the after damp. ! saw no
bodies. A few minutes later, accompanied
by John jones' outside boss, Peters and
Whitaker, l went into the main tunnel and
then into entry No. I, east about 200 feet.
Up the latter we saw the body Of
man with head, legs and one arm, and all
his clothing blown off. We then retraced
our steps and proceeded up the main tunnel
about five hundred feet, when we came
across the body of another man lying on
his back and nearly covered up with scale
coal. We continued little further,
but saw it was not safe, and re-
turned. We then went into the east entry
again, and after proceeding about four
hundred feet, we found a mans foot and
part of a leg, so blackened that at first they
were almost unacceptable. Some time
afterwards | entered the main air course
with Samuel Morley, George Brit
ton, and a Hungarian, and pene-
trated east entry No. a
distance of about seven hundred feet.
There we found two men, one with his right
arm and left leg on fire, and another man
lying near by. We put out the fire,
but after proceeding little further
the Hungarian stirred UP the burn
ing slack coal with his foot and we
realized that the mine was on fire. We
afraid of sutfocation. My companions ran,
but | was so exhausted l could not run,
and barely escaped with my life. We were
all quite i'll for several hours"
William Culbreth, assistant mine boss,
entered the east entry air course about ten
o'clock with Samuel Hartman, another ex-
perenced miner, and after proceeding about
two hundred feet saw huge bed of flaming
Goals short distance in front of them.
He at once returned and reported
the fact to Superintendent Lathrop, who,
being satisfied that the mine was on fire and
that all further efforts to recover the bodies
of the men would be fatal, gave the order to
close all the entrances to keep the fire from
spreading. This was done by erecting brat
tees at the mouths of all the openings. and
filling them in with mud and sawdust so as
tomake them air tight. 1t is not thought that
there will be much trouble in going into the
mine as soon as the fire is eXtinguished.
The location and extent of the fire are as
yet matters of conjecture, but some Of the
older miners express the opinion that it is
comparatively restricted in area and will
soon be extinguished. AS soon as the
bodies are recovered an inquest will be held
and the cause of the disaster, if possible,
determined