The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-03-20
A VIRGINIA HORROR.

Efforts at Exploration.
LYNCHBURG. VA, March 1s.
Shortly after midnight q terrific explo- !
sion occurred at Pocahontas, Tazewen |
County, Va, and soon thereafter scene |
of the most intense excitement ensued. |
Men, women and children arose from |
their beds and rushed out into the open |
air in their night-dresses. The streets |
were thronged, and all were at a loss to
determine what had happened.
WHAT IT WAS.
1t was not long before the truth was
known, and then the excited crowd rush
ed toward the principal coal mine in the
southern suburb. Upon arriving there a
dense volume of smoke was found pour
ing forth from the shaft of the mine,
whilst scattered around within a radius
of a quarter of a mile were broken tim
bers and broken mining machinery of
every description. Upon every side laid
fragments of human bodies. The shrieks
of the woman and children filled the air
air and added more horror to the scene.
Everybody appeared paralyzed at the
spectacle, and it was some time before
the bravest of the men present realized
the extent of the disaster, and began TO
take steps to ascertain it.
After two hours had elapsed and moth
ing accomplished by the panic-stricken
crowd, man with CHASTITY white face
mounted the debris and cried out: "For
Gods sake, men, let's stop this. We all
have friends and relatives down below,
and maybe we can help them. Let's see
about it, and let the women folks do the
crying"
LEADER WANTED.
Every one of the officials of the camp
were below, besides one hundred and
fifty laborers. There was no one to
lead the rescuing party, and it was
with the utmost difficulty that Volun-
teers could be induced to go near the
mouth of the mine. The leader again
addressed the men present, and then
throwing a blanket around his head
made an effort to ascertain If it were
possible to enter the mine. He soon
returned and announced that all attempts
at Il rescue of the poor creatures who
were entombed was useless.
A TERRIBLE SITUATION.
A dense volume of flame then began
pouring out Of the mouth of the mine and
! Illuminated the country for miles around.
| Crowds of people collected in groups ola
half dozen or more, discussed the terrible
situation and lamented the death of either
| father, brother or husband.
When it became evident that nothing
| could be done before daybreak, every en-
| deavor was made by the men to quiet the
women, one of whom, in her frenzy, tore
| the hair from out of her head by the hand
| full and cried out: ooh, my poor husband,
he is burning to death; won't some one
help him?'
LIGHT AT LAST.
| When day dawned the horror became
apparent. The men were by this time
more composed and the women in a meas
1.n-
the fragments of the bodies of the unfortu-
nate miners who had been working near the
mouth of the shaft at the time of the acci-
dent and were blown upward out OF the
mine. Every one of the fifty men at this
point was killed, as the numerous frag-
| ments of limbs testified.
! Telegrams were sent to Lynchburg and
other cities for aid, but it was not until
noon that assistance arrived, and then
! surgeons and physicians arrived from
| Lynchburg by special train. All the
| morning men from the surrounding coun-
try kept pouring to the scene, having been
attracted by the great volume of black
smoke. The hunters in the mountains
were among the arrivals, and they were
invaluable in aiding the panic-stricken
residents.
The greater part of the victims were
Italians and Germans, and their names
cannot, with any accuracy, be ascer-
tanned, except in a few instances.
EARNEST WORKERS.
4 party of miners from Coalfield mines,
under command of Ce )rge Dodds, ar
rived during the afternoon and took
charge of affairs. The residents were
forced back from the vicinity of the dis
aster and the work of collecting the hui
man remains proceeded with. The frag-
ments were removed to a house near by.
The collection was a CHASTITY one, and the
500 population remaining above ground
seemed to be craZed by the scene. None
had any hopes of ever seeing any of the
entombed miners alive. Yonng girls half
naked dashed here and there, regardless
cf those around them. Many had their
clothing stained with blood by their
search among the human fragments.
DRIVEN BACK.
At brief intervals man after man would
make a determined effort to force his
way into the mine only to be driven back
by the flames and smoke. At seven O'Clock
last night it was thought an entrance
could be had as the smoke showed signs
of decreasing A party of men attempted
} to get in, and had gone below ground,
when a volume of fame shot up, ana II
was with difficulty the men escaped with
their lives. Upon the party reaching the
surface, it was discovered that one OF
the rescuing party, an Italian named
Carlo Franchi, was missing, and had evil
; IDENTIFY dropped from the cage into the
: raging furnace below. The others Of the
party were all badly burned.
= THE MINE BURNING.
At eight O'Clock the mine was sending
t forth roaring funnel of flame, setting
fire to the outbuildings and destroying
the fan house, which had been looked
! upon as the salvation Of any Of the meT
: who might be still alive. When this lasi
3 calamity was witnessed by the evictee
I residents heartrending shriek went up
G and q rush was made to save the build
G ing The efforts were without avail, anC
I iU was soon mass of ruins.
1t is now certain that the entire mine il
in flames. and it will be week before /
will be extinguished If it can be at all
There are no hopes for the entombe'
miners whose families are left pennies
and homeless.
NO SOUND or LIFE.
n At midnight it was decided to make an
3 other attempt to enter the mine tai
= morning by an unused drift which con
$ meets a branch shaft filed with rubbish
q Men have gone into this branch am
: sounded the walls with hammers, hoping
e to hear some signal from below. IN
e tapping was kept up for more than al
C hour without avail and was then aban
e doned. The general opinion is that II tn
IA men were not killed by the explosion the
: have been sunOcated.
d THE SCENE.
Pocahontas IS 1T miles west OF Lynch
burg, the mining village being located a
the foot of Flat Top Mountain. II Is tn
western terminus of the new river branc
+ of the Norfolk & Western Railroad. Tn
II town Is a new one Of frontier character
d and it has an ordinary population OF tW
n thousand.
THE EFFECT.
= What effect the disaster will have o
d the operations of the mines can only b
I. coniectured until the full extent of tn
h damage IS known. The mines have nc