The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-25
NINE EXPLOSION.
Terrible Disaster mt Crested Butte,
Great Loss of Life.
Fifty.Seven Miners Ent0mbed in the
Bowels of the Earth.

DENVER Col, Jan. ga terrible OK
plosion occurred at 8 o'clock yesterday
morning in the Colorado Coal and Iron
company's mine at Crested Butte. So far
only the most meagre details have been
received here, but the loss of life is sup
posed to be terrible. There were sixty
seven men in the mine at the time of the
explosion OF these, eleven who were
just entering, were thrown back to the
entrance by the force OF the explosion.
One of these men is dead and the others
are all badly injured. There are fifty six
men yet in the mine and cannot be reached
and they are all supposed to be dead. The
explosion was Of such force as to entirely
wreck the engine house, which stood fully
one hundred feet from the entrance 1t
is supposed that the explosion was caused
by leak in the air compression. The
people of Crested Butte are doing all that
is possible to rescue the miners. Two
special trains from Denver, on the Denver
& Rio Grande left this evening for Crested
Butte. thirty miles distant, with physi-
clans and a large body of citizens on board.
Crested Butte, near which the mine is
located is mining town, thirty miles
from Gunnison City. The cause of the
explosion is not definitely known, but it
is supposed to be from fire damp. The
explosion occurred either in chamber or
2. just half an hour after the day force of
sixty seven men had gone to work. There
were ten men at work in the chamber, four
of these escaped unhurt, except one, John
Angus, who was in the passage way out
side the chamber, He was badly burned
but will recover, Fifty seven men were
in chambers | and 2. These are all
thought to have persisted.
The explosion was of such force as to
completely barricade the main entrance,
The appliances for supplying air, located
near, were badly wrecked, and the roof
of the tramway blown off. A force of the
Colorado Coal and Iron Company's miners
and citizens generally, have been working
hard all day to rescue the men, although
it is thought that none can possibly es-
cape alive. The town hall has been
prepared for the reception of the dead
As soon as possible the fan was repaired
and put to work pumping air into the
mine, and the men set to work to remove
the instructions so as to reach the cham
bers and get the bodies ont tonight if
possible, The following are the names
of fiftyfve of the unforlunates; the other
two are unobtainable: Henry Anderson,
Jonn William, W. S. Stewart, John Mas.
tin. Thomas Roger, James ONeIl, Jacob
LauX, John Anderson, James Walsh
Peter Baker, William Davidson, Richard
James, David Hughes, p. McManus, w
King. John Creeland, John Hullar, Thos
Williams, John Shane, Patrick Barrett,
J. McGregor, J. Meyers, F. " Smith, G.
B. Nicholson, VIM. Msroney. Nick Probst,
Thomas T. Lafiey, John Prince, James
Driscoll James Coughin, Henry Stewart,
b. Hebron, L. T. Hcffon, W. J.. Jones.
John Donnelly. Carl Rodenwald, Charles
Sterling, Thomas Roberts. Jim McCourt,
Fred Becht, lber King, j. Weisenberg,
H. Donegan, Joseph Kraust J. F. Stew
art, Jr., William Meath, Morgan Meath,
Thomas Clancy, John Rutherford Will
liam Mcdowell, A. W. Godfred, Dan Nc.
Donald, William Auburv, Ben Jcffreys,
Thomas Stewart.
Many of these were married men and
leave families, many of whom were living
here. AT this hour everything is in such
confusion that it is impossible to give the
details. A special train left Gunnison
City this evening, with large number of
citizens to render all aid possible. The
town of Crested Butte is in mourning
Crowds Of women are clustering about
the entrance of the mine, praying and
crying piteously, presenting a scene most
heart rcnding. 1t is said that at the time
of the explosion there were ten kegs of
powder in chambers / and where the
men were working and where the cxplo-
sion is supposed to have taken place, and
the mine has three miles of drifting, and
so il is impossible TO definitely locate the
accident until the rescuing parties can
gain admittancc TO the mine
The mine has long been considered
dangerous by those acquainted with it .
While i is one of the best producing
mines in the country, its operation has
always been attended with more or less
apprehension and real danger 1t is a
fire damp mine, said Supt Cameron, now
III l'GHNtir anu SGGIUS 10 constantly gen
crate the most deadly gases They seem
to generate in the coal and pour out of
the seams in the walls of the tunnels and
shafts; yet the mine is the most perfectly
ventilated one in the world Air Is forced
in along the shaft by machinery, and no
less than $4,000 cubic feet of fresh air is
forced into the mine every minute This
is quite sufficient to fully supply the
wants of the miners and keep the air per
fcctly pure unless some accident happens
to cut off or interfere with the supply
This is a greater amount of fresh air than
is furnished in any other mine in the coun-
try" Supt. Cameron added; I'VE send
mine viewer through every chamber
each morning before any of the men are
allowed to go in. He must have returned
this morning before the Workmen started
in, and everything must have been all
right when he passed through." John
McNeal, state mine Inspector, left for the
scene last evening, He says he has no
doubt that every man in the mine at the
time of the explosion was instantly killed