The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-03-26
A MINE CATASTROPHE.
Details Of the Explosion in a Vr-
ginia Colliery.
Many Miners Sufficiently Hurried to an
AwfuI Death.

pou,,..,,., a.. ...,,.,. l.,
""cuiurs vi the terTlple eNpiosioh III
coal mlrie nt Tazewell, Va, are narrowing
I'm the extreme. The nina i'm which the Az
nloso, occnrrad l. s;,u,,od a. tba hoya
:. NJ. m -. $3.50.
Wv r'"O ioP "'ouH'a'''' ""c" ui''uo IL
gina from West virginia. Accounts Of the
disaster. made I'D from various sources. are
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10 iV'o"''
Shortly after mldnigbta terrible explosion
armed the residents OF POcahuntas, TaDo'
well county, Va, and soon thereafter n
scene Of the most intense excitement en-
sued. Men, women and children arose from
Their beds and rushel out into the open air
IN Their night dresses. The streets were
thrOnged, and all were at n lOs' 10 determine
what had happened. IL was not long before
the truth was known. aud then the excited
crowd rushed toward tneprncipal coal NINE
IN the southern suburb. Upon arriving
there dense volume o, smoke was found
pouring forth from the shaft Of tho mine.
fcaitered around within Il ia Illus Of a
quarter OF a mile were broken tlmbcrs and
broken mirilng niachin ry Of every descriI-
ton. Upon every sle lay fragments Of
human bodies, some of winch were lodged
on the top OF shells and in the branches OF
adjoining trees. The shriets Of the women
ana children filled the air, ami added more
horror 70 thr accne.
Everybody appeared parnlyzed nt thes.ec-
taclo,a nd II wa sonie ti'nt before the braVest
OF the men present realized tho ct'enJ OF ths
disaster, and began T. take STEPS To ascertain
tho eItent of the damage. After two hours
had elapsed aud nc, hing accom- Jlished by tho
panlc-strIc1en crowd. q man with CHASTITY
WHITE iece mounted tn debris and cried out
nj la In J. aNs.W. Va
all have friends and relatives down below,
ana maybe we can hrlr them.
Let us see what We can do, he added;
and lot the women folks 10 the crying"
Every one OF tho officials OF the camp were
oelow, besides one hundred ana hfty labor
erS There was n" one a. lead the resculng
parry, ana II was w the utm' st dlliiculty
That volunteers could be Induced to 20 near
the mouth OF tie mine. The leader again
addressed the men present, and then, throw
Ing blanket around his head. made an
effort 10 ascertain IL II was possible to entor
the mine. lie soon returned, and announced
thaC all attempt Mt Il rescue or the poor
creatures VINO were entomb.d was useless.
dehse volume OF lame then began pour
Ing out OF the mOltth of the mine, and illu.
minated the country for miles around;
crowds OF people collected in groups OF u
hall dozen or more. discussed the terrible
SITUATION, ana lanlented the death OF eitlier
father, brother, or husband. When 1t be-
came evident that nothing could DO done
before uayDreak' every en1eavor was male
ny tho men 10 quiet the women, one OF whom
III NOR frenzy tore the mar from out OF her
heal by the handful ami cried out; "Oh,
my poor husband lie IL burned to DEATH
Won't some one help him"
When day dawned the horror became az
parent. The men were by this time more
Collapsed and thu women in u measure quiet
oil. The latter began to gather up the frag
ments OF tue bodie. oil the unfortunate miners
who had been working near the shaft at the
time oi the accident and Were blown upward
out OF the mine. Every one of the fifty mon
al this time was overcome with the horrible
conviction, doubtless true that every miner
was dead, from the shock of exl losion, or
subsequent suifOcation.
The superintendent repaired to the mines
al once and the scene presented to his view
was inde.cribablo. WORKS, he said, could
no. convey tho iaintcSt idea OF the destruc-
ton that was wrought in few short Sec
onds Signs of 1t were visible on every hand.
The entrance to the main shalt was entirely
torn out and scattered pell-mell for hun
dreds OF feet. The little train track
was torn and twisted aud shapeess limb n
and ties mixed IN confusion all around. The
cars were taken up bodily and torn III part
and their iron wheels were shivered. They
wero thrown three and four hundred fee
shoes that had been blown t. the summit o.
the ridge, and mule was found at the same
place twisted INTO an indescribablo shape,
g1ttI Pa Ina fsal