The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-01-25
A Terrific Explosion in a Colo
RADIO Coal Mine.
Fifty-seyen Miners Hurled Into
Eternity.
Another Sad Addition to the
CalamitieS of 1884.
And the Question is: Who is
to Blame?
Horrible Casualty.


Denver, Colo, pa terrible explo
sion occurred at Crested Buttes. Gun
nison county, at this morning. in tn
Crested Buttes coal mine, in which iron
twenty five to fifty miners are believe'
to be killed. The explosion blockadet
the entrance to the mine. The full ex
tent OF the disaster is at present I'M
known. The mine is owned and perateC
by the Colorado Coal and Iron company
of this city, and employs from eighty t.
ninety miners in the shaft. No detail!
are at present obtsinable.
Denver. 24.-The Times Gunnisor
special says: The loss of life is supposed
to be terrible. There were sixty-sevel
men In the mine at the time. OF these
eleven who were just entering were
thrown back 10 the entrance by the force
of the explosion, and have been rescued
One of these is dead and all the rest arr
badly Injured. There are ffty-six mer
yet in the mine who cannot be reached.
They are all supposed to be dead. The
explosion was of such force as TO entirely
wreck the engine and engine house
which stood fully enc hundred feet from
the entrance. 1t is supposed the explo.
sion was caused by leak in the air com
pressor. Crested Butte's people are do.
ing al possible to rescue the miners
Two specials have gone up from here
with doctors and others on board.
Denver, Col. 24.-The explosion
in the Crested Butte coal mine this
morning was one or the most eppal-
ling that ever occurred in coal
mine in this country. Crested
Butte, near which the mine is
located, is coal mining town thirty
miles north Of Gunnison city, on
the Denver and Rio Grande rail-
road. The cause of the explosion is
not yet definitely known, bat is sup
posed to be fire damp. The ezpio-
sion occurred either in chamber one
or two, just half an hour after the
day force of sixty-seven men
had gone to work. There
were ten man at work
in Chamber four. These escaped
unhurt, except one map, John
Angus, who was in the passage way,
just on tside of the chamber. He is
badly burned, but will recover.
men were at work in
chambers 1 and 2. These are all
thought to have persisted. The ex-
plosion occurred with such force as
to completely bsrricade the main
entrance, and the appliances for
supplying air located near were
badly wrecked and the roof of the
tram way blown off. The men at
work on the anthracite Mesa mine,
and the night force of the G. @. and
[. Company's mine, and citizens
generally have been working hard
all day to rescue the men, al
though it is thought none can pos
sibly e. cape alive. The town hall
has been prepared for the reception
Of the dead. AS soon as possible
the fan was prepared and put to
work pumping air into the mine,
add men to work removing obstruc.
tons, go as to reach the chsmbe
and get the bodies out tonight If
possible. Following are the names
fifty-five of the unfortunates, the
OF Ter two being unobtainsh'e: Hen
~ Anderson, John Williams, M. T.
John Martin, Thomas
Rogers, James O'Neil, Jacob Laux,
John Anderson, James Walsh, Peter
Baker. William Davidson, Richard
James, David Hughes, P. McManus,
w. T. King, John Creelman, John
HuIar, Thomas Williams, John
Shun, Patrick Barrett, Johu Nc
3regor, John Myers, F. w. Smith,
r B. McHalson, William Maroney,
Nick Probst, Thomas Laffey, John
Prince, Jas. Driscoll, James Cough.
In, Henry Stewart, B. Heffron, l..
P. Heffron, W. L.. Jones, John Don.
nelly, Carl Rodemsuld, Charles
stirling, Thomas Roberts, Jim Nc
Court, Fred Becht. Iber Ling, Jos.
Veisenberg, II. Donegan, Joseph
Arause, James F. Stewart, Jr., W.
'eath, Morgan Meath, Thos. Clan.
y, j. Rutherford, w. McCowett,
4. NJ. Godfrey, Dan Mcdonald,
William Aubrey, Ben Jetfries and
,homas Stewart. Many of these were
married men and leave families. |
dany are living here. At this hour |
verything is in such confusion that |
is impossible to give details. A
pecial train left Gunnison city at 2 |
his afternoon with surgeons and q
arge number Of citizens, to render |
ii the aid possible. The town of
Crested Butte is in mourning.
jrowds Of women and children are
bout the entrance to the mine,
raging, wringing their hands and
rying piteously, presenting scene
nost heartrending. It is said that
& the time Of the explosion there
we're ten kegs OF black po wder in
hambers one and two, where the
nen were working and where the
explosion ia supposed to have taken
lace. The mine has three miles of
rifting, and 50 it is impossible to
einitely locate the accident until
escuing parties can gain admits
ance. rhe mine had long been
onsidered dangerous by those
with it. While one of
he best producing mines in
le country, its operation has
ways been attended with more or
SIS apprehension and real danger.
n n ~ Il