The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-03-21
A MINE CATASTROPHE.
Details Of the Explosion in a Vir-
ginia Colliery.
Many Miners Suddenly Hurried to an
AWfuI Death.

Particulars of the terrible explosion in a
coal mine at Tazewell, Va, are narrowing
in the extreme. The mine in which the ex-
plosion occurred is situated at the base
the Flat Top mountains, which divide Vir
ginia from West Virginia. Accounts of the
disaster, made up from various sources, are
as follows.
Shortly after midnight terrific explosion
alarmed the residents of Pocahontas, Iaze-
well county, Va, and soon thereafter n
scene of the most intense excitement en-
sued. 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. 1t was not long before
the truth was known. ami then the excited
crowd rushed toward the principal coal mine
in the southern suburb. Upon arriving
there, dense volume of smoke was found
pouring forth from the shaft of the mine
Scattered around within a radius OF
quarter of n mile were broken timbers and
broken mining machinery of every descrp-
| ton. Upon every side lay fragments of
! human bodies, some of which were lodged
! upon the top of sheds and in the branches of
! adjoining trees. The shrieks of the women
and children filled the air and added more
! horror to the scene.
| Everybody appeared paralyzed at the SPEC
! tacle, 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
the extent of the damage. After two hours
had elapsed and nothing accomplished by the
panic-stricken crowd, a 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.
"1et us see what can do" he added;
"and let the women folks do the crying"
Every one of the officials of the camp were
below, besides one hundred and fifty labor
ers. There was no one to lead the resculng
party, and it was with the utmost difficulty
That volunteers could be induced to go near
the mouth of the mine The leader again
addressed the men present, and then, throw
ing a blanket around his head. made an
effort to ascertain if it was POSSIBLE to enter
the mine. He soon returned, and announced
that all attempt at q rescue OF the poor
creatures who were entombad was useless.
A dense volume of flame then began pour
| ing out of the mouth of the mine, and illu-
minated the country for miles around ,
crowds of people collected in groups of a
half dozen or more, discussed the terrible
situation, and lamented the death of either
father brother, or husband. When 1t be
came evident that nothing could be done
before daybreak every endeavor 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 handful and cried out: ooh,
my poor husband! He is burned to death!
Won't some one help him"
w Ien Jay uaWnetl lllt HOllOI DtCdiilt
parent. The men were by this ii ne more
composed and the women i'll n measure quiet
ed. The latter began to gather up the 1rag
mentS OF the bodies of the unfortuna. miners
, who had been working near the shaft at the
time of the accident and were blown upward
out of the mine. Every one of the fifty men
at this time was overcome with the horrible
conviction, doubtless true, that every mirer
was dead, from the shock of eX losion or
subsequent sutfOCat1On.
TIE SnDpriutpnlpQt REPAIRED to the mines
at once and the scene presented 10 his view
was ndescribabIe Words, he said, could
noc convey the faintest idea of the destruc-
ton that was wrought in a few short sec
onds. Signs of it were visible on every hand.
The entrance to the main shaft was entirely
torn out and scattered pell-mell for hun
dreds OF feet. The little train track
was torn and twisted and shapeless timber
and ties mixed in confusion all around. The
! cars were taken up bodily and torn in part
/ and their iron wheels were shivered. They
were thrown three and four hundred feet
, away. The searching party found pair OF
shoes that had been blown t. the summit OF
, the ridge, and mule wa found at the same
, place twisted into an indescribable shape.
! The second entrance to the mine presented a
, similar appearance to the first. At the
, entrance of the fan tunnel stood the
| company's large ventllatOr, which, with the
house around it, was swept entirely away
leaving the engine standing on the founda
ton shattered ard broken, with the pipe
twisted and forced. AS Indicated the force
of the explosion was terrific. Rocks were
thrown through the workshops, and every
object that stood in the direct course of tn,
forced afr was demolished. Several work
, men in the shops were severely injured. TIT
shops as well as the locomotive house wer,
, levelled with the ground. OF the one hun
druid and fifty men who were in the mine a
, the time of the explosion not one re
|, turned to the surface to tell the fat
9 of his companions Parties who venturet
into the mines the next morning dscove rec
several mangled bodies one of which wa
identified as that of NJ. l.. Hampton night
, foreman vino leaves II wife and large family
About thirty-fve Hungarians are among tn
victims. The others are c)lored men ant
f white miners from Virginia and Pennsylva
( mia. The accident was said to have beer
| caused by the men going too far into tn
mines with their lamps. a relief train will
, | physicians and a force of w1rlimen On boarC
went to the scene of the ac,iien5 from Pc
q / tersburg.