Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-01-26
THE DENVER EXPLOSION.
Tnirtv.Four Dead Bodies Kec0verea
frea the Aiae-The Cause OF the
Explosios not Yet Known.

DENVER, Jan. 25.
special 10 the Tribune from Crested
Bate saws that an exploring party has al
most reached chamber No. in the mine OF
the Colorado Coal and Iron company, IN
which the explosion occurred yesterday:
One body ha. been discovered with the skull
fractured and the whole body terribly bruised
and blackened by the gas
The passage ways are 90 blocked tnat pro
ert.. is verv slow. Everything possible Is
being done to reach the bodies As speedily as
possible All hope of finding any OF the
buried miners alive has been abandoned
Threats we're made last night against Super
intendent Robinson and the mining boss, Glib
son, principally against the latter, and serious
trouble is feared. Robinson is at the mine
superintending the work of searching for the
bodies. No special fears are entertained for
his safety, but q strong guard has been placed
about the residence of Gibson to prevent any
violence toward him. The threats do not
come from the men engaged at the mine, but
from some Who have been discharged and
who take this opportunity to mnke trouble.
The scene at the mine is q most pitiful one.
The wives and children of the buried men
still hover around the mine, and their lament
ations add to the distressing scene.
1t is only possible to get very meagre re-
ports from the scene of the disaster. The
rescuing party this morning reached one of
the chambers of the mine where the men
we're supposed to have been at the time of
the explosion. There, fifteen dead bodies
we're found but not taken out, and their
names were not learned. The deadly gas is
q source of imminent danger to the rescuers,
who are forced to proceed most cautiously.
The excitement is intense.
For SO hours a force of 30 men have been
searching for the dead bodies of the miners
in Crested Butte mine The work is very
slo~. The mine is badly choked. At noon
ten bodies were found all in the main en-
trance and badly burned. No bodies were
found in chamber No. l.
Eighteen bodies vert found almost in
heap in the air passage leading to the up cast
near the entrance. The men were alarmed
but not injured by the explosion and had ev-
identity attempted to reach the furnace and
we're overcome by the after damp. When
within 200 feet of it, further back, six bodies
were found, all had evidently been suffocated.
Some had tied handkerchiefs over their
mouths. This makes "a bodies up to this
time, and includes all who we're at work in
chamber No. l. These will soon be brought
to the surface and work will then begin to
search for the bodies in chamber
number two. This latter is
Iurtner into the mine ana Wnere tne eApio-
sion took place. 1t is known that there were
SO men and boys in the mine. The cause of
the accident cannot be told at this writing.
The fireman made his regular round yester
day morning before the men went to work
and found a small quantity of gas in three
rooms. In two of these the men were
warned and given safety lamps. The miners
who belonged in the third were told not to go
into it till the break in the brattice caused
by letting down the car the night before be
repaired. 1t is thought that a miner disre-
garded the order and went into the room with
. lamp thus causing the accident. Of the
men killed, but eight or nine have families.