The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-03-16
LAUREL-MTNE HORROR.
FIVE DISTINCT EXPLOSIONS.


ring Parties.
Pocabontas special TO the Herald says
eir: w. II. Cooking, the general manage
vi .he mine, In answer 10 the Herald cor
respondent, said; "On wednesday wa
III personal charge OF the mine up TO
cloek IN the evening. Everything wa
men IN perfect order, good circulation o
ar travelling through every channel OF tn
mine. After O'Clock / left 10 give In
strucuons TO l.. NJ. Hampton, the night
foreman. did so, and went to my home
near the north entrance, by the fan tunnel
nothing unusual occurred until about
O'Clock on Thursday morning, when Hamp
Ton sent orders to the engineer to Stacker
the speed OF the air, the current OF al
Deing so strong in the mines that the mem
lamps became extinguished.
THE FIRST EXPLOSION.
about twenty minutes after that tn,
nrst explosion took place. II was n loud
heavy report, and came like q whirlwind
with arumbling sound, followed by nois,
IKE hail-storm. | got out OF bed, and
yolley OF dust and pieces OF timber blew
my window in, filling the house with par
ticles and breaking by bed. The whole
valley was illuminated with blazing dust
Pieces Of cars, mules, and timbers were
blown quarter OF mile away. | sent al
once for the superintendent, Mr.. LathrOp
i think Hampton went In with about 12(
men. | would not say there were any
more, but think there were that many with
him. / went into the main or south open.
ing. / found one body with head and legs
blown of. His foot was found thirty yards
from the trunk Of his body. The other
limbs and head have not been seen. | then
came back and went into the main tunnel,
and found another man lying on his back
dead, but not badly burnt. The smoke
and after-damp were so strong that came
out.
EXPLORING TIE TUNNEL.
" After awhile | again went into No. |
tunnel as far as the two north entrances,
about $50 feet distant. All the timbers in
rooms were standing. but the after-damp
was so strong had to come out again. /
then entered the main air tunnel. about
800 feet in the air course, and went through
a doorway which led into No. East tun-
mel. | followed this abOut 700 feet. and
came to the bodies Of two men. One OF
them was on fire. TIE other was at his
feet, not badly burnt. had to leave again
on account OF the after-damp, and went to
bed"
Have any Of the bodies been taken
out =" was asked.
None. The men are all dead, and great
danger would have been incurred il any
attempt had been made aiterward to reach
any Of the bodies"
"Did you have any expert gas-men in
the mine?"
eve did not"
"Why! 2"
because there never has been any gas
i'm the mine. The mine was high above
any waters level. well ventilated with five
large openings eight feet high by ten feet
wide There was always a strong current
Of air in the mines"
40 SAFETY LAMPS USED.
did you use saiety-lamps ?"
Motley were unnecessary"
'What lamps did you use"
THE Pennsylvania miners iamp-an
open lamp"
DO you think the explosion was caused
BY one Of these:"
81 do not. The explosion was caused,
in my opinion, by blast, which probably
opened up a large quantity Of gas. i;
could not have occurred from a lamp"
would not the presence of gas experts
or testers have prevented this explosion"
Not at all. | am satisfied they would
not. No eastman could have known it was
there"
ado you think the lives Of any Of the
men could have been saved after the en-
plosioni"
Il am confident they could not"
elbow many reports OF the explosion
were there?"
"Thele were five distinct reports, one
after the other, each OF which seemed to
shake the hills.
Latest News from POcahOntas.
GBy telegraph to the Dispatch.I
LYNCHBURG, Va, March TO- There has
been little of additional interest from Poca-
hontas to-day concerning the late NINE eX-
plosiOn. and nothing WORTHY Of being tele-
graphed is likely 10 transpire until the fire
is smothered, unless another explosion
should occur. Some fear Of such an eXplo-
sion was expressed last evening by Colo
mel Dodds, Of the Midlothian mines, and,
as precaution against further loss OF hui
man life, a guard has been set at the en-
frances to the mines.
superintendent Lathrop has notified
ScNtIui ullulH5 tNIititS huJHV oNi 'iNN'
were engaged that they are no longer
needed. They will be recalled when the
mines are re6pened. The superintendent
stated to-day that the East mine, which
was not materially affected by the recent
explosion. will be worked again in few
DAYS, or as soon as ARRANGEMENTS can be
perfected and miners employed. \ re-
sumption of work in the West mine, where
the explosion occurred, will not take place
for two months or more.
Contributions FROM LYNCHBURG.
Soliciting committees raised over $500 in
a short time here to-day, and call has
been issued for a meeting OF the Lynch
burg Tobacco Association for the purpose
OF Increasing the subscriptions. Fifty
barrels OF -four and $500 pounds OF bacon
were shipped from here to the sufferers
to-day.