Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-14
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. SWEPT OFF BY DEATH. One Hundred and Fifty Miners Killed
 IN A G0LLIERY EXPLOSION. Fire Adds To the Horrors of Death.
 FiIZJOHN PORTER REINSTATED Put Back Om the Retired List.
THE SOUTH.
Virginia.

LYNoHBURa, March 13.-A few minutes past midnight this morning the village grouped around the mines at ePocahontas, Tayewell county, was startled by terrific explosion which shook every foundation and aroused the sleeping families of the 15O miners constituting the night force working undergrou nd. The terrible sound was sufi cient to inform everyone that a calamity had befallen the midnight lahorers. In an instant screaming women, children and men, all rushing for the mouth of the principal mine on the southern suburbs. Here dense volume of smeke was found pouring from the shaft and scattered around within 8 radius of quarter of mile were broken timbers, shattered cars, pulleys and machinery on all sides. For more than an hour wild and the louder manifesto tions of grief from desperate men filled the air. No one seemed to have any idea of what should be done and all rushed here and there frantically seeking for some evidence of the fate of relatives below. At a more than ordinary shriek of an guish would tell that some searching party had found 8 token which realized his or her worst fears. The scene was terrible in the extreme. Houses, buildings and trees several hundred yards away were completely torn to pieces. showing that the force of the explosion must have been terrific. It was not until two hours had passed that any effort was made by the panic stricken crowd to ascertain the condition of affairs. Then 8 ghastly faced man with 8 blanket thrown around his shoulders sprang on stump and cried, ''We all have friends and relatives below and perhaps we can help them" There was then hurried movement toward the mouth of the mine and led by the man in the blanket and amid the shrieking of frantic women, some of whom plead with the men to remain out of danger, the little band disappeared in the gloom and smoke around the mouth of the mine. They soon reappesred, however, and it was announced that all attempts to get in to the men were fruitless. A dense volume of smoke soon con- menced to shoot upwards and illuminated the scene for a half mile, rendering the ghsstly spectacle, which had heretofore been NACW0O OLAy ny tOAOAAABAG3 LCA S4hCo HUI Q impressive. The crowd had gathered help less in little groups, others discussing the situation or lamenting the death of some loved one. It was agreed that the explosion had taken place at Flat Top mine and had been caused by fire damp. The situa- tion remained unchanged until day. break, when the horrors of the scene became glaringly apparent. The men who still retained their composure com. menced to gather the fragments of humanity scattered about. These were evidently the limbs of those miners who had been working near the bottom of the shaft at the time oi the accident and were blown upwards. Not one of these. numbering about fifty, sur. vived. When the sun had risen. the inhabitants of the village for the first time commenced to think of appealing to the outside world fol aid. Telegrams were sent right and left ii every direction, but it was not until noon that aid reached them from Lynchburgh anG the villages nearer. All the morning mer from the surrounding country came pouring in, having been attracted by the great volume
 of smoke arising. The hunters in the noun
 tains were numerous among the body and
 invaluable in aiding the panic stricken fam
 flies. The greater part of the victims ars
 known to be Italians and Germans, ant
 such is the confusion and terrol
 manifested on all sides that the names of tht
 victims could not be asoertained except in {
 few lnstancee. A party of miners from tn!
 Coal Field mines under Colonel George
 Dodds arrived during the afternoon and tooA
 charge of the camp. The residents were compelled to retire from the vicinity of the
 mine and the newcomers then gathered th.
 fragments of humanity and plaeed them 1T
 adjoining houses The collection was g
 ahastly one and the fifteen hundred population remaining above ground
 seemed to have lost all reason
 There YVES not one in the crowd but lost
 relative, and all seemed to have lost all hopt
 of ever seeing any of their dear ones alive
 Young girls dashed around aimlessly, man! of them coVered with blood stains secured in their ghastly search. Men sat on logs ol lay prostrate on the ground staring stolidly | terrible mental strain. About every hal
 hour body of men would proceed to tht
 mouth of the mine and make an effort tt | force sn entrance. Again and again thu great pail of smoke and the bursting flames 1 from below would force them back and somt or them WouIo pc poTno nAl1 1aintlnB lnIt l the fresh air.
 Tonight at o'clock it was thought ar | entrance could be made as the smoke showed signs of decreasing. A party of men at 1 tempted to go down, when volume of fam, shof up and they were hurriedly aided to th'
 surface. One of the number, an Italian pamed Carlo Ersnchi, was missing and hat evidently dropped from the cage. All of thu
 party were badly burned and this showet hou frnisIesa were any hopes oi
 rescue. The shaft at g p. m. wa
 a roarine funnel of flame. All the out
 buildings in the vicinity ignited and the fan
 house, which had been looked to as the sal
 vation ef any of the men who might b. | alive below, caught fire also. A 'shriek O l dsspsir vent tip again at this catastrophe
 which was regarded as fatal to all hopeg o
 rescue. Tie Eae1 fought mahfplly Ia save the building, but withou
 avail and 1t was soon mas 1 of cinders It became evident at this hou
 that the whole mine was sblaze and it i doubtful whether it can be extinguished fo l weeks if at all, This settles the fate of tn,
 one hundred and fifty unfortunates be low ground and they have absolutely n | chance for life Not thb least distressinl | 6hasS of the calamity is the fact that all fam | flies of-ths dead will be utterly homeless il the wild mountain region.
 | i2:SO a. mt has been decided to mak
 another attempt to enter the mine in tn | morning by an unused drift which connect 1 vith branch shaft filled with rubbish. MeI
 have gone into this branch and sounded th | walls with hammers, hoping to hear signal from below. The tapping was kept up fo more than an hour without avail and wa
 then abandoned.F. The general opinion | l that if the men were not billed by the ex | piosion they have been suffocated. | P6cshontas is TIT miles west of Lynch 1 bufe, the mining village being locsted at thi foot of Flat Top mountain. It is the westerl
 terminus of the New river branch of th | Norfolk and WesterR railroad. The town i a new one of frontier characteristics and ha len ordinary population of two thousand.