Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-01-31

coal, or under it, and pour
out of the seams in the walls of the
tunnels and shafts Yet the mine is
the most perfectly ventilated in the
world. The air is forced in along the
shaft by machinery No less than S.
600 cubit feet OF fresh air is forced into
the mine every minute. This is quite
sufficient to fully supply the wants of
the miners and keep their air perfect
ly pure unless some accident happens
ia the cutoff or interfere with the sup
ply. This is a greater amount of fresh
air than is furnished to any other
mine in the country.
superintendent Cameron added:
We send mine viewers through every
chamber each morning before any of
the men are allowed to 90 in. He
must have returned this morning be-
lore the workmen started IN and
everything must have been all right
when he passed through the work
ings."
Jno. Mcneil stated that the mine
inspector left for the scene of the dis
aster this evening. He says he has
no doubt that every man in the mine
at the time of the explosion was IN
stantly killed. At this hour 90
o'clock no bodies have been recov-
cred.
THE LATEST.
DENVER, Jan. 25-1 80 a. MA
Tribune's Crested Butte special Just
received says: The exploring party
has almost reached chamber No. 2
and has discovered one dead BODY
with skull broken and the whole BODY
is terribly bruised and blackened,
The gas is SO bad in
the mine and the passage
ways SO blockaded that progress is
very slow, Everything possible is
being done to reach the bodies as
speedIly as possible, although all
nope of finding any of the buried |
miners alive has long since been aban- |
doned. Threats were made this even
ing against Supt. Robinson and Mine |
Boss Gibson, principally against the
latter and serious trouble was feared. |
Robinson IS at the mine superintend- !
ing the work and searching for bodies.
No special fears are entertained for
his safety but strong guard has been
placed about the residence
OF Gibson to prevent violence.
The threats do not come from
men engaged in the mines, but some
who had been discharged take this
Opportunity 10 make the trouble scene
at the mine most pitiful one.
The wives and children of the bur
led men still hover around the en-
trance to the mine, and their lamen-
tatlons add to the distressing scene.
THE SECOND DAY.
DENVER, Jan. est is impossible
to get but very meagre reports from
the scene of the Crested Butts disas-
ter. Through almost superhumar eff
forts the rescuing party reached one
chamber IN the mine this morning |
where the men were supposed to have |
been At the time of the explosion.
Here dftecn dead bodies were found
but have not been taken out. Their
names were not learned. The deadly
gas Is a source of imminent danger to
the rcscuers who are forced to proceed
most cautiously. There is intense ex-
element.
DENVER, Jan. 25.-For thirty-six
hours force of from twenty to thirty
men have been constantly working
for the dead bodies of'the miners who |
are buried in the Crested Buttes mine.
Work is necessarily very slow as the |
mine is badly choked up with piles of |
displaced timbers, heaps of coal, rock |
and other distractions. At noon to-
day ten bodies had been found. These
were ali in the main entry and being [
to the full force of the blast |
were terribly burned and blackened. |
In several cases their arms and |
legs were found broken and their
bodies otherwise mutilated. In this
entry there were also found carcasses
of nine mules and large number of
empty coal cars, which had been bat
tered out of all shape. Workmen
gained an entrance to chamber No l
this morning, but found no bodies
there. Searching farther, eighteen
bodies were found almost in heap in
the air passage lec.ding to the up-cast,
near the entrance. The men alarmed,
but not injured by the explosion,
had evidently attempted to
reach the furnace room, and were
overcome by after-danp, when
within 203 feet of it; so feet further
back six more bodies were found. All
have, evidently, been suffocated.
Some had tied handkerchiefs over
their mouths. This makes total of
81 bodies found up to this time and
includes all who were at work in
chamber number one These bodies
are now being brought out to the
main entry and will soon be brought
to the surface. The workmen will
then begin search for the
bodies in chamber number two
The latter is further into the mine
and is undoubtedly where the explo-
sion took place. 1t is expected that
the bodies there will be found badly
burned. 1t is now known that there
were ffty-nine men and boys in the
mine.
To the list of names sent last night
may be added David Thomas, John
Thomas, and Miles Roach, which
m n DOC tho 1ic1 oOy1onl ata ayo Mt ono |