Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-03-20
DREADFUL MINE DISASTER.
One Hundred and Fifty-five Men
Killed by an Explosion.

One Hundred and Fifty-five Men
Killed by an Explosion.
PoCAHoNTAs, Va, March 13.-A ter
rible gas explosion occurred at / O'Clock
this morning in the Laurel Creek mine,
operated by the Southwest Improve
ment Company in this place. One hun
dred and fifty-five men were at work
there at the time, and such was the
force of the explosion that every one
was killed, and the tanning machine,
engine, and cars were blown 300 feet
from the entrance. The engineer at
work near the mouth of the mine, as
well as his assistant and colored boy,
were blown hundreds of feet away, and
their mangled bodies were found scat
tered in every direction. The enginee's
head was found in a ravine, and his legs
and arms were picked up near the mine.
OF those at work in or about the mine
not one was left to tell the story.
The little hamlet, whose population
numbers about 800, and made up entire
ly of the houses of the miners, was rest
ing quietly when the explosion occurred,
but soon afterward the whole place
was reused, and the scene which fol-
lowed beggars description. The few
living beings who saw puff of smoke
shoot from the mine, and the sudden
upheaval of the engines and cars, hast
ened into the town with loud cries for
help. Men, women, and children were
reused, aud as soon as they coInper-
hended the dreadful news they made q
wild rush for the scene of the disaster.
Despite the cold night, women, as well
as men, ran off scantily clad. Expert
enced miners, on reaching the scene,
were satisfied that no man IL the mines
was living. A slight rain and snow
was falling, which added to the horrors
of the situation, which has been inten-
sified by the discovery that the mine is
on fire.
The Laurel Creek mine is the only
one in this part of the State, and has
been operated for about two years. 1t
consists of a tunnel running three-quar-
ters of mile in the mountain side, and
a railroad runs the entire length of the
mine. There are lateral galleries at in
tervals. The mine issituated above the
water level, and for this reason it has
until now been free from accident, not
a single fatal casualty having occurred
since operations were begun. w. A.
LathOrp, the superintendent, is an ex-
pert mining engineer and has had many
years experience. The mines have
been worked by reliefs every six hours.
A train load of cars, drawn by q small
engine, was near the entrance and NOV
ing in the mine at the time of the ex-
plosion. Four cars and the engine
were blown out, and car axle was
propelled by the force of the explosion
into the side of small frame house oc-
cupied by two miners, w. Amony and
Jake Sexton. Both were asleep, having
left the mine at six O'clock. The noise
awoke them. Their escape was wonder
full, the iron wheels of the car falling by
the side of their hunks. They struck
light, and, so far as can be learned, were
the first to realize the situation and to
give the alarm
The cause of the explosion is not yet
definitely ascertained, as the entries to
the mines are all full of bad air, but the
presumption is that one of the miners
struck fissure of gas. Several parties
ventured into the mines this morning,
but could not lope endure the foul at
mosphere. A AnulG Gber of bodies were
discovered horribly mangled, some of
them with their heads torn from the
trunks, and others with the limbs all
gone, presenting horrible spectacle.
The work of obstruction was not con-
fined entirely to the interior of the
mines, but houses 200 or 800 feet from
the mines were overturned, and in
several instances entirely demolished.
The large ventilator of the Southwest
Improvement Company was blown to
atoms, and the mines cannot be entered
until another is constructed for the pur-
pose of freeing the atmosphere of the
suffocating fumes. This work is now
progressing speedily. A large force is
engaged on the outside of the mines,
constructing coffins and perfecting other
arrangements for the interment of the
dead. Those who were not killed out
right by the terrible force of the explo-
sion most likely perished from the after
damp.
PETERSBURG, March 13.-The latest
intelligence concerning the explosion in
the Pocahontas mine is to the effect that
about $50 men were killed and that the
accident was caused by men going too
far into the mines with their lamps.
Arelief train, with physicians and a
force of workmen on board, has gone to
the scene of the accident from here. A
despatch has been received here asking
that safety lamps be sent to Pocahantas
at once to facilitate the work of recov-
ering the bodies.
The mine in which the disaster oc-
CURED is known as the Flat Top Mine,
and is situated in the northeast portion
of Tazewell county, at the base of the
Flat Top Mountains, which devides
that part of Virginia from West Vir-
ginia. The company working the mine
is nominally known as tina Southwest
Virginia improvement Company, but
the mine is really under the control of
the Norfolk and Western Railroad
Company, who have q branch road,
known as the New River division, run
ming from New River to Pocahontas,
about sixty miles. John G. Ilsey of
Pennsylvania is President of the I'M
provement Company, and William A.
Lathrop is Superintendent of the mine,
which is comparatively new, having
been in active operation but little
over a year. From 500 to 600 hands
were employed, and large quantity of
coal was being taken out.
LYNCHBURGH, VA, March 15.-All
hope that the bodies of any of the men
entomed in Flat Top mine has been
abandoned. The bodies may never be
seen by any one on earth again. The
mine is on fire and is one vast funeral
pyre for the victims of the awful trag-
edy. The mines have been sealed as