The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-03-26
TWO HUNDRED LIVES
Crushed or Asphyxiated in q
German Gallery.
Less than Two Score OF the sl9 Diggers
Accounted For.

A the mining district of Camphausen,
near Saarbruck. in Rhenish Prussia, q fear
fnl EXPLOSION occurred early this morning.
Inst before daybreak the hast OF the day
shift ofsmcn had gone down IN the cages OK
one of the largest mines. Everything was
reported in order. though reports OF nre-
damp in two of the levels had
somewhat disturbed the superintend-
ent. Still, the veahlating apparatus
working through the main shaft was in per-
feet order, and no catastrophe was feared
The men, in taking their safety lamps, had
been specially warned to be careful. After
n while the cars laden with coal began COM
ing to the surface. The 2l9 men who had
gone down were at work, and oil was well.
At $50 a terrible rumbling shook the earth
A fash of fame leaped up the shaft and -
volume Of sitting smoke poured out his
was followed by the crashing OF tmbers
and the tumbling of earth down the SHAFT
From ali quarters men ana women
came running to the mouth or the pit
There are fifteen thousand employed In the
Camphausen coal -feld@, and in quarter OF
an hour a crowd of five thousand men and
as many women and children, the latter
shrieking and sobbing were around the
mine. As soon as the heavy smoke had
rolled away an attempt was made to work
the cages, but they would not move. The
force of the return draught at the pits
mouth told that the explosion had shivered
the ventilating engine. Still the
ventilating engine was kept go
ing. II might do some good. IL was
thought from first glance that no
after fire had followed and this may prove
correct Volunteers were called for to de-
scend. A temporary cable was rugged, and
six brave men went down to save their fell
lows. On reaching the uppermost drift
they heard voices calling and signaled to
stop. Thirty men were there in state OF
terror and semi stupefaction from the
dense fumes still pervading the galleries.
| These men were brought To the surface
alive.
| The rescuers and the rescued were
| greeted with shouts of delight as they came
in parties to the surface. The thousands
| of women were on their knees praving.
The main difficulty now began. There
were still 189 men in the mine whose chance
of life was ebbing away at every instant.
Doubtless many of them had been killed
instantly by the blast of exploding
gas, and others had been smothered
shortly after. before they. could retreat to
the main shaft The volunteers went
down again. but their progress soon was
stopped. The shaft had been filed With
rocks and earth shaken out by the blasts.
| All endeaVOrS 10 communicate Nv Signal
with the entombed men were fruitless.
Some of the men thought they smelt fire,
but this could not be definitely settled.
! There was only one way to reach the un-
fortunates, and this was by clearing the
shaft. This news spread despair over
Camphausen. At oncs work vas begun
with will Thousands offered their help,
and the offers of hundreds we're availed of.
| The work soon progressed. 1t. was
tedious and dangerous. At every re-
moval of the displaced rocks and
timbers there was danger of fresh
caving in of the sides. After eight hours
work lower level was reached, and there
over forty bodies were found around the
shaft. Suffoeation had evidently quickly
ended their struggles. The breaking of the
air shaft left them at the mercy of the pol
sonous after damp. The search went on.
At level after level dead miners were found
in close proximity to the shaft. In all nine
ty-two bodies were brought To the surface
before night. The work still goes on.
There are still ninety seven men in the pit.
1t is feared that all are dead, butSthe sturdy
Prusslans with hopeful hearts are working
on by the light of great fires and amid the
walls of the women waiting around the
mine for their dead.