Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-03-26
DEATH IN THE NINE.
Frightfnl Los o.. Life Caused By an
Explosion in German
Collisry.
Out or Two Hundred and Seventeen
Miners but Thirty Are
Saved.
NV cable from BERLIN

10y cADlo rum Bptfilhl j
AT the mining district of Camphausen,
near Saaibruck, in Rhenish Prussia. fear
full explosion occurred early, this morning
Just before daybreak the last Of the day
one OF the inrgest mines. Everything was
reported in order. though reports of fire.
damp in two of The levels had
somewhat disturbed the superintend-
emit. ~ Still, the ventilating 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
while the cars laden with coal began COM
ing TO the surface. The 219 men who had
gone down were at work, and all was well.
At $50 terrible rumbling shook the earth.
A fash OF fame leaped up the shaft and a
volume of sitting smoke poured ont. This
was followed by the crashing of timbers
and the tumbling Of earth down the shaft.
From all quarters men and women
came running 10 the mouth OF the pit.
There are fifteen thousand employed in the
Camphausen coal fields, and in quarter OF
an hour a crowd of five thousand men and
as many women and children. the latter
snI1eking and sobDing 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 60
ing II might do some good. 1t was
thought from first glance that nc
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 tc
stop. Thirty men were there in state Of
terror and semi stupefaction from the
dense fumes still pervadng the galleries
These men were brought to the surface
| alive.
The rescuers and the rescued wer,
greeted with shouts of delight as they cam,
| in parties to the surface. The thousand
| of women were on their knees PRAYING
The main difficulty now began. Their
were still 189 men in the mine whose chanc'
Of life was ebbing away at every instant
Instantly by the blast of exploding
gas, and others had been smothereC
shortly after. before they could retreat Il
the main shaft The volunteers wen
down again. but their progress soon wa
stopped. The shaft had been filed will
rocks and earth shaken out by the blasts
All endeavors to communicate by sigma
with the entombed men were fruitless
Some of the men thought they smelt fire
but this could not he definitely settled
There was only one way to reach the un
fortunates, and this was by clearing tn
shaft This news spread despair owe
| Camphausen. At once work was begun
with will. Thousands offered their help
and the offers of hundreds were availed of
The work soon progressed. 1t wa
tedious and dangerous. At every re
moval of the displaced rocks an,
timbers there was danger of q fresl
caving in of the sides. After eight hours
work lower level was reached, and Their
over forty bodies were found around tn
shaft. Suffocation had evidently quick,
ended their struggles. The breaking of In
At level after level dead miners were founC
in close proximity to the shaft. In all nine
ty-two bodies were brought to the surfac,
before night The work still goes on
There are still ninety seven men in the pit
It is feared that all are dead, but the sturd,
Prussians with hopeful hearts are working
on by the light of great fires and amid thu
walls of the women waiting around tn,
mine for their dead.