The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-01-28
FIRE-DAMP FUMES.
A Mine Explosion mt Newburg, w.
Va, Kills Over Forty
Men.
Touching Scenes at the Mouth Of the
Shaft-The Whole Town in
Mourning.
INowburg wv. Va telegram.l

terrible explosion occurred at the Oriel
Coal Company's mine at this place, which
has plunged the whole community into
deep sorrow. Over forty lives have been
sacrificed, many of the dead being our
most respected citizens. While the day
shift of miners We're at work in the mine,
the air was suddenly rent with most ire
mendous explosion, the force of which
knocked down men in the streets half
a mile away, shattered windows and doors
| all over town, and even crushed the stout
sides of frame houses for a long distance
around the mouth OF the Oriel mines, while
from the deep shaft of the colliery dense
cloud of mingled smoke and vapor arose
two hundred feet in the air. A rush was Mt
once made for the mouth of the mine. In
moment hundreds of citizens had congre-
gated about the shaft, their faces filed with
CONSERVATION and alarm. The shaft at
which the explosion occurred was sunk two
years ago, and has reached depth of $50
feet. From the base of the shaft the main
heading runs out about half mile, the
rooms diverging from either side.
Second dispatch.l
| NewbuIg stands in the shadow of great
grief, and her sorrow has invaded homes
for fifty miles along the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, for many little communities are
represented at the bottom of the pit. had
but stepped off belated train from Wheel
ing and turned toward the mines when 1
heard the voices of lamentation, women
wailing and piercing the air with slrieks of
agony. The east-bound train brought
great number from Clarksburg, Fairmont,
Grafton, and intermediate points, and SYM
pathiZing friends came from as far east as
Piedmont. They swelled the hopeless, help
less crowd that hung about the pits mouth.
Men, women, and children were gathered
there-pale, trembling, weeping, staring at
the shaft, almost dumb with CONSERVATION.
Few words were exchanged, and those in low
tones, for the people there knew that they
stood above the tomb of thirty nine men who
went down to death at o'clock yesterday
morning, In half an hour more they would
have been out alive.
Soon the rumor spread that the search
party found at the bottom of the shaft DAN
lei Miller, the eager; his son, 10 years old, a
driver; young Timmons, Taper, and
young Clark, driver. Kinney's mule was
blown sixty feet out of the stables with his
halter on. There could be no certainty as
to the identity of the blackened remains. As
soon as the shaft was sufficiently repaired
the cage was put on to take down a larger
working force in the hope of bringing up
some bodies and beginning the inquest. 1t
then became apparent that there was little
probability of any bodies being brought up
to-night.
At this hour the crowd still stands about,
discussing the chances of life and death
people from along the railroad and farmers
for miles back in the country, eager to do
something, and nothing for them to do.
The origin of the disaster is variously de-
termined by experts, who vary in their the
cries. The generally accepted theory, which
Is that of the company's representatives, is
that Nick Williams, who was cutting n ditch
at the extreme end of the working TO let
water off, knocked down a door to give him
a better chance. The door played an i'm
portant part in the system of ventilation,
which was thus deranged. The foul gas
collected in great volume, and was fired by
n miners lamp. One of the last men to
come out of the mine before the explosion
says that he heard Nick Williams say he
was going to knock the door down, and
as he came out he heard heavy pounding,
as though the door was being battered down.
The State Inspector of Mines, on his recent
visit here, recommended the company to put
in a fiue, but this had not been done. There
is much talk of an indefinite kind about
foul air in the mine, but the manager says
that there has never been any trouble with
the air, and that head of water has always
been kept on. One fear has been that the
entombed men would be drowned but,
fortunately, the pumps have not stopped
since the explosion.
Mr.. James Wilson, the shipping clerk,
was standing fifty feet east of the shaft
when the explosion came. He says:
II heard a thud, followed by the rising of
dense mass of fog and mud. Be-
fore L had time to realize the sit
uation, in half a minute, the shock
came, terrible burst of gas ripping off
the weather boarding and demolishing the
upper part of the shaft. This, following
the first noise, was all the notice the town
needed. The people knew there was some
thing wrong at the mine. There was
rush TO the works. The women came flock
ing, and then began the pitiful scenes
which you have seen here. 1t was terri
bic sight. There was hope then, and We at
once began putting water down the shaft to
scatter the er-damp and create a draught.
Men tried their best TO get down in the
bucket, but they only got part of the way,
for their lamps went out. Superintendent
Laxton took that party down. big chunk
of ice hit him on the shoulder and nearly
knocked him out of the bucket. Engineer
Steele went down during Thursday night to
fix the pump and was overcome by the
black damp. He fell and cut his face and
bruised himself badly, but he is stiu on
duty"
Fireman Carroll, an intelligent, observing
man. said:
There was nothing the matter with the
air in the mine. 1t was good, and you may
Judge what men thought of it when they
could 90 down at o'clock III the morning
and not come up until in the afternoon.
Sometimes they would sleep down there
four and five hours"
The calamity falls with terrible force on
this little town. The recent cold weather
froze out the miners and they could not
work for ten days, and little, if any, money
is coming to the men who are on the death
roll. Few of them had any savings, and
their taking off will leave their families in
destitution.
At midnight the people are still gathered
in the rain to catch any tidings from below.
The company can make no estimate of the
money loss from the fact that solid mass
of coal and slate eighty feet thick was de-
molished by the explosion. IL is probable
that the company will be put to a large ex-
pense before work can be resumed.
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MIR. BLAINE. in the second volume of his
book, it is said, will take positive ground in
favor of silver coinage.