Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-23

ditch at the extreme end OF the working
TO let the water on, knocked down
door 20 give him better
chance at his work. The door played an
Important part ia the system OF vcntlla-
ton, which was thus derangcd. The foul
gas collected In great volume aud was
fired by a miners lamp. one OF the last
men 70 come out Of the mine before
The explosion says he heard Nick
Williams say Ne was going to
knock the door down and as he camu ont
no heard heavy pounding as though the
door.was being hattergd down. The state
Inspector Of mines on his recent visit
here recommended the company 20 put In
q fan, but this has not been
done. McNichcll, the compaay's man.
agor who came out from Baltimore 20.
day, says they have never had trouble
win air and have always kept ahead OF
the water
Jaues Wilson, The shipping clerk was
atanding fifty feet east of the shaft when
tho explosion came, lie says, ~ heard
afhul' winch vas accompanied with a
dense mass OF fog aud mud BEFORE !
had time to realize the situation a second
shccS came, a terrific burst " gus rlp-
ping OF the weather boarding and demol-
ishing the upper part Of the shaft, Thus
covering In much of Il; but II had caught
thirty miners, poor fellows, down there,
and think their doom Is acaled.n
Fireman Carroll, an Intelligent oh.
server, said "There was nothing the
matter with the air In the mine. IL was
good, and you may Judge what the man
thought OF IL when they could 90
down In the morning and come
up at In the afternoon. Sometimes they
would stop down there four and ilyc
hours. don't think the company
can be blamed, nor do think there Is
that disposltion.N AZ the bottom
OF the shaft the scone OF brick
and confusion was horrible Men, mules,
scattered cars and all sorts Of debris were
piled up In confusion The men trod on
a body before they know how near they
were 10 the dead From the wreck be-.
low II Is supposed that the explosion was
violent enough TO blow the men ont OF
the most remote rooms, though experts
differ as to whether the shock would
necessarily be fatal
I DR.. r. II. Lanham mas stood at the
shaft all day, but there is likely 80 be less
need Of physicians than undortakors To-
night the rcscuing party has rot buck In
the workings about 600 feet, ind.
4 ing only destruction along the way.
] IL viii keep up the work all night
1 hoping TO get out the bodies lorthU mora.
ing inquest. BY a strange fascination tho
crowds stand around the shaft, the glare
OF tho burning coke.ovcns Just over the
cnarnel-house lighting up the sad and
( hageard faces from which hope has aed
When the bodies are taken out they
viii be received by the jury aud taken u
I the undtriaker's TO be dressed Us well as
/ can be done before the friends and near
ones come 10 claim them The calamity
/ falls with terrible force ON this
little town. The recent cold weather
/ froze out the miners and they
could not work for days and but iitlo
money was coming TO the men who are on
/ the death roll Few OF them had any
savings and their taking of will leave
their families in q destitute condition
! The town Is able 20 do little for the snf.
| frrlng The country people will aid, but
a liberal charity cpn lind here q good field
for ITS kind Offices
As my dispatch closes the cage is going
down again The people are still gath
ciiDg about In the rain &c
catch any tidings from below The
company can make no estimate OF the
money loss, from the fact that a solid
mass OF coal and slate eighty feet thich
was demolished by the explosion II Is
! probable that the company VIII be pnt u
q large expense before work can be re-
I sumod.