Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-04-04
a MINING HORROR.

An Explosion In . Missouri Colliery
Causes Great Slaughter = Forty-Fivo
Lives Lost-NIany Miners still In the Pit
Thrilling Story OF tho Disaster.
RICH HILL Mo, March 80 -Slaughter, the
like of which has never before occurred in
Missouri took place in Keith Il Perry's mine
No. 6, at 1915 O'Clock yesterday Seventy
mon were ut work in the mine and fifteen
had just come up and were standing
at the mouth of, the shaft when a volcanic
explosion took place that shook the earth
for miles around, and was followed
by burst Of flame from the mouth
OF the shaft that leaped fifty feet
In the air. The first shock was
followed by second, as violent and as
terrible in its destructiveness az, it's
predecessor.
The panic and excitement were 80 great
that it was impossible to ascertain the
names or exact number of the dead. A
conservative estimate places the number OF
dead at forty-tive There was still alive a
large number in the shaft The majority
of the miners were negroes who came from
Springfield, ILL.,, when the mine was opened
less than year ago. The superintendent
of the mine tells the following:
o. At just seven minutes after noon was tel.
ephOned that an explosion had occurred at No.
g. which is four miles northwest Of town. I
went out as soon Us possible and found tho
south cage, on which the men always
ascend, stuck in the shaft about half
way from the bottom, with eight men
on 1t. went down on tub lowered
with ropes and found them all badly burned
and in a frenzy, in fact they were crazy, some
shouting and others singing. l found it impos-
sible to have this cage hoisted, as the timbers
were all blown out of position. We finally man
Inv p1oo Of mi
leys in fainting condit on, and it was then
ascertained that the north cage could be
worked by clearing some t.mbers which had
teen driven through from the south shaft.
This was done by saving them short OIL.
then called for volunteers to 60 down with me
to sec if any Of the poor fellows at the bottom
could be got out. Robert Brick, George Henry,
Charles Smallwood and Mat Dulehund re-
sponded.
"Whcn reached the bottom I looked
through into the entry and saw i light, and
| asked who was there, and Il voice responded
Gray and told him to put out his light. 1
then asked him to crawl to me, but he was so
exhausted that he could not do SO, and I reached
| through the small aperture and dragged him
onto the cage.
"Jus st rs this was done wind rushed up the
entry with the velocity of a cyclone, putting
out all our lights but one. This was fol-
lowed by two loud reports and scnthing flame
| completely enveloping us Tor length OF time
| which seemed Ike an age, and shot out OF the
mouth OF the shaft 140 feet above our heads.
We were all horribly burned and thought our
time had come. The flames decreased as sud-
denly as they had come and we had to abandon
the attempt to save the others. yelled to the
men on the top to hoist away, but it was some
time before they got the signal or under
| stood my meaning. The moments thus spent
| were a living death. l thought they could
| not hear me and concluded we would have
| to crawl through into the south shaft and
! undertake to climb out that way. Twas just in
| the act of doing when felt the cage move
and we assembled about thirty feet, when the
! cage began descending I thought the ma
| ch!Ec.y was broken and that we were falling to
! an awful and certain DEATH
1.-The wall that went up from these men was
heartrendng and l shall never forget 1t. The
| knowledge that at the top were their wives ex
| tending their arms ready to clasp and shield
| them from further danger was maddenng
enough to destroy reason. All at once how
! ever, the cage came to sudden stop and again
| hogan responding to pressure of ropes and pull
| leys and We were soon at the top