New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-31
as his sureties and he was released, after having
spent night In jail
THE DISASTER AT RICH HILL.
TwENTY-oNE MEN KNOWN TO BE DEAD.
FIVE BODIES RECOVERED ALL THE LIVING
RESCUED FROM THE MINE
rBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUEE.l

RESCUED FROM THE NINE
rBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBuNkl
RICH II Ii, Mo-, March 3o.-There now known to
have been twentyone killed by the explosion in Keith
Perry's coal mine, No. 6. Five OF the bodies have
been recovered. There were fortynlne men injured,
ten Of them fatally. Fortunately the explosion oc-
CURED Just when there were the fewest mon In the
mne The mine Is 247 feet deep and the seam OIL coal
is FIVE feet two inches thick Over 200 men were en-
poycd In the shaft most Of whom were negroes
BY q. m. to-day fifteen men had been taken from
the mne fourteen OF whom alive ard are thought
to be in good condition for recovery. Hundreds OF
people focked to the scene this morning and as the
work Of rescue proceeded there lack OF volun-
tecrs who willing to risk death In tho endeavor
the bodies Of the dead and TO rescue those
In whom life not yet extinct Special trains were
run to the scens by the Kansas City newspapers and
business for miles around suspended
The work of rescuine the carried on rapidly
this morning, and sixteen taken from the mine
alive One of these has since died 1t is pow def
nitcly known that thcre were ffty-two men In the
shaft when the explosion occurred OF thOse who were
rescued. all severely burned except Frank Carr
the foreman of the mine.
There are stln sixteen men in the mine. Thew arc
in what is known as the West Entry. lint furthcst
from the shaft 1t will be two or three days be-
fore the bodies be reached There Is no possibility
that any of these alive Tho majority of those
in the mines married men. and leave large families
At y. m to-day, four dead bodies had been re-
covered, and the list of casualties at that hour was
Dcad-Charles Smith, George May, c. Mcpherson,
Frank 1oller Jordan smith.
InIured-Joshua Striche. C. j. Neptune. William
Taylor, C. ". Young l.. Mason. Frank Jackson. w.
Richards. j. l. Williams X. Fernando. John Roberts,
c. W. Roberts. Arch Marshall. John Lucas. d. c. Jones'
Some of these badly burned that their lives
despared Of
The mine involved is owned By Keith e. Perry, and
is of the most productive in the State. Natural
gas has been giving trouble for some time. and 1t is
supposed that the opening of a vein caused the
calamity. The regarded by the engineers
model coal miners but nearly all the accidents that
have occurred at Rich Hid have been In No. g. and the
miners, II Is sad. became suDersttious in regard TO IT,
IL has been in operation for seven months and was
examined by Mine INSPECTOR Wolfe TWO months AGO.
lie then pronounced II perfectly safe. The Lancaster
fan used In both shafts. The plant exclusive OF
the mines. valued at $4,000. t. H. Keith. presi
dent of the company. Said:
I" 1t Is Impossible for to tell what was the cause
Of the disaster Although, OF course, we have cur
surmses nothing definite be known until the fire
Is put out and we can get In and make an cxamna-
ton"
David Mckay, general manager for Keith & Perry,
said that II possible that the explosion had Deen
pounds of powder in the mine. lie said he had given
the mine thorough inspection month ago and
there then not 2 per cent of gas: Evcrytmns
that asked of the management In running the
mine and improving equipment had always been
granted.