Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-01-26
DEATH IN THE MINF,.
A TERRIBLE EXPLOSION In A BRITISH
COLUMBIA C0LLIERY.
Over Ninety Men Imprisoned on the Lower LsEsl
and No Hope Of Escaps-fwsnty Dead
Bodies Rscovsrsd-fsrribls
Scenes About the Pit

NEW YORK, January 25.-A Victoria,
B. c., special to the Herald says: An eye
witness Of the terrible explosion, which oc-
CURED at Pit No. S, of the Wellington COL
lieries, yesterday morning. states that he
was about one hundred yards from the pit
when he heard report like that Of Q can
non, and there instantly shot far into the
air dense mass of black smoke and dust,
which converted the snow-covered ground
into an inky deposit When this subsided,
o portion of the fan house had been de-
stroyed, as we'll as the woodwork in the
shaft.
Manager Dryden immediately proceeded
to repairing the fan house, which was
quickly accomplished and the fan started
agnin. The shaft timbers were destroyed
so that cages could not be used, but
pulleys and ropes were Immediately pre-
pared for the work Of rescue. The FIRST
man TO come out Of the pit had climbed
by means of the cage wire cable through
the shattered timbers to within 100 feet Of
the top. A rope was then lowered
to him and reached the surface in an ex-
hausted condition. A second miner was
also enabled to get out by this perilous
method, but q third, when fifty feet from
the top, loosed his hold and fell TO certain
death at the bottom of the shaft. Two
men were then lowered as a search party,
but they returned, stating that nothing
could he heard but calls from below. For
tunately the mine had not fired, SO danger
from this source was ayerted. A tempor-
ary cage WAS made and lowered to con-
siderable depth, the miners climbing to il
by means Of ladders, so that by ! O'Clock
103 of the 160 men in the mine had been
rescued. One white man, Robert Williams,
the unfortunate who fell, was taken out
dead. The explosion took place in the last
level, and in this twenty-five white miners
and number OF Chinese were imprisoned.
Fears that they were all killed were veri-
fed later, for at o'clock all the white
men were carried TO the surface dead, and
the work Of taking out the Chinese was be-
gun.
1t is now believed that nearly ninety
lives were lost in the Wellington colliery
explosion, which occurred here yesterday.
The bodies of twenty white miners were
taken from the mine last night, aud there
are about seventy more men still in the
mine, and there is no reason for believing
that any of them are alive Three.lourths
of the men still in the mine are Chinamen.
The following is a close estimate Of the
men in the mine: Lapz Robinson, X.
Robinson, Jacob Klinergardo, John Stew
art, D. Mcdonald, VIM. Horne, James
Jones Valaria, John McNeal, Wm. French,
VIM. Wilkes, Charles Tiltar, Alex
ander Ross, - Bellonio, and
his Italian partner, John Marshall,
R. Vincent, D. Gordon, K Greenwell, AL
Godfrey Davis, John Williams, Frank
Mccoy and two Belgians, whose names are
unknown; one miner, name unknown; two
men not in the employ Of the company,
taken down by the mioers; twenty five
Chinese employed as runners; fourteen
Chinese employed by miners IA leaders.
All possible endesvors are being made to
recover the bodies, the greatest obstacle
being the after damp. No hopes are enter
tained Of saving the lives Of those below.
There is no scarcity Of volunteers as the
official and employees Of the Vancouver
Coal Company are rendering every assis-
tance required. How the explosion took
place is mystery