Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-11-15

The qfditers Of the Kattla Eraek &sul Mining
company belonging 20 WiillaEmBpSrn4 kMr
are ia rsseipt Of information baa1FA uerrinle
expiasinn 1~erurrpf az their mines ltieated m
Elinfnn county on the line ottlis p iiEieipfiH
ii ERIE rsklrnnds The sapsrinrendHhf 3e9raN
L. Miilar,. upon lenrinR a heaFy espcrr pro-
essasiesf To tka sput. when be at oura saw tinrt
a piulanh ~explnsiun bad taken piase-
rssfa necessarily Arrangements we're dnlckly
asnls % carry the air bH the fnse
work, and nan entered the niine 30
learn rie pnrtlEuiars Of NaaH had
assrurrafL An appalling srars Of affairs WIS
aBlud 10 exist insitfe OF this tveary-8re men
who hnd Eeen working in the driit only thrive
ar sinr bad escaped death or injury. At The
and az an hours hnSsi work f~strtasn dead
bodies wars rsrayersd from tine drift. Two of
these who VERT injured -subsesuently tied
One nan WIS missing amt his ramalns we're
hnund OUT in the woods, where they had been
bIown by the forrs Of the explosion through
the AIR shaft. The total number of 5lled or
hH1allg iniuHRd was tsuud Co beseHeutasn. All
bur fdnro of them we're Hungarinnscr Italians.
The force OF tine explosion WIS shown in
the fact chat bodies we're blown eieilr out of
the mouth of the drift. Everytiing possible
was dane for the injured by the mine physi-
ciltus. The bodies of rhe dead were taken
Charge of by an undertaken and prepared for
infarfnanc.
It il thouglt that IN mnklng q hiast a
s.gas teadera was struris, hlling the chamber
with gas which coming IN contact with a
naked lamp produced the explosion. A -Cas
feeder IN a pocket of gas imhedde,i in the
coal. "A sossn as a pick IL struck into iG the
ras escapes ami il anYthing ignifeB an expio-
sion fnilGws. ID IL generally eDufsdest that
there was good ventilarinn. and tiie mines ere
fully supplied with air appliances. The SUI
perintendens says the aerident eUuidnot have
been fsresean, and THAT no blame attaaies to
any one.
Many juniors are rning the rounds, amt
among them IN one that the dirsrt cause OF
the explosion was the nexperiennst use OF
dYuami1eIn the mines. In conversation with
cue of the drivers who escaped ID was learned
thar m ISalian had gotten 100 sticks Of
the Cieadiy stuff from the scorekeeper
IN the morning. and hmd aiso gntten
LOO eaps and had rsturiEea after
a fuse, bnr as there we're none in stock IL ~
supposed that he had rriesf to set in of m
some other way, thus causing tis explosion.
In u blacksmith shop near the scene Of the
disaster laid the dharred and u-nrecnguizahie
remains of August Person, vito was Down
out through the ar smart df5y fesr in the ar,
and some Of his Clothes can be seen hanging
To a limb of a tree ueHr by. Next t8 him N
Mike Gurrens, who was blown BOG Feet out OF
the mouth at the mine, and was fsuld dsad
IN q ditch still siinging TO the handle Of his
shovel.
John Farrell, a mule driver, tells this soory:
I was behind pushing the ear, and m STRIKING
up my aead, saw a fash. immediately
dropped Co the ground, moving quickly as
pnssihie toward the mouth of the DRIFT, and
escaped niniured. Ny mule and Sweds
miner along side the animal we're killed IN
sSaatiy. I felt bur lisrie of the effects of the
explosion, and IT'S forrH must have been all
above me, although all the timbsrs at the
mouth OF the shaft we're cnrried cat 2Go feet
beyond the mouth Of the drift.