Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-30
GENERAL NEWS.
Terrible Mine Explosion
Near Kansas City.
LARGE NUMBER OF VICTIMS
Deadly Fire Damp Creates Fear
full Observation-Disclosures of
the Disaster.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
KANSAS Cry, March 29-The fol
lowing dispatch has just been received
from Rich Hill, Mo-. About O'Clock
this afternoon there was rumbling
sound in mine No. 6 at this place, and
a moment after a terrible explosion
that entirely wrecked the mine and
buried in the debris over a hundred
miners, who were cut off from all es-
cape. Forty bodies have already
been taken out. The superintendent
of the mine was taken out badly in
jured, but will survive. In the ter
rible excitement and confusion it is
impossible to give list of the names,
or even All estimate as to the full ex
tent of the disaster, but it is now
thought that over fifty men were
killed. The mine is situated six miles
distant from the town. There were
two explosions, and it is said the total
loss of life will reach sixty men. Rich
Hill is located in Bates county, about
sixty-fve miles south of Kansas City.
Later-The Journals special from
Rich Hill says: The most terrible
disaster that has ever occurred in the
West, happened at noon to-day in
Keith G Perry's No. 6 mine, and as
result, j large number of men are en-
tombed and thousands Of dollars worth
of property destroyed. Just at the
dinner hour. when then the men were
ascending eight at a time on the cage,
a terrible gas explosion occurred
which filled every entry with flames
of fire which shot out of the shaft.
1t cannot be ascertained tonight just
how many men are yet in the mine,
but at IL O'Clock one man was taken
out dead. The work of removing the
debris and clearing the shaft has been
going on all the afternoon, but it will
be several hours before much can be
done towards entering the mine
proper.
A Journal reporter called at the res
idence of the Superintendent at II
O'Clock, and found him propped up in
q chair, with his face and hands bait
daged, and scarcely able to talk, but
he made the following statement:
cat Just seven minutes after noon |
was telephoned that an explosion had
occurred at No. 6. went out as soon
as possible and found the south cage,
on which the men always ascend,
stuck in the shaft. l went down on a
tub lowered with ropes and found all
the men badly burned and in a frenzy,
in fact they were crazy, some shouting
and others singing. We finally man
aged to be hoisted by means OF ropes
and pulleys, in fainting condition,
and it was then ascertained that the
north cage could be worked. | then
called for volunteers to 60 down with
me to see if any poor fellows at the
bottom could be got out. Robert
Buck, Geo. Henry, Chas. Smallwood
and Mat. Duhlehand responded.
When we reached the bottom looked
through into the entry and saw a
light, and 1 asked who was there. A
voice responded, "Gray," and told
him to put out his light. 1 then asked
him to crawl to me, but he was so ex-
hausted that he could not do go, and
l reached through the small aperture
and dragged him onto the cage. Just
as this was done the wind rushed with
the velocity of Il cyclone up the entry
putting out all our lights but one.
This was followed by two loud sports
and a seething flame OF fire which
came with deafenipg roar, completely
envelopiDg us and shooting out of the
mouth of the shaft, 240 feet above Cur
heads. We were all horribly burned
and thought our time had come.
The flames ceased as suddenly as
they had come and we had to aban
don the attempt to save the others.
yelled to the men on top to hoist
away, and after what seemed hours
we were started up and taken out in
safety, though badly burned and
greatly exhausted. 1t is probable
that all who were in the mine at the
time OF the first explosion are dead.
About eighty-five miners are en-
ployed in this mine. They are mostly
negroes who came from Springfield,
H., when the mine was first opened,
less than year ago.
RICH HILL, Mo, March 29.-No
further particulars are obtainable to-
night, but it is claimed that not more
than thirty men were in the mine.
II