The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-04-05
COAL MINE DISASTER.
Terrible Calamity in a Rich Hill
Coal Mine.
workmen Entombed by a Gas Explosion
A Score or More Taken Out Dead
aud Others Yet to FoIlow-Ter-
rible Scenes.

rible Scenes.
Rich HILL No., March 3O.-An explosion
of natural gas occurred IN mine NO. Oh
the Keith & Perry Coal Company, located
about three miles west OF the CITY, near Ine
Rich Hill Gas Company's natural gas well,
shortly after twelve o'clock noon yester-
dav. There are about 100 men employed IN
this mine but at the time Of the explosion
only about thirty were below. Attempts
1vera at once made to rescue the unfortu-
nate men. and eight miners had been
brought TO the surface alive when a second
explosion occurred at $3.50 O'Clock, at winch
time Superintendent George Sweeney ana
five miners were in the shaft at work, all
of whom were more more or less burned,
but none dangerously.
The scene about the mouth Of the shaft,
where the wives, mothers and relatives OF
the miners, wild with the agony OF sus-
pense over the unknown fate Of their loved
ones were collected was heartrendlng.
The mines were examined about two weeks
ago by Mine Inspector Wolfe and pro-
nounced safe.
At two o'clock this morning telephone
message was received from the mine to the
effect that fifteen men had been taken out
the mine, fourteen of them alive. Mr..
Mauyille, who is alert and dong all posi-
bic. IS OF the opinion that so long as the
men taken out are not all dead it could not
have been due to gas but to powder. de
holds that gas always burns the oxygen
and no one could live under such circum-
stances.
LATER ACCOUNT.
RIcH HILL. Mo-, March 3L-It was al
most four o'clock yesterday morning when
the full extent of the calamity at the Keith
& Perry coal mine was known. Atthat hour
five had been taken from the mine dead,
fifteen alive and fourteen or fifteen were
known to be still in the mine. A final and
desperate attempt was made to reach
these, and it came very nearly costing two
Of the would-bc rescuers their lives. They
were unable to accomplish any thing, but
they saw stretched out upon the bottom OF
the NINE the dead bodies OF their COM
rades. 1t was then definitely known that
ali who remained in the mine had been
suffocated and the exhausted crews sus-
pended work until daylight. The list OF
the dead, according to the best lnforma-
ton that it is possible to obtain, is as fol-
lows:
Observation-Disclosures Smith, colored; George
May, white; &. e. Mcpherson, white;
Frank Lawler, white; Jordan Smith. col
ored; Joshua Trickle; John Roberts,
white; George Black, colored; {. Black,
colored; W. Black, colored; h. Sheppard,
colored; j. {. Neptune. white; John Lei
fer, white; Charles Kay, white; John
Gray, white; Bruce Brown, white; L. r.
Dixon, white; Fred Henderson, colored;
W. H Hill, cocred; Alexander White, col
ored; Gibson McFerron, white. or the
above Tricke and Roberts died after hay
ing been rescued, and the fourteen last
named are the imprisoned miners who
were suffocated in the west end.
The injured are: n. b. Gray, Norman
Gray, 6. r. Sweeney, NJ. Dullahaunt,
George Henry, Robert Dick, Charles Small
wood, c. J. Neptune, William Young, K.
Mason, Frank JAG kson, w. Richards j. L..
Williams, F. Fernando, Z. w. Roberts,
Arch Marshall, John Lucas, d. c. Jones
This list includes Superintendent Swee-
new and those who went down with HIM
after the first explosion and were caught
and burned in the second. Most of the in
jured were desperately hurt, two having
died yesterday. The fatalities will proba-
bly, number thirty.
Later-The scenes around the shaft were
heartrending during the entire day. Up to
noon yesterday twenty had been taken out,
five of whom were dead. Four of the hv-
Several others are in j dangerous con-
dirion.
Seven more dead miners have been taken
out and seven more are known to be yet in
the mine, but are at points hard 10 reach,
and it is difficult to find voiU ntcers TO go
down and make the search.
Those miners who had rishCd their lives
TO rescue the buried living, and bring to
the surface the dead, are from the mines OF
the Rich Hill Coal and MiniLg Company,
under charge of Superintendent Joseph L.
Reavcly, who. after Mr.. George Sweeney,
OF the Keith a. Perry Coal Company was
severely burned, volunteered his services,
and has since been in charge of the ex-
ploded mine, and TO whose careful work,
good judgment and courage, is largely due
the success of the rescuing corps.
Ali night men were at work in the search
for the living and the dead, notwthstand-
ing the mine was so filed with natural gas
that it burned above the regular blaze OF
the arc safety lamp used.
The lower end of the double cage shaft
had been crushed in the bottom, leaving il
in a wedge shape, point down, and SIX feet
or more of slate and clay had fallen Ia
around this, preventing either crib reach
ing the bottom. This was al removed and
one crib Is running to lower the rescuing
corps and bring out the dead.
The only shaft the mine had was sec
ton OF the main shaft, partitioned off, about
three by seven feet This was blown Ia
pieces or into the south crib, necessitatine
the converting of the south half of he crit
shaft into an air shaft. Superintendent
Reavely kept the engine forcing sprays Of
water into this air shaft for four hours, III
the end of which time it was only possible
for any one TO enter the mine proper.
There seems to be no question but that
the explosion was caused from natural
gas. which abounds in the earth ut and De
low the depth of this mine in a large sec
ton Of country south and west, frequent
explosions and great damage and loss of
life having occurred heretofore.
The rescued dead are most horribly
burned and present q horrible sight anC
sickenlng smell OF burnt human flesh
ready to drop from the bones
In some cases past recognition ex-
cept by some other than personal evidence.
DR.. Rice, county coroner, WAS at the IN ne
yesterday, aud the inquest will be held to-
day. The large blacksmith and carpenter
shop close By is being used as a morgue.
Cincinnati Protests.