The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-03-30
A FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
Over One Hundred Men Buried
by a Mine Explosion.
FORTY BODIES RECOVERED.
Tho Terrible Fate that overlook the
Employees ora Missouri Coal Mine.
SIeagre report from the Scene.
Loss of Life Very Great.

KANSAS Cry, No., March 9o.-Th,
following dispatch has just been re
ceived from Rich Hill: About 4 o'clocl
this afternoon there was a rumblint
sound in mine No. 9, at this place, andi
moment aftefward fearful explosion
that entirely wrecked the mine ant
buried in the debris over 100 miners
who were cut of from all means OF es
cape. Up to the hour of sending thii
out forty bodies have been taken ou
and ut least fifteen more are expected tC
have met similar fate. The superin
tendent of the mine was taken out badly
injured, but will survive. In the terri
bic excitement and confusion it is i'm
possible to give list OF the names, ever
IN estimate Of the full extent OF the dis
aster, but it is now thought that ovel
fifty men were killed.
Later news from Rich Hill is to the
effect that the mine is situated six miles
distant from the town. There were two
explosions, and it is said that the loss oi
life will reach eighty men. Rich Hill is
located in Bates county, just 400 miles
north OF Kansas City, on the Missouri
Pacific road. 1t is in the centre OF the
coal bearing district.
The following is the Journals account
OF the accident at Rich Hill:
,,utourvt,t DETAtTS
The most horrible mine disaster that
has ever occurred in the West happened
at noon to-day in Keith & Perry's No. G
mine, and, as a result, large
number of men, are entombed and
thousands OF dollars worth Of property
destroyed. Just ut the dinner hour,
when the men were ascending eight ut
time on the cage, n terrible gas expIo-
sion occurred filling every entry with Il
flame of fire which shot out OF the
SHIFT, n distance OF 1000 feet. 1t cannot
be ascertained tonight Just how many
men are yet in the mine, butat II o'clock
one man had been taken out dead. The
work OF removing the debris and clean,
ing the shaft has been going on all
tho afternoon but will be several
hours before much can be done toward
entering the mine proper. A Journal
reporter called at the residence OF the
superintendent at II O'Clock and found
him propped up in chair with his face
and hands bandaged and scarcelyablc,to
talk, but he made the following state.
mnnt: HAt lust seven minutes
after noon | was telegraphed that
an explosion had occurred at No
%, which is about four miles
northwest of town. / went ont
as soon US possible and found the south
cage, on which the men always ascend,
ed, stuck in the shalt about
half way from the bottom with
eight men on il. I went
down tub to them with ropes and
found them NIL badly burned and in a
frenzy, in fact they were crazy. Some
were dead. The wall that went up from
those men were hoartrending and shall
never forget it. The knowledge that
at the top were their wives ex'
tending their arms ready to clasp
and shield them from further danger
was maddcning enough to destroy all
reason.
It is probable that all who were in the
mine at the time Of the first explosion
are dead. About eighty-fve miners are
employed in this mine, and the proba'
bilities are that the majority Of them
were out, but this cannot be told to-
night, y