Huntsville gazette., 1888-01-28
GAS EXPLOSION In A NINE.
FIFTY-SEVEN BODIES BURIED IN THE
WRECK.

| No Possible Hope of Rescuing Any of the
victims Alive-The Cause of the Disaster
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the Dead Bodies.
The Mine Not Much Injured.
VICTORIA, Jan. ga terrible disaster has
| occurred near here, i'll pit No. 3, of the Well
ington colhery, which caused the death Of
| fifty- seven men A loud report was heard,
anG a dense mass of smoke and dust shot up
into the air. The smoke and dust continued
for over five minutes. As soon az possible
Manager Bryder proceeded to the shaft, aud
attention was first paid to repairing the fan
house, which was quickly accomplished, and
the fan started again.
The shaft timbers were destroyed and the
cages could not be used, but pulley and
rope were Immediately prepared Mean
while, the first man to come out OF the pit
had climbed by means of the cage wire cable
through the shattered timbers to within one
hundred feet of the top, when the rope was
lowered and he reached the surface in an ex-
hausted condition. A second miner was also
enabled to get out by this perilous method,
while it is reported that a 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 and returned, stating that nothing
could be heard but calls from below. For
tunately the mine had not fired, SO danger
from this source was averted.
A temporary cage was made and lowered
to a considerable DEPTH the pliners reaching
it by means of ladders, and at O'Clock 103
of 100 men in the mine had been rescue.l
~. a. l. -
taken out dead.
The explosion took place in the last level
In this twenty-five white miners were i'm
prisoned, and the fears entertained that they
were all killed were verified, for at o'clock
all were carried to the surface dead, and the
work of taking out the Chinese began There
are, as near as can be estimated, twenty
seven or twenty nine white men in the mine
with no hopes of rescuing them alive.
Rescuing parties have been working hard
at the scene of the explosion. The cage can
be lowered to where the debris is. From
there the rescuers descend by means of a
ladder. The work of clearing away the de
brs from the bottom of the shaft is being
pushed forward with all possible speed, and
not till this is done can any dead bodies be
brought up.
fOllOWl1lS Is q close eSDlfiau0 OF UnOS0 In the
mine: Lanse Robinson, R. Robinson, Jacob
Kline, - Regardo, John Stewart, D. Nc
Donald, William Horn, James Jones,
Valaria; John McReal, William French
William Wilkes, Charles Tiltar, Alex Ross
Bellonia and Italian partner, John Marshall
r. Vincent d. Gordon, r. Greenwell, w.
Godfrey, E. Davis, j. Williams Frank Nc
Coy and two others, names unknown; one
miner, name unknown; two Inen, not in the
employ of the company, taken down by
miners; twenty five Chinese, employed as
runners; fourteen Chinese, employed by
miners as leaders.
All possible endeavors are being made to
recover the bodies The greatest obstacle is
a fire damp. No hopes are entertained Of
the life of those below. There is no scarcity
of volunteers, as officials and employees of the
Vancouver Coal company are rendering every
assistance required. Not much damage was
done to the mine, but how the explosion
took place is a mystery Mr. Dunsman is
here superintending affairs