The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-02-23
ANOTHER MINE HORROR.
Many MinersiLose Their Lives
in Nova Scotia.
AWFUL LFIREDAMP. EXPLOSION
With Terrible ResuIts...The Mine
Surrounded by GrlcrstrIcken
FrIends...Resculng the Vic.
tims..simllar Disasters.

HALIFAX, N. S., Feb. ga tremend
ous explosion took place in the east sid
Of the east slope OF the Spring Hill min
at o'clock yesterday, which resulted il
a large loss Of life and the destruction o
the mine.
The Spring Hill mine is the most i'm
portant in the Cumberland coal field
1t employs 1000 men. It's output il
1000 tons Of coal daily, and It is owned
by Montreal and English capitalists
Hitherto it has been singularly free from
accidents, and the cause Of the disaster
is so far unexplained.
1t was only yesterday that the mine
was examined by Deputy Inspector
Madden, and few days previously by q
committee Of the men, and found to be
in q satisfactory condition. The news
spread like wiIdfre, and The mouth OF
pit was surrounded by heart. broken
wives and mothers, whose shrieks and
cries OF anguish rent the frosty air as
dead and dying forms OF their husbands
and sons were slowly brought to the
surface. The bodies were terribly mu-
tilated, and many OF them presented a
siCkening spectacle. Volunteer parties
were organized to bring up the bodies,
although the rescue Of any Of the men
who were supposed to be beyond the
immediate scene OF the calamity was
known to be imnossible.
kilograms were sent to Amherst and
Oxford, the nearest towns, for addi-
tional medical aid, and corps OF doc.
tors quickly arrived by special trains.
There was no lack Of volunteers, but the
work OF rescue was difficult and the
rescuers had many narrow escapes. The
names Of the injured who had been res
cused up to 6 o'clock last night were Hy-
att Moiles, John Dickens, John B. An.
derson, Gordon Carmichael, Hugh Burt,
John Conway, Horny Nash, Cyrus
Munns, David Merritt and several others
who were go terribly mutilated as to be
beyond recognition.
Choke damp set in Immediately after
the explosion and it is certain that every
man down in the mine Is dead. Mana.
ger Swift was down in the mine at the
time and is among the victims. The
mine wac completely wrecked and the
passage ways are blocked. Several OF
the victims whose bodies have been re-
covered were killed by the choke damp.
All the horses are killed. Several
members Of families are among the
killed, and in the case Of the Carmi.
chaels, a father and two sons are among
the dead. The pits are 80 far clear OF
fire, and ventilation has been restored.
Requisitions have been made upon the
surrounding towns for coffins, hearses,
electra.
This is one Of the greatest disasters In
the history Of Nova Scotia coal mining.
Fifteen years ago the Drummond mine,
at Westville, blew up and sixty.fye
men were killed. Ten years ago the
Fort pit, at Stillarton, exploded and
forty-four men lost their lives. Three
years later fifteen men were killed in the
Vale colliery, all three disasters within
few miles OF each other. Three or
four years ago six men were killed in
the Spring Hill mines.
Those beyond the point where the ex.
plosion took place could uot live a min.
ute after the choke damp overlook them.
The rescuers will not be able to get near
the imprisoned men until some OF the
piles OF debris caused by the fall OF the
roof are cleared away.
Miners who have come up say that
the levels are blocked, in the LEGALITY oi
the explosion, with large pile Of debris,
consisting mainly OF timber knocked out
by the terrible force OF the explosion,
which was felt above ground.
The total number OF dead is now
placed at III. Two Of those injured
died last night. They were Willard
Carter and Joshua Mcneil. To several
families the stIliCtion Is very great.
Reid Garter and his two sons, Willard
and Clarence, are all dead. Three
sons of the Carmichael family
are dead, John, Andrew and
No. 2 slope yesterday and found his
three sons, Jesse and Herbert and John
Bainbride and son all lying together.
The sight sickened and unperyed him so
that he had to return to the surface
without them. He was frantic with
grief.
Two sons OF Robert McVey, under
fourteen, are laid side by side. Hugh
Bunt loses two boys, Andrew and Alex.
ander. The sorrowful households are
only few Of the large number from
which the bread winners have been
snatched. To-day one meets every
where women and children weeping
piteously. During the night people
were astir at little Knots Of men eagerly
discussing the situation.
Aspecial train arrived from Westville
and other mining centres, Pictou conn-
ty, with relatives Of the dead and others.
A steady stream OF curious people has
been pouring into the town from all
quarters aud visitors are numerous.
some OF the bodies taken out were
learfully mutilated. Those OF the
dead who were beyond recognition
were identified by their clothing or
marks on their bodies, 4 carpenter
chop had been temporarily converted
into a dead house, 10 which all the
corpses are taken and then washed and
prepared for their collins. Clergymen OF
different denominations are doing what
they can for the grief Of the stricken
ones.
NTI0nrAI TRNa1sa RNnnd