The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-03-05
FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE,
ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN MINI
ERS KILLED BY AN EXPLOSION

Spr'nghin, Nova Scotia, Thrown Into
Mourning-Several Of the Bodies Fear
fully Mutilated- Fity-thrre Wido,s
and 157 Children Left Umnrovided for.
e.. SPRINaHILL, MINES, n. s., Feb. %.
An explosion occurred in the mines OF
this place yesterday. At midnight nlnc-
ty-tOur bodies have been recovered. and
tho total number Of dead is thought to
be III. A largely attended publicm
Ing was held last evening and arrange
mcnts Tor public funeral on Tucsday y
were completed. CHIEF Inspector Clip
In arrived yesterday morning, accompa-
MED by Madden and went down into the
mine. Mr.. Gilpin says SO far as the cvl-
dence shows the explosion occurred in
either Nc. or 6 balances, and that the
force Of the explosion in these balances
is very great. Most of the timbcrs were
knocked out, allowing the roof to fall ,
breaking boxes and muLilating men and
horses. Tow small fires were shoulder
ing IN the debris, but were eXtingulshed
at once without any difficulty by the
searching party.
The explosion, Mr.. Gilpin says, did
very little damage to property in No. 7
slope, having extended but short dis
tance beyond the tunnel, and all the
deaths III that slope were from sufloca-
ton by fire damp. Manager Swift was
at.the bottom Of No. slope about fifteen
minutes before the explosion occurred,
and intlmated TO one Of the roadsmen
that he was going into the place were
the explosion occurred. He has not
nIoJ |, l>,>,l I
be recovered when some of the debris is
cleared up.
A boy named Boaton heard the eX-
plosion and rushed onto The place where
he knew his brother was at work and
succeeded in carrying him out unin-
Jured. His heroism is one of the chief
topics of conversation. There were
plenty Of volunteers to search for all the
bodies. Men who came to the pit as
spectators divested themselves Of their
coats and unhesitatingly went to the
rescue of their fellow workmen. Many
ghastlY scenes were to be seen, both on
the surface and underground. Several
OF the bodies were SO iearfully mutilatcd
that they were placed IN bags and
brought up to the surface.
The explosion is more disastrous to
life than any other in the history Of coal
mining on this continent, 1t is a singu-
lar coincidence that the loss of life
equals that of both the Ford pit and
Drummond collicry explosions. The
number of lives lost at the Ford pit was
tiity-threc, and Drummond sixty-iour.
The list Of dead reaches 1l0. of whom
fifty-four were married, forty single and
twenty-five boys. Nmety-scven bodies
have been taken out H.; lGl children were
orphaned. A good deal Of distress
prevails. No explanation OF the acci-
dent can be given. The mine is being
put III order no resume operations We'd
nesday. The damage to the property
is comparatively small. The following
appeal has been issued:
ITO the Public a mining disaster,
attended with fatal results unparalleled
in the history of the Canadian mines,
has 1allen on tho town and people Of
Sprlnghill, N. S. The loss OF lite is
probably as great as the combined APP
palllng losses at the Drummond and
Ford pit explosions. About 10 lives
were lost: littY-iour widows have been
left behind and 1Gl children made
tatherlcss.
1.-THE widows and fatherless will need
abundant assistance, and that promptly
from public shocked and horrilicd by
this terrible calamity. Seventy thousand
dollars will be required to meet the
demands and to alleviate the sullerings
OF the bereaved and distressed during
the most pressing period of their dire
misfortune. The residents Of Springhill
in meeting assembled have appointed a
committee, consisting of The Mayor,
Town Council and all residence clergy,
TO solicit and acknowledge subscription
to the Springhill relief fund, and they
confidently and earnestly ask for an i'm
mediate response from persons of all
denominations, societies, trades, guilds
and nationahties. William Hall, Mayor,
A. Mcleod, Secretary"