The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-01-13


SoUrH 1lcArIzs1ER. T. T.. Jan. o.
One Of the most appalling mining disas-
tiers on record occurred at Krebs, a set
Element about five miles from this place,
Thursday afternoon. by which probably
over hundred people lost their lives.
just as the day shift were about to come
to the surface from the mine operated by
the Usage Coal Mining company, in shaft
No /, terrible explosion occurred.
There were upwards Of 400 men in the
mine at the time. most of whom were
near the entrance to the cage which was
to bring them to the top. Those at the
top heard the explosion and at once pre-
pared for the work of rescue.
The news spread rapidly. and it was
not many minutes before the entrance to
the mine was surrounded by wailing
and almost panic-striclzen mass of hui
mainly, composed chiefly of women and
children. The scene at the time battles
description. Miners from other sections
came pouring into the settlement. offer
ing what assistance they could in the
way of rescue, but owing to the fiimsy
nature of the earth Though which the
riit1l iAt.t1 utlt mast, +.I- were OF 4lttle
assistance
hosting cage had arrived at the top with
stepped from the cage the explosion oc-
CURED, and the force of the conclusion
forced the cage nearly hundred feet in
the air. A second later scorchine
fame shot upward driving the men back
to place of safety.
Many of the men. some say nearly
half, employed in the mine, succeeded in
effecting their escape by climbing up
through the air shaft. One Of the men
who escaped in this way climbed fully
450 feet with broken leg. Many of
those who climbed to the top were badly
burned, in some cases the flesh stripping
from their hands as they grasped the
ladder.
1t is impossible yet to give an estimate
even of the number OF lives lost, but it
is generally believed that it win reach at
least one hundred and very likely more.
Many of the men who succeeded in get
ting out al.ss viii die, owing to their
severe injuries.
What caused the explosion can not be
stated, but it is supposed that some
miner fired blast without warming, a
proceeding in direct violation of the
rules of the mine.
The rescuers encounter many serious
drawbacks in their work Many tunnels
are closed entirely and big loose boulders
are balanced perilously ON shelves of rock
adjoining the air shaft and the main
shaft. which a breath of air might al
most hurl down upon the rescuers. Not
withstanding these dangers, the rescuers
keep bravely at their work, and at
o'clock yesterday evening had recovered
forty bodies The rescuers work at both
the air and the main shafts and bodies
We're rescued by both routes.
McALLIs1ER, 1. T.. Jan. 1.-THE
great excitement over the mine horror
has not abated. Rescuers were busy at
work all day yesterday and late last
night the last body was recovered and
the list stands now fifty-seven dead and
III wounded. five of whom will surely
die within few hours and several men
can not live twenty-four hours
As body after body srenoved from
the ground, women, crazed with de-
spair, would throw themselves in front
of the shaft in their efforts to determine
at once whether the all that was human
of some poor fellow was not faith y,
brother or husband. Time and time
again were the women pressed and caz-
ried back from the mouth of the shaft.
but as the work of rescue proceeded,
the same scene was enacted and re-
enacted.
1t was almost impossible to recognize
any resemblance to the human form in
the bodies of many of those rescued.
Heads, arms, legs, hands and feet We're,
IN many instances, torn from the trunks.
The pit clothes were either partially or
entirely burned away, and in several
cases the flames had literally roasted
almost all the flesh ON the body. The
near the main shaft, where a morgue
had been improvised, and the living
taken to their homes.
A number of the victims were buried
yesterday. 1t was a sad sight to see the
funeral procession which conveyed the
unfortunate miners to their last resting
place, most of whom We're laid side by
side, the largest funeral being that of
George Lindsey and son, who We're very
popular. The Catholic and other two
churches were scenes of n succession of
services yesterday.
AT Krebs, twenty-five men have been
digging graves since Friday night and
day, and it was necessary to hold eight
of the bodies, the graves not being
ready.
Z. Fleming, mining expert, and for
eight years superintendent of the mine
was interviewed this morning in regard
to the explosion. He said that the whole
blame should be placed on the shot
hrers, who fired the blast too soon. A
window shot caused the catastrophe.
The blast was overcharged. 1t should
have been fred at $3.50 o'clock, after the
miners had left the mine, in which case
the explosion would have occurred, but
only five or six men would have been
killed. As 1t was, the shot was fired
at 5:07, before they assembled from the
mine.
In an interview William Cameron.
superintendent, said: "Thirty-nine men
We're killed in the mine and eighteen
have died SINCE The company can in
no way be held responsible for the ex-
plosion, as the mine has been carefully
examined by experts who claim the
ventilation was good and there was no
gas in any part of the mine. The fault
was in the entryman firing his shots
contrary to orders, which were not to
be fred until $3.50 p. m, when all the
men would be out of the mine The fan
never stopped running, and the 1876 live
men were taken out within seven hours
after the explosion, thus showing splen-
did management The mines viii be
clear within ten days, and it viii take
100 carloads of slate and rock to clear
the first passage
ship Canal Across Ohio