The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-16
The Worst Is Not Known About the
Terrible Coal Mine Ac-
cident.
Four Hundred Miners Were Under
ground When the Calamity
Occurred.
It il Believed That Over One Half
Are Notwithstanding
Scenes.
An Awful Horror.

An Awful Horror.
South MCALLIsTER, l. T.-Twenty-
four honrs have elapsed since the terri
bly, fatal explosion in the Usage mine at
Krebs, but it is still impossible to even
estimate the number OF victims. The
number who came up alive after the OK
plosion is still unknown and can only be
determined by a house to house canvass
which is o being made as rapidly as
possible. From facts now at hand 1t is
believed the killed will number fully 100
and the injured is, about one-half Of
whom will probably die from the effects
of their injuries. At the hour of the ex-
plosion, 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon,
there were as near as can be learned
about 400 men in the mine. They
belonged to the day shift and were just
preparing to ascend when the explosion
took place.
Six men who had already peer hoisted
in the cage had just stepped on to the
platform at the side of the shaft. The
cage was blown through the roof of the
tower and fifty feet into the air. A
tongue of flame shot up the shaft and
above the ground fully 100 feet, which
was followed by a terrific report to be
heard for miles around. and which
shook all the neighboring country SO
violently that people in the surrounding
mining towns, four and five miles dis
tant, thought an earthquake was rocking
the ground.
The men already above ground were
Frustrated by the force of the explosion
but did not receive severe injuries. The
scenes about the mouth of the shaft,
Immediately following the explosion,
were fearful in the extreme. Weeping
wives, mothers and sisters fiocked to the
scene from the village at the sound of
the explosion, their faces blanchcd with
dread, and many of them hysteri al to
the point of insanity. The air shaft
the only way Of escape for the entomed
miners was the point where the relatives
of the miners c~ongregated. Many of the
miners were able to make their way out
of the tomb and they were welcomed at
the surface by their waiting friends. The
injured were quickly taken to places Of
shelter and were tenderly cared for. One
man with a broken leg climbed all the
distance of 400 feet through the air shaft
and fell unconscious as he reached the
surface. Others who were terribly
burned labored painfully up the ladder
with strips of flesh falling from their
hands and arms as they graspe1 the
ladder rungs. 1t is believed fully half
the entomed miners escaped by the air
shaft. Many of them, however, received
mortal injuries and although none of
them are known to have died at this
hour g p. M it is believed in some cases
death is not far distant.
The news of the disaster spread quick
ly through the villages surrounding
Krebs. Every physician at once volun-
teered and fastened to Krebs. Hun
dreds of miners from the BraidwoOd.
Illinois and McAllister fields hurried to
the scene to do what they could in the
rescue of the entombed men and the re-
cOvery of bodies. The work of rescue
was begun at once and continued all
through the dreary hours of last night
and today. The work was terribly haz-
ardous, but the hope that some unfor-
tunate men might be rescued alive
spurred the escuers to many deeds of
bravery and possible self sacrifice. The
explosion had entirely the topography
of the mine. Many tunnels were closed
entirely and big loose boulders were
balanced periously on shelves Of
rock adjoining the air shaft
and the main shaft, which a breath of
air might almost hurl down upon the
rescuers. Notwithstanding these dan
gers the rescuers kept bravely at their
work and at 5 o'clock this evening had
recovered about forty bodies. The res
cuers worked at both the air and the
main shafts and some bodies were res
cued by both routes. Those identified
were Immediately claimed and were car
ried away by relatives or friends, so that
an accurate count of their number has
not yet been made. The identified num-
Der twenty-three and are: George Lind
say, ST., George Lindsay, jr., William
Russell, William S. Russell, George Rus
sell, John Sierra, Silva Sierra, Michael
Jacomo, Edward Blandon, Joseph Blan-
don, Joseph Gennessia, Stephen Yer.
zeno, Eugene Compassi, Bennett Moss,
Joseph Caronto, Antonio Genneset,
Thomas Cain, Grago RoccO,John Quinn.
James Quinn, Matlock Quinn. Michael
McShane, Edward Kibble. At the vari-
Gus places used as morgues there are
about seventeen unidentified bodies and
pieces OF bodies.
AT 10 o'clock this evening 4S dead
bodies had been recovered from the
mine. The names of ten more of the
victims are as follows: George Lowry,
Ozgus Felta, John Williams, l.. Hunt,
Robert Powers, William Mitchell, Joseph
Clark, Willie McShane, Timothy Collins,
and James Tanner.
The sheriff Running 1t.
CHICAGO, Jan. 8.-Thomas j. Parker,