The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-09
CHOKED WITH CORPSES.
A HUNDRED MINERS KILLED BIZ
THE EXPLOSION AT KREBs.

Shift just Coming Out When the
Explosion Occurred
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Jan. S.-A special to
the Journal from McAlIister, l. T., says:
"a report has reached here from shaft No.
5 Of the Usage Coal and Mining Company
at Krebs that a terrible explosion occurred
there at 5 O'Clock last evening.
from the effects OF which scores Of
lives will probably be lost. IL was just be-
fore the shift changed or and came out Of
the mine for supper, when puff Of smoke
was seen 60 escape from the mouth Of the
single shaft TO the mine and imm ediately
following this there was heard terrible re-
port, followed by a rumbltng as IL OF
rolling thunder. The men at the top
OF the shaft at once sounded
an alarm, and made preparations
to send down rescuing PARTY, but found
| that the mouth Of the shaft had been CONS
pletely closed up by debris. When the mes
senger left nothing had been done toward
getting the men out, except to organize q
relief party, which was to begin work at
once on the debris. There were between
800 and 400 men entombed in the mine"
THE DEATH LIST.
KANSAS CITY, No, Jan. s, p. MA
| special to the Times from South MoAlIister,
elapsed since the terribly 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 explosion is still
undetermined and can be determined only
by house TO house canvass, which is now
| being made as rapidly as possible From
the facts now at hand it is believed that the
killed will number fully 100 and the injured
ll5, about one-half OF whom will probably
die from the effects OF their injuries.
400 MEN IN THE NINE.
"At TIE hour Of the explosion, o'clock
yesterday afternoon, there were, as near as
can be learned, about 0 men in the mine.
They were the day shift, and were Just pre-
pairing To ascend when the explosion took
place, Six men who had already been
hoisted in the cage had just stepped into the
platform on 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 terrible report
which was heard for miles around, and
shook all the neighboring country 50
violently that the people in the surrounding
mining towns four and five miles distant
thought an earthquake was rocking the
ground. The men already above the ground
were prostrated by the force OF the explo-
BEARTRENDINe SCENES.
"The scenes about the mouth OF the shaft
| Immediately following were fearful in the
| extreme. Weeping wives, mothers and sis
ters flocked to the scene from tho village
| at the sound Of the explosion, their faces
| blanched with dread and many of them
| bysterical to the point Of insanity. The air
shaft. the only way of escape for the en-
| tombed miners, was the point
tnkA Nha iatf Of kka
gregated. Many of the miners were
able to make their way out Of the tomb,
and they we're welcomed at the surface by
their waiting frien Ia. One man with
broken leg climbed all the distance of 100
feet through the air shaft and fell uncon-
scious as he reached the surface. Others
who were terribly burned labored
painfully up the ladder, strips or
| flesh falling from their hands and
arms as they grasped the ladder rungs. 1t is
believed that fully one-half of the entombed
miners escaped by the air shaft. Many OF
them, however, received mortal injuries.
and although none of them are known to
| have died, it is believed that Ia some cases
death is not far distant"
PHYSICIANS FROM OTHER TOWNS.
The news Of the disaster spread quickly
| through the villages surrounding Krebs.
Every physician at once volunteered his
services and hastened to Krebs TO do his
duty of mercy. Hundreds Of miners from
the Braidwood and McAllister fields hur-
| ried to the scene to do what they could in
assisting In the rescue of the
the bodies of the dead. The
| work of rescue was begun at once and has
continued through the dreary hours Of last
night and to-day The work was terribly
hazardous. The explosion had entirely
changed the Topography of the mine. Many
tunnel5 were closed entirely and big loose
powders were balanced perilously on the
shelves and rack adjoining the air shaft
and main shaft. which breath Of air might
huTl down upon the rescuers. Notwith.
standing these dangers the rescuers
kept bravely at their work and
at 5 o'clock this evening had
recovered about forty bodies. The rescuers
worked at both the air and main shafts aud
bodies were rescued by both routes. Those
identified were Immediately claimed and
were carried away by relatives or friends.
80 that an accurate count of the number
has not been made. Those identified nums
Der twenty-three.
AT THE MoRGUEs.
At the various places used as morgues
there were about seventeen unidentified
bodies. The search by the rescuing parties
still continues. There is one disheartening
fact connected with the search up to the
present time, and that is that not
one live miner has been found.
All the bodies so far recovered have
been found to be burned. charred and
manned. In fully half the cases identifica-
tion has been possible only from clothes or
the contents Of pockets. In some cases limbs
have been severed from their bodies by the
force OF the explosion, and in others
bodies have been burned to
Grip and charred almost beyond
resemblance TO human form. There
are two encouraging facts which urge tho
rescuers on TO work. No fire followed the
explosion, at least there have been no signs
Of any, and there are known to be live men
entombed In the tunnel behind the fallen
bowlders. The rescuers can hear faint
knockings and far off shoutings. They are
digging in the direction whence the sounds
come and hope yet to res ue some Of them
alive. The wreck about the mouth Of the
mine and at the bottom of the hoisting
shaft is 80 nearly complete that work is
dreadfully slow. The cause of the explosion
is still undetermined, and may never be
known.