The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-03-12
DEATH IN TIE NINE.
Terrible Explosion Of Fifc Dane ii
Belgium.
4 HUNDRED LIVES SACRIFICED.

And the List OF Victims May Num-
Der a Hundred and Fifty-The Ex-
piosions Occurred Five Hundred
Feet Below the Surrace-T The Work
Retarded by Collapse Or the shaft.
BRUSSELS, March IL. - Dispatches from
Charleroi tell of fearful mining dis
aster near that place. While the men
were at work in the Anderluis colliery
there was a series of terrific explosions
of fire damp. The horror Of the i'm
prisoned mems condition is added to by
the caFing in of the mine shaft, render
ing attempts at rescue extremely hazar-
dous. The place at which the explos-
ions occurred is in the second gallery, 500
yards below the surface, and work at
this depth is difficult and dangerous.
Volunteers have been let down three
times in cage. When half way down
on the first trip the further cav1ng OF
the shaft frightened them and they re
turned. Five OF the ten men refused 70
&c down again, as the mine was flooding
rapidly, they said, and the loosened
sides Of the shaft threatened to fall IN
and bury them.
Five Brave yolunteers.
| The other FIVE made the second trip
land reached the mouth of the second
gallery. They found few men who
| were nearest the shaft when the first
| explosion occurred. These miners had
run for their lives, bpt had been caught
| at the entrance by falling timbers. All
had broken bones, and three were 30
| firmly lodged in the wreck that the
rescuing party dared not wait to extrf-
/ cate them. Five of the wounded were
brought up on the second trip, and two
! others and five dead were brought up
i on the third The rescued men say that
twenty-five Of the miners still impris-
! oned are women. There are about two
i hundred in all still to be accounted for.
i 1t is thought that those nearest the first
/ alive. Those furthest from the en-.
4 trance Of the gallery have probably
i been suffocated before this, and if not
will die before they.can be reached
i The Work OF Rescue Retarded.
/ The work has BEEN set back twice b
, the caving Of CREST blocks Of soil and
i stone from the sides of the wreckei
shaft. and since the third trip no volun
teers for the work of rescue could b
Il found The superintendent of the mine
I has twice gore down 200 feet, but ha,
returned saying that the chances woult
Il be four to one against him IL he wen
4 lower. Tho dead win number at leasi
i 100, and probably 100 About 80 of thu
800 men in the gallery at the time OF ths
first explosion got ont by the second
4 shaft.
Frantic Wives and Children.
About 400 members of the families o.
the missing miners camped in the field
around the shaft all night. The excite
ment among the crowd of women ant
children continues to grow in intensity
and the grief of ethose who have hus
d bands or fathers In the mine is pitiable
! Some OF the women are quite frantic
and it has been found necessary to ge
their friends to remove them from thu
scene of the accident. People from thu
surrounding country are pouring intt
the town. Many of them have friends
!. or relatives among the miners. and they
are adding to the great excitement pre-
vailing everywhere in the vicinity Of
the pits mouth.
II Late last might the fourth rescue
H party descended in the mine. They
cleared away the debris at the entrance
of the gallery and found twenty-five
dead bodies, five of them women. Mos
Of the bodies Were terribly mutilated
Others showed but few fractures of thu
I limbs; death had been caused apparently
by suffdcation.