Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-05-11
KILLED BY A BLAST.
Forty Miners in a Slope in
Washington.
EVERY MAN ATW0RK MEETS DEATH

An Es siosion Wipes Out Their Lives in q
Twinkling-Relief Parties Go to Work
and Recover Seven Corpses-Whole
Interior of the Mine Filled With Debris
and Deadly Fumes-The Lurking Gas
the Probable Cause. Which Is SO Far in
Doubt-yictims' Names.
RosLYN, WASH, May 11-At l o'clock
yesterday afternoon a terrible explosion
occurred in the slope of mine No. of the
Northern Pacific Coal company at this
point, in which the loss of life exceeded
in number that of any other disaster that
has ever been chronicled in the northwest
or on the Pacific slope. The exact nature
Of the explosion or the circumstances that
led to it will probably never be known,
since it is believed that every miner who
was working the slope at the time has per-
ished.
Forty Men Lose Their Lives.
But it is known that forty men we've in
the three levels that were affected by the
explosion. Large relief forces are at work
and seven bodies have been recovered.
These men were working nearest the open
ing and at some distance from the point
where it is supposed the explosion oc-
CURED. Most of the men were 800 to
1900 feet further in the slope and in the
immediate vicinity of the accident. There
is no doubt either in the minds of the min
ers or the company's officials that every
man was instantly killed by the ex-
plosion.
The Probable Death Roll.
following N Tod of
of the men who were at work on the three
levels: Thomas Holmes, John Foster, Philip
Davis, Thomas Rees, John Rees, Will Rob-
lnson, Robert Graham, George Moses, A.
Pollard, Jack Ferguson, George Brooks (of
Streator, llls.), Joseph Worth, Sr., Joseph
Ellsworth, Jr., John Lafferty, Dan Nc
Clelland, Richard Forsy ythe, ucott Miles,
Pruss Luving, Andrew Erlandson,
Charles Palmer, Mitchell Hale, Mitchell
Ronald, Wilson Steel. William Nague,
Eben Olsifer, John Danko, Jake Wealth
erbee, Joseph Browitt, Thomas Bre-
den, Harry Campbell, James Hous-
ton, Joseph Bennett, William Ben
nett, Joseph 1smay, William Pennhall,
Sidney Wright, Thomas Wright, James
Morgan, Jack Bone and Herman Deustcr.
Most of these men were married and many
Of them had large families, the members
of which crowded around the mouth of
the slope, filling the air with their
heartbroken walls. The scene was a terri
BILE one.
What the Rescuers Found,
When the work Of rescue began it was
found that the entire interior of the mine
was clogged with debris, and nothing
could be done until q new air shaft could
be put in. Deadly fumes issuing from the
mine stified all who entered. At midnight
when the third level of the slope had been
reached and several bodies had been found,
badly mangled and blackened, the pres
ence of a small fire which was roasting
some of the corpses was noticed.
Possible Cause of The Horror.
This gave rise to the belief that the ex-
plosion was caused by fire in the mine.
Manager John Kangley, formerly of nli-
nois, says the gas accumulated in the
slope where new levels were being driven
and before connections were made with the
air shaft the exposure of damp to blast
or match could have caused the explosion.
inspectors were continually on guard in
the mine and reported no accumulation of
gas on the levels
Seven Bodies Recovered.
kangley says it will probably never be
known exactly what caused the explosion.
The seven bodies recovered were those of
Thomas Rees, Thomas Holdes, Ben Ost-
lift, A. Pollard, William Hogue, John
Boone and Harry Campbell. Winston
Steel's son escaped. Nearly all of the men
had worked in the coal mines of Illinois.