The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-09
IN LIVING TOMBS.
Digging for The Buried Miners
at KrebS, Ind. 7.
H0aTtrendlDs Scenes Around The Mouth Of
The Shaft.
The Latest Reports Give the Total Number
Swallowed Up al 2i6-Maly
Taken Out Alive.
Epecial 10 THE MORNING CALL..

KANSAS CITY, Jan. S.-A special from
AcAlester Ind. T., says: Last night there
was an explosion in the Usage mine and as a
result over 200 men now lie dead. and about
forty fatally hurt and many badly injured
At $40 o'clock in the afternoon Mine II,
owned by the Usage Coal and Mining Com
pany at krebs, exploded. At the time $50
men were in the shaft, the most of whom
were waiting for the cage to take them out
The foot of the shaft is one mass of dead
bodies. Eghty-tiye men came out by the old
entry and forty-twO were saved by the shaft,
most Of whom were more or less burned aud
bruised and half Will probably die. This
will leave about 223 men yet in the mine,
and in all probability 200 are dead At Z 80
o'clock in the forenoon ten dead men were
brought out and only one could be recog-
nized the remains were so mutiated.
Hundreds of anxious wives and mothers
are eagerly watching the cage as it comes TO
the surface, hoping to see Their loved ones,
only to turn away disappointed The expIo-
sion was caused by firing shot when gas
was in the mine. At this time, II is impos-
slble 10 learn the exact number Of dead and
wounded.
A TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
News from Krebs. the scene of the explo-
sion in the mine Of the Usage Coal and Min
ing Cumrauy, in which a heavy loss of life
IS reported, states that the accident occurred
yesterday afternoon Just before the day
shift was of and expected out Of the mine
fer supper. The first intmatiOn was a pun
of smoke which was seen TO escape from
the mouth of The single shaft to the mine.
Immediately following this was heard a
terrible report. followed by heayY rum
bling The men at the top Of the shaft at
once sounded the alarm aud made prepara-
Il rs TO send down resculug party, but
found the mouth Of the sIHtt completely
filled up with debris. Efforts were at once
made to clear this away.
There are between $50 and 200 men en-
tombei in the mine, and II is believed every
one VII lose his LIE, for the shaft IS a single
one with no means for air l. get TO the en-
tumbed men.
ST Louis, Jan. s.-Omcial5 Of the Usage
Mining Company in this city and owners Of
the mine at ktebS, Ind. T., where tie terri
ble disaster occurred last night have re-
ceived a dispatch from McAiesteT, stating
lab miners were taken out OF the mine alive,
but many Of them were badly injured. As
the press dispatches state there were $50
men IN the shaft this report leaves 207 men
UnaccOunted for, all white.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
il is still impossible to estimate the num-
Der of victims of the krebs disaster From
facts nov at hand it is believed that the
killed y i'll number fully one hundred, in
jured 10, about half of whom will probably
die AT The hour Of the explosion there
were. as near as can be learned, about 400
men in the niue They were the day-shitt
just preparing to ascend when g explosion
took place SIX men who had already been
hOIStgd III the cage stepped on 10 the plat
form at the side of the shaft The cage was
blown through the roof Of the tower fifty
feet into tie air. y tongue OF flame
shot up the shaft and above ground fully
100 feet, followed 10y a terrific report, which
WAS heard for miles around, shaking the
neiEhbOrug country 50 violently that people
five miles distant thought it was an earth
quake. The scenes about tile mouth Of the
shaft Immediately following were fearful in
the extreme. w eCplng wives, mothers and
sisters Il jC6ed TO tie scene, their faces
blauched with dread and many hysJerical
TO The point Of insanity. The shaft, the
only way OF escape, was the point where the
relatives cOngregated. Many who were able
TO make their way out were welcomed at
the surface by waiting friends
CLIMBING FOR THEIR LIVES.
One man with a broken leg climbed 400
feet through the aiT-Shaft and fell unCuu-
scious as he reached the surface Others,
terribly burned, labOTcd painfully up the
ladder, slriis OF flesh falling from their
hands and arms as they gTasped the ladder
rungs. Many escaped by the air-shaft.
One hundred miners from the Braid wood
and McAllisteT fields hurried 10 the scene to
do what they could in assisting the rescue
Of the entombed men and the recovery Of
the dead. The work of rescue was terri oily
hazardous The explosion had entirely
changed the topography of the mine. Many
tunnels were closed entirely and big loose
b0ulders were balanced perilOusly on
shelves of rock, which breath Of air might
hUri down upon the rescueTs.
Those identified number twenty-three and
are: George Lindsay Sr., George Lindsay
JT, William Russell, William :. Russell,
George Russell, John Zerra. Silva Zerra,
Michael Jacomo, Edward BloBdon, Joseph
Bluudun. Joseph Gcnnesslo, Stephen Yer
Zpnn, Eugene Campassi, Bennett Moss,
John CaOnto, Antonio GenBessat, Thomas
Cain, Grago Rocco. John Quinn, James
Quinn, Matlock Quinn, Michael McShane
and Edward klbble. There are seventeen
unidentified bodies and pieces Of bodies.
ADDITIONAL KILLED.
Up to 10 o'clock tonight forty eight dead
bodies have been recovered. Following are
the names Of ten more victims: George
Lowry, Osegus Ifalta, John Williams. l..
Hunt, Robert Powers, William Mitchell,
Joseph Clark, Willie McShane, Timothy
Collins, James Turner.
Among the fatally injured are: George
HaIduger, George Hardinger Jr, Frank
Hathaway, Joseph Oslad, Ear.ch Church,
William Church, William Williams, Charles
Martin, Louis TOybe, Jos eph Toobe, Clio.
vanni Blessant, Francis IOZzie, Brauiz
BicumO and John ROss
Six small boys, names unknown, who
were tending fans were killed outright and
found dead at their posts 1t is learned
that the explosion was caused by George
LoweTy exploding what is known as a
window shot" The latest estimate Of the
number missing Is 146.
DIGGING FOR SURVIVORS.
The search by the rescuiHg party still
continues. One dsheartening fact con-
nected with the search is that sO far moi
one live miner has been found. The bodies
so iar recovered were found burned and
charred almost beyond recognition No
fire followed the explosion, at least there
are no signs Of any, and there are known to
be live men entOmbed in tile tunnel behind
fallen b0udeTS. The TescuerS can hear
faint knOckings and far-off shoutings. They
are digging In the direction whence the
sounds come, and hope yet to rescue some
men awe. The wreck about the mouth Of
the mine and at the bottom Of the hosting
shaft Is so nearly complete that the work is
dreadtully slow. All the bodies in the
place have been brought 10 the surface, but
there are others partly hidden under falleu
bOulders and masses OF debris
The cause Of the explosion is still unde-
termined. The probability is that some
miner fired a blast without orders. which
ignited either accumulated gas or coal dust.
The scenes in Krebs to-day are pathetic in
the extreme. Those who did not 90 to the
scene of the horror and have missing rela-
tives are nearly crazed with anxiety while
those whose relatives returned safe from
the jaws Of death are nearly crazed with
Iy.
TOTAL NUMBER ENTOMBED.
The latest McAlister advices are sixty
corpses recovered and twenty-five men
rescued alive, OF whom eight have since
died. The whole rpmber entombed is now
placed at PIC.
nIpNn