Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-06-09
FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.

Two Hundred Miners Barred by Fire In .
Bohemian Silver Mine and Roasted or
SuGoeated to Death - Frantic Efforts
were Made for Their Rescue, but All
were fruitless-One Hundred Families
Deprived of Male Members.
VIENNA, June Reports this even
ing from Prizibram show that the mine
disaster is far worse than supposed In
the first confusion it was believed that
only forty men were missing, but
house-to-house inquiry among the
miners families this afternoon revealed
the fact that nearly 200 miners were left
in the pit The number is known to be
as high as 40.
The flames which were supposed to
be finally subdued at the time the first
rescue party went down, after four
teen bodies had been brought up
broke out afresh- Water was pumped
into the mine, but the machinery was
.fnadquate and the fire increased.
This morning help was brought from
Beraum, the superintendent of the
coal mines there sending down a force
OF men with machinery for flooding
the mine more rapidly. When the
flames seemed to abate somewhat a
rescue party went down and returned
said that they could hear shouts and
groans far off in the mine. but that the
smoke was so thick and the heat so in
tense that they did not dare venture
in None of the party would return
and two hours passed before foreman
could find seven men to go down with
him 1t was then thought that the fire
was nearly out, as only a thin smoke
came from the mouth of the pit. and
that the miners on the higher levels
who had escaped drowning might be
saved
The foreman and the seven men tried
to make their way in the direction
where the shouts and grOans had been
heard, but the heat was sitting. and
heavy smoke and fire finally obstructed
all progress.
About 100 yards from the shaft the
party We're suddenly enveloped in a
gust of fire and smoke rom a side gal
lery. Four men fell unconscious.
Their four comrades tried To drag them
away but We're compelled finally to run
for their lives and leave the men to die.
This rescue party heard no sound in
the galleries save the cracking of the
fire
All of the woodwork near the shaft
had been burned away, the four sur
virors said. and the fire evidently had
followed the miners from the entrance
to the end of the galleries The fore
man says there is no doubt that all the
men who were left in the mine are
dead The heat beyond the point,
where the four miners were stricken. he
said, would have been fatal and the
smoke was sitting He saw tools and
garments abandoned in the haste of
flight, showing by their positions that
the men fled away from the shaft.
Immediately after the foreman re-
turned with the remains of his party
the fire started up again. and despite
the work of the engines is still burn
ing fercely. Thousands of men,
women and children are in the fields
around the pit. The list of the
.s0o miners believed to have been
left in the pit and burned has
been posted, so that if any
of the number had escaped his friends
might come forward with the Informal
ton Not a name has been erased. |
however and the continued inquiry of
the police has been fruitless. One hun
dred families have been deprived of all
their male members by the disaster |
Charitable societies in Prague will !
make an appeal for the sufferers to- !
morrow. |