The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-03-24
Miners EntOmbSd Alive.

BRUSSELS, March ia frightful COL
liery disaster has occurred at Anderlues.
Three hundred miners are entombed in
the pit, and q series of explosions have
apparently cut off all access to the men.
An attempt has been made to reach the
imprisoned miners, but so far without
success. The explorers have been beaten
back. by The foul fumes. The shafting
and ventilation are destroyed.
Three female miners have been res
cued, and it seems most certain that all
the rest are dead. Intense excitement
prevails, and thousands are fockfng to
the place, which is one Of the leading
mining centers of Belgium. The scenes
at the pit mouth are most pathetic, a
multitude of people bewailing their rela-
tiyes5sup upposedt 70 have perished4n tie
si IDispatches from charleroi this even
ing state that four officials Of thecom-
psnT owring:the mine at sAndeflues left
ssi0r the scene 6Ethesexplos thisafter-
noon. Machinery for keeping down the
water in the mine and facilitating the
work of hosting out the wreckage has
already been shipped. The Government
is receiving bulletins OF the progress of
the work at the shaft, and has sent 8
REPRESENTATIVE to the spot to ascertain
thashcts for use in an investigation Of
the causes of the accident and Id placing
the responsibility for 1t.
King, Leopold has contributed 5000
francs from his private purse to the tenn
porary support Of the families of miners
already known to have been killed.
Hundreds of neii and womeh from near
by Villages have gal 'hered near the mouth
Of the pit, and are camping around bon
fires, watching the progress Of the work
Of rescue. Families and relatives Of the
200 or more men have made their home
In the fields for the night, and are cook
ing their meals over open-air fires 80 as
to get the earliest news from those i'm
prfsoned by the shattered shaft.
The place at which the explosion oc-
CURED is in the second gallery, 500 yards
below the surface, and the depth is diff
cult and dangerous. Volunteers have
been let down three times in cage.
When half way down on the first trip the
further caving in of the shaft frightened
them, and they3returled: Five. of the
ten nehyrefhsed togo down again, as the
and loosened sides Of the shaft threatened
to fall In and bury them, The other five
made the second trip, and. reached the
mouth of the second gallery. They
found few men who were nearest the
shaft when the first explosion occurred.
These miners had to run for their lives,
but had been caught at the entrance by
Ealing timbers. All had broken bones,
and three were so firmly lodged in the
wreck that the rescuing party dared not
wait to extricate them. Five Of the
wounded were brought up on the second
trip, and five dead were brought up on
the third.
j The rescued men say that twenty-five
;of the miners still imprisoned are women.
There are about 800 in all still to be ac-
counted for. It Is thought that those
nearest the first eaVe-in in the gallery
NAV be rescued olive: Those arthest
from the entrance Of the gallery have
probably been sufocated before this,
and if Iiot~wills die before they cattbe
i. The work shassbeen set bsck; twics this
evening blythe caving Of great blocks of
soil and stone from thes sidessoK the
wrecked sshst, andssdncesthe third trip
no volunteer, for the work Of rescue
the mine has twice gone down 200 feet,
but has returned, saying that the chances
would be four to one against him, if he
went lower.
The dead will number at least 100, and
probably 150. About AGO members OF the
families Of the missing men will camp in
tie fields around the shaft all night.
About fifty of the 300 men in t., gallery
at the time of the explosion got out by
the second shaft.
Late this evening another rescue party
descended the. scene of the explosion in
the mine.l They cleared away the debris
at the entrance OF the gallery and found
twenty-five dead bodies, FIVE of them
women. Most of tie bodies were terri
bly, mutiIated. = Others showed but few
fractures OF the limbs, death having been
caused apparently by suffocation. The
rescue party returned and are still at work
in the gallery.