The state herald., 1893-02-03
OVER A HUNDRED DEAD.
A Terrible Fatality in a Bohemian Coal
Mine.

1
Mine.
| There was an awful catastrophe at Dux.
Bohemia on the cath. Ons hundred and
| thirty coal miners lost their lives us the re-
suit Of an explosion.
| cage full Of miners had been lowered
half why down the shaft when the ground
trembled, n loud rulnbling report was heard,
and the cable attached TO the cage gave such
lurch that the lowering machinery broke.
A rush OF air and dirt from the pits mouth,
the sound Of crashing tlmbcrs and the cries
OF the men In the cage, gave warning TO those
above Of the extent OF the disaster.
Help was summoned, the machinery was re-
paired after n delay of half an hour and the
cage WIS raised. Ten Of the occupants had
been killed instantly by the shock, ten had
suffered fractures from which they cannot re-
cover, five who had broken limbs and internal
injuries will live. They had been half suiro-
Gated by the gas rising In the shaft and said
that no man could live below,
An hour later the superintendent of the
mine and five miners from the night shift
went down In the cage. They were unable to
20 more than hundred yards from the shaft
Into the gallery, but they found fourteen
dead bodies. OF the fifty men who were
waiting for the cage, ten had been killed and
forty had been partially crushed by fall
/ Ing tlmbcrs or half sufrocatcd by the foul air.
A short distance from the shaft the supern-
tendent found four dead bodies, which had
been crushed beyond recognition by falling
beam.
The men who had been brought up from
| the bottom said that few minutes after the
explosion they had heard cries and gronns
from the mouth OF the gallery, about 800
| yards from the shaft. There was heavy tim.
Der work at this place and they believed that
the men in this gallery had been imprisoned
by the falling beams. They believed that
some forty men had been at work there.
Shortly before the cage came down they said
the cries ceased.
Another rescue party went down at once,
and after three Of them had been carried
back TO the shaft unconscious penetrated to
the entrance Of the gallery. The entrance
was completely blocked by the wrecked wood
work. The rescue party could see several
dead bodies on the other side Of the tlmbers.
but were unable TO get ut them, and returned
to the top cmpty-handcd. 1t is believed that
all the men in the gallery were sufYocatcd OF
killed by the shock OF the explosion. Twelve
miners who worked in the extreme interior OF
the mine, on the night shift, and had noi
started for the shaft SO soon as their com.
panions, are also believed to be dead.
All hope Of rcsculng alive the men who
were entombcd by the explosion has been
abandoned. An investigation OF the list Of
employees reveals the fact that 100 men los,
their lives in the disaster, as 1t Is generally
conceded that those not killed by the explo
sion must have been suiroca,ed by the after
damp The mine Is being cleared Of tho
wreckagc as rapidly ms possible Every effort
will be made to recover the bodies OF the
dead. Many pltiablc and heart-rendlng
scenes were witnessed about the mouth Of tht
shaft when 1t was announced by the mine
officials that beyond shadow Of douN every
man in the mine was dead. No explanation
has yet been made as to how the explosion
occurred. An immense quantity OF after
Damp has accumulated In the mine.