The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-09-01
AN AWFUL
Fourscore Miners Caught In a Fire Trap
and Half Their Number Sacrifced-They
Might Have Escaped. but Like Brave
Men stopped to Fight the Fire, and
were Overcome by Smoke and Gases.

and Half Their Number Sacrificed-They
Might Have Escaped, but Like Brave
Men stopped to Fight the Fire, and
were Overcome by Smoke and Gases.
SEATTLE, Wash. Aug. PA terrible
holocaust took place in the Oregon I'm.
provement Co.'S mine at Franklin,
thirty-four miles from this city at 1
o'clock yesterday afternoon, and al
ready thirty-seven dead bodies have
been recovered from the mine. 1t is
known that many others are i'm
prisoned in the fiery furnace, but the
number is only a matter of conjectur,.
as yet.
The first news of the tragedy was re-
ceived in this city by Manager Smith
at leo o'clock this afternoon in the
shape of a telegram from the mine
superintendent which stated that the
mine was afire and hat many miners,
both white and black, were impris-
one6.
Later a telegram was received read
ing substantially as follows: Thirty
eve dead bodies were taken out and
it is supposed there are more to be re.
covered"
What proportion of the dead men are
white, and what proportion are black
cannot at present be learned. but the
officers say they are equally divided.
Wives, children and comrades of the
dead men are frantic with grief, and
form a picture that would move the
strongest to ears.
A telegram at 4:30 o'clock stated that
the fire is out and the damage is not 81
extensive as at first supposed. The
smoke had the effect of deceiving the
men as to the extent of the fire. No
more bodies have beeen recovered, but
men are now engaged in exploring the
mine.
Adriver on the sixth north level was
the first to see the fire. Notice va;
sent to the men inside who were work
ing in different places. As soon as it
was known that there was a fire MANY
.sof the men in the gangways rushed
back to notify their comrades, while
others fled pell nell for the main shaft.
1t is known that all the men in the
breasts reached the gangway in safety.
In all about seventy men We're at
work in the sixth level. and of hat
number about forty fingered to fight
the fire. These are thought to have
constituted all those lost.
The breast was burning fiercely, and
before the miners were aware of it the
fire had communicated to breasts Nos.
60 and 81. Several of the men at breast
G2 took warning and fed. 1t is
evident that all the men had
time to come out, for those at work
in the farther breast reached the shaft
in safety. while those who were near
est the shaftperished. They evidently
were of the Impression that they were
safe from the fire, but while they ling
cred the smoke issued from some out
side place farther south.
The bodies We're all found within a
space of 800 feet. Many were piled on
top of each other, indicating that while
in the throes of death they had sought
escape, and stumbling over the pros
trate forms of their comrades, were I'M
able to rise.
Several men we're badly bruised, and
one colOred man was taken out with a
broken neck. their wounds indicating
that they threw themselves against
posts and timbers of the gangway in a
wild and desperate endeavor to escape.
But a majority of the bodies bear no
marks at all, not even a scratch. and
their features were in quiet repose, in
dicating that their death had been a
speedy and painless one.