The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-10
Due to Defective Ventilation i'm
New Workings.
AN INSPECTION TO BE MADE
Suicide Of Tacoma Woman Who
Was Hopelessly Sick.
sensational Charges Against Charles
T.. Hale in the Tacoma Grocery Conn
pany Litigation Repeated -Testi-
monial by the Soldiers to Ex-
Commandant street.

Whatcom, April 9.-Special.-The Blue
Canyon mine. where the terrible eNplo-
sion of yesterday occurred killing twenty
three men. is distant about fourteen miles
from here, near the upper end OF Lake
Nhatcom, and Is rached by ran TO The
lower end OF the lake three miles, and
thence by steamer about eleven miles
There is no telegraph or telephone con-
neetion. and only meager news of the dis
aster reached the city before $50 a. M,
when Drs. Bir1 ey, Cross and Appleby
secretary Bioedel. the Post-Intelligencer
correspondent and few others ret@~ned
from the mine. When Mr.. Bloedel and
the correspondent reached the lake about
CLOCK, the company's steamer Ella was
the only one at that end of the lake, and
neither her captain nor engineer was
there. Mr.. Bloedel. however. was equal
10 the emergency. and promptly ordered
the dock man, who knew how 10 run the
engine. TO act as engineer. while he him
self went TO the wheel. II was bright
moonlight night, and In about an hours s
time the steamer reached the dock at the
mine. The hunkers are located at the
lake shore, while the entrance TO what is
called the new mine" where the diss ster
occurred. is about $50 feet above. Three
shifts were employed. and altogether the
force consisted OF about sixty men. II
had been considerably larger but about
half of the force was laid off some weeks
ago. for the company had a large stock
OF coal on hand and the demand became
slack. Within few days. however, II
had been somewhat increased, and as
the company had secured several good
contracts. arrangements were being made
TO add considerably 10 the output.
David Jones. the mine superintendent
who was killed, had been in the employ
of the company over three years. first as
shift boss. later as mine foreman under
Superintendent Watkins and then as act
ing superintendent after Mr.. Watkins left,
and not long ago he was given full charge
OF the workings superintendent. He
came here from the Franklin mine. and
though still a young man, being about 25
years Of age, had fourteen years or more
experience as a coal miner. The officers
OF the company and the miners them
selves seem 10 have had every conhdeqce
In his Judgment and caution, AMI Il is in
credible to them that such large accam-
uiation of fire damp as there must have
been could have escaped his detection be-
fore the discharge of the fatal blast.
On the 10th OF January a thorough in
speetion OF the mine was made by David
Edmunds, inspector of the First district.
who made the following report for 1894 10
the secretary of state:
Il made tive visits to the mine during
the year. The ventilation and drainage
was found in a very satisfactory condi-
tion. The old mine has been abandoned,
all the available coal having been ex-
tracted. A new mine has been opened by
driving a tunnel through the measures
at a lower point on the mountain than
the old mine. The ventilation OF the rev
mine was fair A good volume of air was
forced In, hut was not distributed as well
as it should he through the rooms. owing
to caves I'm the roof that had partially
filled the air passages. They had men at
work clenaing II up and timbering the
airways. Carburetted hydrogen, or fire
damp. is giving off very freely: some ac-
eumulations were found In the rooms.
Several persons have been slightly burnt
by igniting this gas. but none seriously.
/ warned the mine foreman not to leave
the men al work in the rooms when the
air current would be too weak 10 carry
of the gas. Some of the men were re-
moved from such places and put 20 work
TO fix the brattices TO conduct the air 10
the face of the rooms The roof is very
frfable. and requires constant care TO
keep the roof frem falling. The miners
are well supplied with timber for that
purpose"
A few weeks ago he visited the mine
again. and the general superintendent and
secretary say that he made no recon-
mendations or suggestions that had not
been complied with,
The surviving miners seem 10th to talk
much 70 strangers about the terrible
catastropre, but the little that they do
say seems TO indicate an opinion among
them that the mine Is deficient I'm venti-
Ia,ion. as new mine Is very likely 10 he.
Kerns was asked by the Post-lntelli-
gencer correspondent last night IN he had
any theory as 10 the cause OF the gas
accumulation. and he answered that Re
had. but declined 10 = Re H. as ne had not
been long in the mine and might be
wrong.
David Edmunds. mine inspector for this
district of the state, left for Blue Can
Won. Whstc0m county. yesterday to be
present at the investigation into the sew
eral causes connected with the death
of the twenty-three miners who were
killed there Monday by a gas explosion.
7 q James, the inspector from Pierce
county. arrived In the city yesterday
and VIII GO 10 the scene of the tragedy
this morning at 10 O'Clock Miners who
ar> acquainted with the mine AT Blue
Canyon say that the gangways and
breasts are very gassy and that several
small explosions have occurred there he
fore. but no fatalities occurred. The
tragedy Is much more gruesOme that
the disaster at Franklin. for although
not as many men were killed. they were
horribly muillated AMI some were burned
hPN0nN
lin only two Of the thirty-seyen men were
n1utiiated when the dead were taken
out. they appeared as II sleeping there
being no sign OF a struggle. and there
was very little suffering.
Five of the dead At Biue Canyon were
we'll known in this county. having worked
In the mines OF the oregon Improvement
Cou1pany y. y Jones. the superinten-
dent. was formerly inside foreman at
the Franklin mines and left there three
wears ago. Charles silverman. G. Ram
herg William I.eisfer and Samuel Olsen
were all at one time employed at New
castle.
In commenting on the disaster ycster-
dav weli-knoNn coal mining man said
that as long IS there are coal mines
and as long as the people use coal there
vfIi - accidents and occasional great
loss 81 life. that the calling is one that
is regarded nv all insurance organlza-
ttoos a. hazardous and coal miners sim
vfv take their HIVES In their hands when
they 20 down in a mine. mine may
~ looked after and made as safe as
aw~lneer4nz skEa can make u and sttll
A. q bu- a death trap at best and the
least little accident IS liable at any mo-
r7pnt 20 preciu3tfe a tragedy. man
A. a mine is 80 much a prisoner as a rat
tn a tran and there Is LITTLE hope OF es-
rare II anything serious goes wrong.