The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-12-20
FORTY-THREE KILLED
By an Explosion Of Firedamp in a
North Carolina Mine.
BODIES FEARFULLY MUTILATED.

Out of SiNty-seven Men Who Went to Work
in the Mine Only Twenty-four Were
Brought out Alive, and Some of These
WIN Probably Die.
RALEIGH. N. c., Dec 2O.-Shortly after
the day force, numbering sixty-seven men,
had gone on duty at the Cumnock coal
mines, six miles west of hore, a terrible
hredamp explosion occurred, with fatal
effect Upon hearing the report the peO-
pie of the village and relatives of the en-
tombed miners fastened to the scene, but
Tor some time they were unable to gain
tidings from below After pumping fresh
air into the shafts several miners were
prevailed upon to venture down and in
vestigate.
Theyfound and brought out twenty four
men from shafts Nos. and 3. Five or six
of them were badly wounded, and some of
them will probably die. Others were
slightly wounded A mule and two men
were killed in slope No. 2. After consider
able delay the searching party entered
slope No. 1, where they were greeted by a
most horrible and ghastly sight Dead
men, fearfully mutilated, were found
some of them partly covered up with
pieces of coal, timber and other debris
The searching party came up and reported
what they had found Alta o'clock ten or
twelve miners went down to bring up the
dead bodies, but at last accounts none of
the dead had been recovered.
1t is believed that forty three men were
killed Several had families living at
Cumnock. Eight of the dead miners were
from Pennsylvania and expected to re-
turn to that state today to visit relatives
Mothers wives and sisters were around
the mines all day weeping and wringing
their hands with grief, expecting every
minute to see the lifeless forms of some
loved one brought up.
A quantity of dynamite which was in
the mine exploded, wrecking coal cars
and splitting massive pieces of timber into
kindling wood
As this is the only coal mine in the state
interest in its work has naturally been
great.
Two men who escaped from the shaft
called to two friends who were not more
than twenty feet away to come on but
they were already dead, or unable to make
rC ply, and were left by their companions.
The white men among the dead are:
Council Poe w. Tyson, j. Ober, A. Il.
Andrews G. Morrison M. Bentley, H.
Morrison Dan Morrison Charles Poe, ].
Gunter, Charles Quinn, J. Shamberger,
William Swails, viii Mcdonald, Lucian
Holland, Charles Starkey, John Schmidt.
Among the colored men killed are: l..
Chankle, L. White, A. White, j. Reeves,
W. jenkins, William Baldwin, Fisher
Reeves, Walter Holton, Clay Harris, Jack
McGree, Jesse Lambet, Gus Lambert, John
Norwood John Thompson.
The Cumnock mines were opened about
fifty years ago as the Egypt mines A
year before the war there was an explo-
sion in the mine which caused a few
deaths. After the war the mine was vir-
tually abandoned, but about fifteen years
ago was pumped out and some mining
DONE but the output was small. Five or
six years ago a company composed of
Pennsylvanians bought the mine, and
two years ago expended 100000 on new
machinery This company changed the
name this year from Egypt to Cumnock,
after a noted mine in Scotland This year
contract was made to furnish the Sea
board Air line with 300 tons daily.