Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-02-27
DEADLY COAL GAS.
Cerrillos Miners to the Number of
Sixteen EntOmbed in the
White Ash Mine.
Little Hope for Their Rescue-A Ter
rible -Heartrending
Scenes-Where is
Fleming?

At noon to-day telephone message
to the New MEXICAN from the Cerrillos
Rustler unced that terrible ex-
" .s had occurred in the White
Ash coal mine and that great loss of life
was the probable result. The mine is
three miles from Cerrillos. Some twenty
men were employed in the workings when
the eexplosion occurred. Instantly there
was intense excitement at the White Ash
settlement and in Cerrillos and Madrid.
Owing to the smoke, dust and noxious
vapor that filled every appre ach to the
workings two hours elapsed before any
sort Of progress could be made toward
EFEoTINa RESCUE
of the entombed men and then the efforts
were cruelty rewarded, for up to O'Clock
but one miner had been reached. His
dead body was found near tho entrance.
The other men are much further under
ground, and if ajority of them are not
suffocated to death before aid can reach
them, little less than miracle will have
happened. AS many of the entombed
miners are
the scenes about the mine are heartrend-
ing in the extreme. When the news of
the disaster spread the frantic wives,
many of them carrying babies in their
arms and having children clinging to
their skirts or following them, came
rushing to the entrance of the mine and
there they have stood for hours, amid
tears and prayers, watching and waiting,
while hundreds of men have been vainly
struggling to gain entrance to the coal
pit.
SAID TO BE FORTY MEN.
Associated Press Report.
Denver, Feb. PA special to the
Times from Cerrillos, N. NJ, says a seri-
Gus accident occurred at the White Ash
coal mine, three miles from that town, to-
day. Particulars are meager but it is
known that number of lives are lost
At 11:30 a. m. an explosion occurred in
the mine, the property of the Santa Fe
Railroad company. Employees at the en-
trance of the mine heard terrible roar,
accompanied by shock and followed by
dense volume of smoke.
Forty men are in the mine and at 2
y
near the entrance has been found dead. It
is feared that the others are killed. Over
half of the miners have families.
NOT FORTY, BUT TERRIBLE ENOUGH.
Special to the New Mexican.
Cerrillos, Feb. 27.-Shortly after II a.
m. a terrible explosion Of gas occurred in
the White Ash mine at Madrid, blowing
trapper boy ont of the mouth of the mine
bodily and killing him instantly and i'm
prlsoninR sixteen mon in the 4th left
level by the caving in of the roof.
Every effort is being made to reach the
imprisoned men, but the gas is In snch
quantity as to make it impossible to do
m uch for them. At p. m. the rescuers
had not been able to reach the men.
Their condition is unknown though little
hope is entertained that they are still
alive as parties have been repeatedly
overcome by gas while trying to force an
entrance to the 4th chamber.
LATER ADv1oEs.
3:2O p. m.-The gas continues to pour
out of the coal pit levels and the accumu-
lating smoke leads to the belief that the
mine is on fire. 1t is now quite certain
that but sixteen men are entombed, and
it is extremely doubtful if any of them
can be rescued.
United States Coal Mine Inspector j.
W. Fleming, of Silver City, reached here
last night and went out to the White Ash
this morning. Some fears are expressed
lest he was in the mine at the time of the
explosion.
Great excitement prevails at Cerrillos
and the neighboring villages.
Latest p. m.-Eleven dead bodies
have been recovered. Col. Fleming was
not in the mine at the time of the explo-
sion.