The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-28
White Ash Colliery, Near CerriIlos,
n. NJ, the Scene, Yesterday,
of u Disastrous Explosion.
COSTLY FIRE AT CHICAGO
FOUR GIRLS INJURED AND PROPER
TY LOSS OF 100000.
Over One Million Dollars Worth of
Buildings and Merchandise Burned
at Halffax-Other Fires.

CERRILLOS, N NJ, Feb 27-The White
Ash coal mine, three miles from Cerrillos.
was the scene of terrible explosion to-
day. An unknown number of men were
working in four levels when the disaster
occurred. Eleven were rescued, all in a
dying condition. The remainder have doubt
less persisted. The death roll will number
at least twenty-five.
The scene at the Identification of the
wounded and dead was heartrendng- The
miners were all married. When the news
of the disaster spread, wives and children
hurried from Waldo and Madrid. Not until
this evening searchers able to de-
scend, owing to the poisonous vapors. In
the course of half an hour several dead
were sent up. Then it was feared not a
soul had escaped Later in the evening
eleven dying miners were discovered in a
bunch. They were probably overcome in
an effort to escape. The explosion is
thought to have been due to accidental
breaking into an abandoned chamber
charged with gas.
Owing to the smoke, gas and noxious va
pors that filed every approach to the work.
ings, two hours elapsed before any prog
ress could be made toward effecting a
rescue and up to o'clock but one miner
had been reached. His dead body was found
near the entrance. Three hours later the
rescuers succeeded in reaching the left
fourth level and the dead bodies of sew
eral men were brought out. The sight about
the mine was heartrendng in the extreme.
Frantic wives many of them carrying babes
in their arms, with children cinging to
their skirts, stood at the entrance of the
mine for hours, amid tears and prayers.
watching and waiting while hundreds of
men vainly struggled to gain an entrance
further into the mine. So dense was the
smoke at one time during the afternoon
that many thought the mine had taken
fire. Up to o'clock the gas continued
10 pour forth from the single opening in
the mine in such a volume as to make
the progress of the rescuers very difficult,
but an hour later the noxious vapors
cleared away and the work of rescung
began to prove more successful
The mine was worked through a single
incline shaft extending 5000 feet in at an
incline of thirty degrees and seems to
have been defective as respects ventilation.
The mouth of the shaft is the sole means
of egress. Nobody seems OF know just how
many went into the mine this morning.
Ordinarily $50 men are employed, but this
being Wednesday, it is said, scarcely half
the usual force of men were at work. Rep
resentative Laeden lately employed there,
says tonight he is confident that not less
than eighty-fve men We're in the workings
at the time of the explosion.
Up to 10 p. m. twenty-five bodies have
been taken out horribly burned. mutslated
and difficult of Identification. One of the
rescued, John Supper says that he heard
the explosion and himself and five comrades
started for the main slope, but could not
get out and went back into the mine to a
pool of water where they immersed them
selves and by agitating the water man
aged to get air enough to live during the
four hours of their confinement. When the
rescuing party rescued them they were
almost in the last stages of asphyxiation.