The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-22
PerilOuS Work Performed by
the Heroic Rescue
Parties.
HORRORS AT RED CANYON
Among the Victims of the Explosion
We're Many Men of Large
Families.

ENANS1ON, Wyo., March Zl.-Ine total
number now known to have persisted in
the mine disaster at Red Canyon last
evening is sixty, of which ffty-one were
married men and nine young men and
boys. Up to this hour the bodies of the
following out of a total of ffty-three who
met their death in the mine have been re-
covered and turned over to their relatives
Peter Clark, John Morris, David Laurie,
George Hyde, John G. Locke, w. H.
Grieves, Samuel Clay (single), Samuel
Hutchinson, William Morris, Thomas
Booth, Benjamin Coles, Charles Clark,
Willard Brown, James Limb and Fred
Morgan, all men of large families.
This leaves twenty-eight uncovered
bodies in the mine.
The timbering has been largely blown
out and the walls and roof of the whole in
terror are cracked and shattered so that the
volunteer searching party of eighteen now
seeking the bodies of their comrades are
every moment in danger of being buried.
a coroner's jury has been impaneIed
which views the remains as soon as brought
to the surface and turns them over to the
relatives.
The agonizing cries of widows and chill
dren about the mouth of the mine are
heart-rending. The mules that were in the
mine are so burned that they have to be re-
moved on account of the odor before work
can proceed.
Additional details of the explosion which
occurred at Rocky Mountain mine No. 5
state that the whole country around was
shaken and the power plant, farmhouse and
several other buildings wrecked
Immediately after the explosion Super
lntendent Bradbury telephoned to Evans
ton for all the physicians, with an extra
train. The relief corps, carrying lanterns,
got ready TO descend, in hopes of rescuing
alive some of the victims. The blacksmith
shop was turned into deadhouse, with
four bodies lying there, one distigured with
Its head blown off, the others less mangled
Brave men had tried to descend some of
the air and escape slopes without success,
and 1t was not until three hours after the
explosion that a volunteer party entered
the main entrance to the slopes, and soon
afterward returned with two bodies. They
reported that caves stopped further prog
ress down the slope.
A party went down to shovel out the
caves, after which the searching party
again entered and the work of securing
bodies was resumed. This slope being down
1000 feet, with nine levels, each one mile
and half long, will probably require sew
eral days to reach all parts OF the mine.
A few lives were saved because of the
time of the explosion. The miners quit
work at O'Clock, and it is customary for
them to be near the entrance and come out
just as the whistle blows. A number of
men had come out and some had just left
the entrance to the mine slope, away from
the working tunnel, when the explosion
occurred thus escaping death.
The explosion is described by manv as
most terrific, shaking the whole town and
causing women and children to run into
the streets crying "Oh, my husband" and
''Oh, my papa" with raised hands implor-
ing for the safety of the beloved ones. The
explosion is supposed to have come from a
blast setting fire to dust, making dust ex-
plosion, since the mine was supposed to be
free from gas, being well ventilated. The
Rocky Mountain Company, generally
designated as the Central Pacific mines.
have two mines-Nos. and 6-with one
mile face, making two separate mines with
80 feet pillars separating them This
leaves No unframed, but deprives the
company of one half of its capacity.
This is the third disastrous explosion in
this vicinity. In 1881 No. 2 mine of the
Rocky Mountain Company exploded, kill
ing thirty-six Chinese and four white men.
In the spring of 1886 Union Pacific mine
No. killed thirteen men.
Newell Beaman, manager arrived from
Salt Lake tonight, Fastening to.the mine
and is doing all he can for the injured and
bereaved and to reach those still in the
mine.