The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-19
MANY MEN PERISH IN A MINE.
COLORADO THE SCENE OF A TER
RIFIC EXPLOSION.

The Death List Certainly Half n Hum
dred strOng-The Explosion Fol-
Lowed by the Ignition OF the Veins
of CoaI-A Dense Volume of Black
smoke Issuing From the Crevices
in the Earth.
New Castle, Col, Feb. 1S-The Vulcan
coal mine. located in the Hog-Back, just
below town, was completely wrecked and
ssron fire by a terrific gas explosion short
lv after IL o'clock to-day.
,bout sixty men, including hremen and
coal operators. were in the several rooms
slorr the slope when the explosion oc-
CURED. and so great was the detonation
that not a single man could have sur
yived the shock. the gas or the fire which
Immediately ensued.
With the exception of a few bosses, the
killed are Italians, but in the confusion
and excitement, it is impossible at this
time to make a complete roster Of the
names Of the unfortunates.
The town Of Newcastle was shaken as
# bv an earthquake by the explosion, and
a dense black cloud obscured the site
of the Vulcan mine and works, indicating
only too plainly what had occurred.
scene to behold the surface workmen in
the midst of a thick cloud of dust try
ing i'm vain to start the work of rescuing
their unfortunate fellow laborers within.
The earth had settled percepdbly near
the hillside, and the dense volume of
black smoke, issuing from crevices in
the upheaved masses, gave evidence that
the coal vein had surely been set afire
on n nd q
rushed shriexing to the scene, adding to
The mine owned by the Colorado Coal
and Fuel Company, two and half miles
away, was promptly closed down, ana all
hands hastened TO assist superintendent
Herrick OF the Vulcan, in the work OF res
cue. 1t was quickly seen that little could
De done. Supt Herrick and several men
had torn away the broken tlmberlng at
the landing and had rushed into the slope
soon after the explosion had occurred with
/ wet sponges on their nostrils, only to be
driven back again by the deadly fumes.
A special train was sent to the mine by
. the Colorado Midland Railroad Company
/ with medical ald prepared TO ASSIST IN car
ing for the wounded, III any We're rescued,
. but the sun went down behind the noun
tains before any opening could be made
The force of the explosion may be mag
inCd when it is known that the buildings
and trestle at the mouth of the slope We're
4 completely wrecked a hole lOO feet square
carved out of the hillside at the mouth or
i the incline, while timbers two feet square
were blown into the Grand river, 400 feet
away
# slope when the explosion occurred and his
mangled remains were subsequently found
several feet away from the mouth of the
slope
There were 40 men employed in and
about the mine at the time and about
y fifty were at work under ground this
State Coal Mine Inspector Griffith was
4 here Feb. 5, and pronounced the mine IN
Il better condition than it had ever been
before. An immense fan in the slope,
/ which was about 500 feet in depth, seemed
Il to afford complete ventilation, and every
possible precautiOn was taken to prevent
an explosion of the gas known to exist
in the mines of this district.
It is believed that a high lighted fuse
lgnited the gas in one Of the numerous
rooms while the men were blasting down
coal.
The old Vulcan mine has been abandoned
Tor several years and was in no way con-
nected with the present property, "a new
slope having been driven into the hillside
The Vulcan Fuel Company operates the
81 property which is owned by the Atchison,
n Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company
u with headquarters at Topeka, Kan.
Just ait this time the mine was being
worked to its full capacity, the output be-
ing from seventeen to twenty cars per
n day.
The names of the company men We're
81 only known to the pit boss, James Har-
rison. whose body lies with his dead COM
lades in the bottom of the Inflated mine
and can only be ascertained by the re
covery of the bodies. The entire slope
is filled with debris, and it is now plain
" evident that many days must elapse
before the bodies of the entOmbed miners
can he rescued. Since darkness fell, the
smoke seems to have perceptibly dimin-
ished, and it may be that the fire will
not destroy the property, as was feared
earlier in the day, but the force of the
explosion was sufficient in itself to prac-
rcally destroy the mine, and new work
lugs will have to be started.