Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-02-27

NEW CASTLE, Colo, Feb. 1s.-The
Vulcan coal mine, located in the side
Of q great hogback, two and half
miles below this city, was wrecked
and practically destroyed this morn
ing by terrific explosion of gas, and
all the men employed in the mine at
the time, to the number OF sixty, were |
killed. 1t is very doubtful
if their bodies can be recovered, for |
the mine is on fire and all efforts up to |
nightfau to effect rescue have proved
unsuccessful. In the intense excite
ment of the day it has been impossible
to obtain the names of the killed, most
of whom are Italians. Owing to i'm
proved conditions of business in the
State the Vulcan mine has of late been
working full force of men, number
ing about 14O hands, and of these
about sixty were in the drifts at the
time of the explosion.
EXPLOSION sTARTLEs EVERYONE.
At 11:15 the inhabitants of New Cas-
tie felt the earth tremble violently and
a moment later sullen and ominous
roar was heard. Down the valley of
the Grand River on the side of the
great black ridge heavy cloud of
smoke was observed slowly unrolling
from the mouth of the Vulcan NINE
slope. Instantly the entire town was
afoot for the scene of the explosion,
and the Colorado Midland railroad
soon had special tram with medical
attendants on the ground, while hasti-
ly improvised cots and litters were
prepared for the injured. Above the
city, at the mine of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron company, when the explos-
ion was heard, all work was immedi-
ately stopped and the entire force
fastened to assist in the work of res
cue.
SCENE OF DEsoLATIoN.
Women and children screaming and
wailing in fear and anguish added to
the confusion and made the work
more difficult for the men. The scene
about the property was appalling. The
boilers were wrecked, the engine and
hoist dismantled, the trestle leading
from the mouth of the slope to the
railroad track, several hundred
| feet away, was a mass of scat
tered fragments, and, worse than al
else, the great fan used to keep the
mine free of gas was broken ane
dismantled beyond all hope. Even thu
mouth of the slope was closed b.
broken timber and the caving in of thu
earth, while from the crevices wreath
of foul gas and black smoke fume
poured forth in volume. If the mel
within had escaped the shock of tn
explosion and the falling walls, thl
sitting smoke would certainly XII
them and all hope of saving lives wa
J at an end.
, The force of the explosion was 8
t great as to tear out hole 100 fee
i wide at the mouth of the incline
. while pieces of broken timber two fee
3 square were blown into the river Al
feet away. One miner, at the momer
of the explosion, was somewhere
: the incline, moving either IN or ou
; His body was shot out of the slope an
torn to small bits, portions belr
found several hundred feet from tt
entrance.
NO HOPE OF IMMEDIATE RESCUE.
When the frightened workmen wit
9 out recovered from the shock OF the Q:
y plosion they set to work tearing aw'
IL the rubbish in the slope, but we
: soon driven away by the fumes al
., smoke. They worked savagely, b
l. when Superintendent Herrcke su
N cumbed to the gases and had to
70 carried out on the hillside further
i tempts to make way into the dl
mantled slope ceased. When t
smoke and heated air continued
- pour out from the drift it became q
~ dent that the mine had caught 4
10 from the explosion, which means
permanent ruin, and when the
- went down behind the great fldge
ne left behind a scene of desolation a
ce misery unequaled in the mining d
h tory of the State.
The Vulcan Fuel company, the stt
VA