Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-02-19
new CASTLE MINE HORROR
Results of Explosion in Vulcan Coal
Mine More Appalling Than
First Reported.
RIFTY-Slx HUMAN BEINGS pERISHED
Four Bodies Recovered - Fifty-two
More Are Still Entombed-W of
Rescuers Retarded by Noxious
Gasses-Relief Measures.

Rescuers Retarded by Noxious
! Gasses-Relief Measures.
Denver, Feb. 19.-W .H.Medars, a young
miner who arrived in Denver to-day from
New Castle, was an eye witness of the ter
rible explosion yesterday by which over
sixty miners we're killed.
He WIS expecting yesterday morning
to go to work in the mine for one of the
Dore boys, three of whom were killed, but
at the last moment their plans were
changed.
Medaris says that the explosion was
caused in the came manner as the one in
the same mine eight OF nine year ago,
Gas combined with coal dust forms an
excellent medium for an explosion, es-
pecially when there is "blow out" shot
behind it.
| In this case, he says, the shot was prob
ably not we'll tamped, the tamper blew
out and the fame set off the gas and
dust.
Great precautions we're taken in the
niue to avoid an explosion. The men
we're all required to carry safety lamps
and not allowed to have any tobacco or
matches. The Italians, however, were
careless, Medaris says, and violated the
regulations:
The explosion shook the town, mile
and half from the mine. The people
! rushed from their houses and saw a
mountain mass of smoke and dust.
Only one body had BEEN recovered
when Medaris left New Castle last night.
1t was that of Joe Dore, and was found
about 200 feet from the mouth of the
mine. He was coming out when the ex-
plosion occurred and in two minutes
more would have been safe.
Medaris says that the scenes at the
mine and at New Castle we're of a most
heartrendiug nature.
ONLY FOUR BODIES RECOVERED.
A special to the Times from New Castle,
Colo, says: At II 80 o'clock to-day, when
the work of rescue was temporarily sus-
pended, the Vulcan mine had all told
yielded up four dead.
How many more bodies remain within
is still somewhat matter for onjecture,
although the most reliable estimate is
lOFby -SoVou. 1Ho oMcAdlo VI oho uioon
Fuel company have checked up fifty-one
lamps that were given out yesterday
morning.
Probably it will be found that there are
four or five more, but without any ap-
parent question the number of victims
will not exceed fifty-six.
The work was temporarily stopped for
the purpose of flooding the slope and
chambers of the mine with air and driv-
ing out, if possible, the gasses and menac-
ing dangers that remained after yester-
days explosion.
All night shifts of m,n working two
hours were kept employed putting up an
air fan in place of the two destroyed.
simultaneously crews of from five to
ten men were being sent into the death
trap by way of the main slope entrance
and air passage to work their way,if pos
sible, to where the bodies lay.
MINE EILLED WITH Nox1oUs GASES.
This work was accomplished with great
peril owing to the black damp with which
the mine was filed. Only for few min
utes at tune could the men remain at
their places and during the night as many
as twenty were carried to tho outer air
overcome by the gases. The work being
thus impedeo, progress was slow aud the
results disoouraginglv small.
At noon to-day 500 feet of the main
slope had been penetrated and four
bodies brought out.
The first was that of Ed Welch, rope
runner, rescued alive an hour after the
ex plosion, but who succumbed little
later, his skull having been fractured.
The second body found was that of
Abel Dore, boy.
The third was that of Joe Dore, a
brother of Abel, taken out at 1890 last
night.
The fourth was that of Frank Com
iktitschky, carpenter, brought out at
2:30 this morning.
PROBABLY FIFTy-Two ENToMBED.
Forty.seven. and probably fifty-two
bodies are yet entombed and the search
must be delayed until the fan has in part
at least cleared the workings of gas.
As the work goes on it becomes more
and more certain that the mine has not
caught fire. No smoke comes from 1t,
and there is no other evidences that the
gases and coal have ignited.
1t seems likely that all the bodies may
be identified on being rescued, notwith-
standing that they must have been black
ene6 and twisted by the exploding ele-
ments and flying timbers and coal.
On the Rio Graude train that got into
New Castle shortly before II O'Clock came
the officials of the Vulcan Fuel company
and the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., the
state mine inspector and his assistant,
correspondents and crowds of curious
people from the neighboripg towns.
The Midland railroad has put special
train at the service of the company which
runs from New Castle to the mine, mile
and half away, every hour,
The great mines of the Colorado Fuel
& Iron Go. are practically shut down to
allow the employees to assist in the work
Of rescue.
WORKING WITH DESPERATE ENERGY.
Supt. Paul Blount, OF that company,
! Supt. R. T. Herrike, of the Vulcan, F. W.
willard, superintendent of the Santa Fe's
coal department, j. Kebler, general man
aper of the Colorado Fuel d Iron COM
pany, Inspector Griffith, Assistant In
spector Jones and many others in author
ity, including the mayor of New Castle
and the county coroner, have taken their
coats of and are at work with the des-
4 perate energy the occasion demands.
Citizens are sending food to the rescu.
ers and nothing is being left undone to
accelerate the work.
Rev. e. N. Mallery, of the Glerwood
Springs Methodist church, proposes to
start a fund for the benefit of the rela-
tives Of the dead miners.
Safety lines have been drawn to pro.
tect the workmen from the possibility OF
a second explosion.
CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS.