The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-19
SIXTY MINERS KILLED.
A TERRIFIC as EXPLOSION ~ 4
CULORADO COAL NINE.
The Buildings and rrcstie ut the Mouth OF
the Slope Wrecked. and Hole iOofes'
square Biown Out OF Che riiis'ce'

NEWCASTLE. COL. Feb. N-Tfhe
Vulcan coal-mine. located In The hog
Back, Just below town, was compicteiy
wrecked and set on fire by 'effinc sas
explosion shortly after IL O'Clock to-uaS
About nifty men. including hreinth anu
coal operators, were In the several iooHis
along the slope. when the. exploH0'i oc-
CURED. and so great was me ce'oHa''o"
that not single man could nave sur
yived the shock the gas, or the nre
which Immediately onsued.
with the exception of "a few bosses. the
Killed are Italians. but IN the confusion
Il is impossible TO make n complete
roster OF names OF the uncertainties
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.
Tho town OF Newcastle was shaken
as II by an earthquake by the explosion.
and a dense black cloud obscured the
site OF the Vulcan mine aud workings,
Indicating only too plainly what had
occurred The entire population rushed
10 the scene. TO behold the surface work
men in the midst of a thick cloud OF
dust, trying in vain C start the WORK OF
rescung their unfortunate fellow-labor-
ers within.
The earth had settled porceptlby near
the hillside. and the dense volume OF
black smoke issuing from crevices IN
the uphe8vcd mass gave evidence mat
the coal vein had surely been set ahre ny
the explosion.
Women and children rushed shrieking
TO the scene. adding 10 the confusion.
AID FOR THE MINERS.
The mine owned by the Colorado Coal
and Fuel Co. two ana n halt miles away
was promptly closed down. and al hands
rushed 20 assist Superintendent Herrick.
OF the Vulcan. in the work of rescue. 1t
was quickly seen that little could be
done. Horrick, with several men, had
torn away the broken timbering AT the
landing, and had rushed into the slope
soon after the explosion had occurred,
with wet sponges on their nostrils. only
10 be driven back again by the deadly
fumes.
A special train was sent 10 the mine
by the Colorado Midland Railway Com
pany, with medical aid. prepared to as
sist in caring for the wounded, II any
were rescued but the sun went down
behind the mountains before any OPEN
ing could be made
race OF THE EXPLOSION.
The force OF the explosion may be i'm
agined when IL is known that the build
ings and trostle at the mouth OF me
slope were completely wrecked, a hole
100 feet square carved out Of the hillside
at the mouth of the incline. while tim
hers two feet square were blown into
the Grand river four hundred feet away.
One miner was on his way GOWN the
slope when The explosion occur ed, ana
his mangled remains were subsequently
found several hundred feet away from
the mouth Of the slope.
There were 40 men employed in and
about the mine at the time. and fifty
were at work underground this morn
ing
State Coal-Mine lns-ector Griffith was
here February Sth, and pronounced the
mine in better condition than II had
ever been before An immense fan IN
the slope. which was about 500 feet IN
depth. seemed 10 afford complete ventia-
ton. and every possible precaution was
taken TO prevent an explosion OF the gas
known to exist in the mines OF this dis-
trict.
THE CAUSE.
1t Is believed that high-lighted fuse
ignited the gas i'm one Of the new rooms
while the men were blasting down coal.
The old Vulcan mine has been abandoned
for several years. and was I'm no way
connected with the present property,
new slope having been driven into the
hillside
The Vulcan Fuel Company operates
the property. which is owned by the
Atchison. Topeka. and Santa Fe Rail-
road Company. with headquarters at To-
peka, Kan.
Just at this time the mine was being
worked 10 its full capacity, the output
being from seventeen to twenty cars per
day.
NEWCASTLE. COL. Feb. lS.-The
list OF the dead. as near as can be es-
fimated this afternoon. Is I'm the neigh
borhood of sixty. The names vi the
company men were only known to the
pit boss. James Harrison. whose body
lies with his dead comrades in the bot
tom OF the Inflated mine. and can only
be ascertained by the recovery OF the
bodies The entire slope is filled with
debris and II is now plainly evident
that many days must elapse before the
bodies of the entombed miners can be
rescued.
since darkness fen the smoke seems
10 have percentihy diminished, ana II
may be that the fire will not destroy the
property, MS was feared earlier III the
day. but the force Of the explosion was
sufticient in itself to practically des troy
the mine. and new workings Wall nave
to be started.