Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1896-02-22
BLEW UP THE NINE
Frightful Explosion at the VULGAR
Works in Colorado.
EVERY MINER WAS KILLED
Forty Five stalwart Men Crushed by the
Cpheaval of Earth and Rock
Below.

Below.
Denver, Col, Feb 1S.--A special to the
News from New Castle, Col, says:
An explosion occurred at the Vulcan
mine a II o'clock this morning, which
was the most disastrous ever known in
the history of this camp. Tonight doz-
ems of homes in our little city are des-
olate because of some loved one-father,
husband, brother or son-who this
morning left their homes with not a
thought of danger or the awful death
that so surely awaited them, and are
now lying lifeless at the bottom of the
! Vulcan slope. All business is practical
| ly suspended, every one is dazed at the
! aWfulness of the sudden disaster. No
warning was given the peaceful vii
| layers until a sudden report. as from
| hundred cannon resOunded throughout
the valley, making the earth tremble.
| People rushed out of their homes and
| places of business to see what had hap
| pened, and one look toward the Vulcan
| mine was sufficient, for a dense cloud
of smoke issuing from the mouth of
| the slope met the eyes Of the gaZers
| and told the tale of death. A throng
| of people We're soon at the scene. a
| glance was enough to dissipate any
| hope for the lives of the entombed men.
| The force of the explosion had caused
a cave-in and the tunnel and air courses
We're filled with the fallen rock earth
| and timbers.
Both fan houses were wrecked. and
the slope and vicinity were so full of
debris and the gas was so bad that
it was hard and dangerous work to
begin the rescue. Nevertheless. will
| ing hands We're soon at work and five
| men went down as far as possible to
| ascertain the condition Of the slope,
and found it such that it will require
| much labor to regain the miners. The
gas was so bad that after the party had
| gotten 200 feet they were compelled to
recede
The Consolidated mine shut down inn
mediately upon hearing of the disaster,
and sent their entire force of $50 men
to help rescue the unfortunate ones.
The construction Of a temporary fan
house was commenced at once, and the
work of pumping fresh air into the
mine will soon begin. 1t is hardly pos
SIDle llldl any Ol TIE IIlIltlS al ( etlINe
The only man who got out of the mine
at the time of the explosion was Ed.
Welch, who was near the mouth of the
tunnel and was blown out, his skull
| being fractured, face badly cut and
burned, and all the hair burned from
his head. He was breathing when found,
but expired shortly after without show
ing consciousness.
Two young miners, Tom Connolly and
James Petrie. met with narrow es-
capes Their eyes becoming sore they
quit work in the mines and had just
emerged from the tunnel when the ex-
plosion occurred.
The following are the names of the
miners known to be at work that can
be obtained up to this hour:
THE DEAD.
WILLIAM HAGERTY.
JOSEPH DORR.
ABEL DORR.
WILL DORR.
JAMES HARRISON.
THOMAS LARIGAN.
GEORGE WARD.
EDWARD WEIGH.
JOHN FUNKE.
EMIL FUNKE, 10 years old.
CHARLES MERCHANT.
TOM ADDISON.
LOUIS CINOTTI.
FRED RODANKSKI
PETER PATRICIO.
DAN MORRIS.
FRANK TOSSIO.
GABRIEL GLEECE.
BAPTISTE CHOWCHETT. |
AUGUST MATHEvE.
JOHN SCHAIFE.
ALEXANDER SCHAIFE.
PHILLIP BACHA.
PETER BECKER.
FERD SIGINUND.
ANTONIO PATRICIO. |
JOHN PASTORIO.
JOHN COUGHLAN.
WILLIAM WEBB.
DOMENIC MATTENO.
SAM JONES. |
FRANK M'COURTY.
BOB COTTLE.
ALECk RENO.
FRANK SIMONIC
ROBERT SETIGER.
JACK JENKINS.
DONICO OZELLO.
JOHN OLENO.
JAMES F'RAEGNO
DOMINIC ROSETTI.
PETER TAPPERO.
ANDREW ROLLANDO. |
PETER MAGENTO. |
ANTONIO MARTINO.
DAVID j. EVANS. |
RESCUE WILL BE FUTILE |
AS soon as the news of the explosion
reached New Castle, Superintendent P
Blount closed the mines of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company, and taking in |
all the miners, left for the Vulcan mine,
where all are actively a work aiding
in the attempt at rescue.
There are two shafts in addition to
the one in which the explosion took |
place In the upper of these two the |
rescuers are in about 300 feet, and it is |
thought that air can be forced into |
some of the rooms, but none of those in |
the mine have come out, and it is feared |
that this is conclusive evidence that |
all are dead.
In the main tunnel men are at work |
building a division with boards and |
canvas through which air can be forced |
in one side, and the foul gas driven |
from the other, but this is slow work |
The cause Of the explosion is not |
known.
The coal fields in which the Vulcan |
mine is located have been troubled with |
subterranean fires for many years. In |
many places over a distance Of eight |
miles smoke has issued from crevces |
in the rocks since the country was first
known to white men, and in later years
more than one valuable coal mine has
been destroyed by fire breaking into
the workings.
It is thought that the disaster may
have been caused by breaking into an
immense pocket Of gas generated by
these everlasting fires.
The number Of victims can not be ac-
curately stated. Those best Informed
think that the number is between SIS
and 60.
STATE BOARD OF DENTAL EXAMINERS
Governor McGraw Ha- Reappointed the
Present Incumbents.
Olympia, Wash, Feb. 1S.-The COVER
,o. hoe raannointed p H. CarlyOn OF