The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-19
Terrific Explosion Of Gas in a
Colorado Mine.
NOT A MAN HAS ESCAPED
Between Fifty and Sixty Men
Were at Work.
THE MINE is NOW on FIRE
Smoke is Rushing From the Mouth Of
the Shaft and Prevents the
Work of Rescue by Those
on the Scene
on the Scene.

on the Scene.
Glenwood Springs, Col, Feb. ls.--A
gas explosion occurred in the Vulcan
mine at New Castle, just before II to-
day when there were between 50 and
90 men in the mine at work. At the
shaft mouth hole 100 feet square was
blown out.
Ed. Welsh who was just at the mouth
Of the tunnel when the explosion took
place was blown to atoms
It is almost certain that all the men
in the mine perished.
Smoke is rushing from the shaft in
dense clouds which prevents entrance
to the mine. The fans were the only
means Of supplying air to the worl<men
and as these are completely demolish-
ed, the last hope of any one being
found alive is cut off.
Superintendent Paul Blount, Of the
Consolidated closed down his mine and
sent his men to the rescue but they
could do nothing on account of the
smoke and gas. They have now pro
cured wet sponges and will make an
CllOIJ " reach LiLt llibEIIOIs i lie cCEllC
at the mine is one of widest confusion.
Wives and children are rushing madly
to and fro, tearing their hair and rend-
ing the air in deep anguish which such
a calamity brings.
A throng Of people was soon at the
scene of disaster, a,distance of nearly
two miles from New Castle. A glance
was enough to dissipete any hope for
the lives of the entombed men. The
force of the explosion had caused
cave-in, and the tunnel and air courses
were filed 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 ii was hard and dangerous
work to begin the rescue. Neverthe-
less, willing hands were soon at work
and five men went down as far as pos
sible to ascertain the condition of the
slope. The gas was so bad that after
the party had gotten 200 feet they were
compelled to recede. The party con-
sisted Of superintendent Herrick, OF
the Vulcan and John Vanes William
Reese, Sam Hills, and Robert Temple
man, from the Consolidated mine.
The construction of temporary fan
house was commenced at once and the
work of pumping fresh air into the
mine was soon begun.
1t is hardly possible that any of the
miners are still alive but the starting
Of the fans viii be made as soon az pos
sible, in the hope that if any have sur
vived they may be kept alive till help
reaches them. Two young miners,
Tom Connolly and James Petrie, met
with narrow escapes. Their eyes be-
coming sore, they quit work in the
mines and had just emerged from the
tunnel when the explosion occurred.
The following are the names of the
miners known to be at work that can
be obtained up to this hour:
William Hagerty, Joseph Dorr, Abel
Dorr, VIII Dorr, James Harrison,
Thomas Lawigan, George Ward, Ed
ward Welch, driver; John Funl<e and
l3 year old son Emil; Charles Mer-
chant, Tom Addison, Louis Ginnotti, |
Fred Rodansli, home in Illinois, leaves |
wife and children; Peter Patricio. |
Dan Morris, Gabriel Leece Frank Tos- |
sio Baptiste Chowcette August Mat |
teve, John Scaife, Philip Raech Philip |
Brecker Fred Sigimaul, Antonio Pa |
tricio, John Counghlin, late Of Rock /
vale: William Webb. Sam Jones, Frank |
McCourdy, Ben. Cotle, Jr., Alex Reno, |
Frank SimOnic, Robert Setiger, Jack |
Jenkins. Dominic Rosetti, Peter Tap /
pero, Antonio Tappero, Andrew Rol-
lando, Peter Magenta, Antonio Marti
no, David J. Evans.
AS soon as the news of the eXplo-
sion reached New Castle, Superinten-
dent Blount closed the mines of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, and
taking all his miners left for the Vul-
can mines where all are actively at
work in the attempts at rescue. There
are two shafts in addition to the one in
W hich the explosion took place. In
the upper of these two the rescuers are
i'm about three hundred 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 this mine the men
are at work building a division with
boards and canvass, through which
lir can be forced in on the one side
and the foul gas driven out from the
Dther But this is slow work and there
S no possibility of getting far enough |
n the mine to recover any bodies be-
ore tomorrow morning.
The cause of the explosion is not
yet known. The coal fields in which
he Vulcan mine is located have been
roubled with subterranean gas for
many years. In many places over a
distance of eighty to one hundred
niles smoke has issued froIAsAreyices in
he rocks since the country was first I
to white men and in later years {
many valuable coal mines have been !
burned. A little over year ago, the |
mines Of the Vulcan company had to :