The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1896-02-21
A TERRIBLE DisAsTEe

of the Explosion-Unp. .ced.,.. ictims
of the Upheaval Force
NEW CASTLE, Col, Feb. 1s.-Thov
can coal mine, located in the no. ui-
just below the town, was Co.'S oack
wrecked and set on fire by ley
gas explosion shortly after II o'ai i'uc
to-day, and it is believed all the 80, .oek
men In the mine were instantly LIN, uls'
About hfty men, including fororsNu
and coal operators, were in tho 'ea
rooms along the slope when the go, go"
sion occurred, and so great pro
conclusion that not single man che s,is
have survived the shock, the ca o'io
the fire which immediately ensped VI
with the exception of few No..
the killed are Italians, but in tho ~
fusion and excitement of the a. a,
has been impossible at this tim y
make complete roster of namas -
the unfortunates. VI
The town of New castle was sb,,..
as If by an earthquake by the e~n,a
sion and dense black cloud obscrr;s
the site of the Vulcan mine and wors
ings indicated only too plainly Nh.
had occurred. The entire noaa
lation rushed to the scene to hpIpa,
the surface workmen in the midst -
thick cloud of dust trying in vain -
start the work of rescuing their INTO
tunate fellow laborers within
The earth had settled perceptihlr
about the hillside, and the dense n..,
of black smoke issuing from the Graz
ices IN the upheaved mass gave ev;.
dence that the coal vein had suralv
been set afire by the explosion.
Women and children rushed sbr;aL.
ing and screaming to the scene ada.
ing to the confusion.
The mine owned by the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Co., two and a b.lt
miles away, was promptly closed down
and all hands FASTENED to assist Spnt
Herrick of the Vulcan, in the worl, Of
rescue, but it was quickly seen that
little could be done. Herrick with
several men, had torn away the broken
timbering at the landing and had
rushed into the slope soon after theex.
plosion had occurred with wet sponges
on their nostrils, only to be driven back
again by the deadly fumes.
\ special train was sent to the mine
by the Colorado Midland Railway Co.
with medical assistants prepared TO as.
sist in caring for wounded if any were
rescued, cut the sun went down be-
hind the mountains before any pro-
gress could be made.
The force of the explosion may be
imagined when it is known that the
buildings and trestle at the mouth Of
the slope were completely wrecked,
hole 100 feet square was carved out
of the hillside at the mouth of the in.
cline, while timbers two feet square
We're blown into the Grand river 400
feet away.
One man was on his way down the
slope when the explosion occurred,
and his mangled remains were subse-
quently found several hundred feet
away from the mouth of the slope
There We're 40 men employed in and
about the mine, and about fifty were
at work underground this morning.
The old Vulcan mine was abandoned
several years ago on account OF fire,
and the present Vulcan mine, which
has been open only about two years,
will probably meet a similar fate.
State Mine Inspector Griffin was here
on February s, and pronounced the
mine in better condition than it had
ever been before. An immense fan IN
the slope, which was about five hun
dred feet in depth, seemed to afford
complete ventilation, and every pos
sible precaution was taken to prevent
an explosion of the gas known to exist
in the mines of this district. 1t is be-
lieved that lighted fuse ignited the
gas in one of the new rooms while the
men were blasting down coal Inc
nected with the present property, a
new slope having been driven into inc
hillside.
The Vulcan Fuel Co. operates the
property, which is owned by the Aten-
ison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Co..
with headquarters at Topeka, kas.
Just at this time the mine was being
worked to its full capacity, the outpu'
being from II to 20 cars per day.
The entire slope is filled with DEBRIS
and 1t is noY plainly evident tna'
many days must elapse before 'ne
bodies of the entombed miners can oe
rescued.
In the horrors of the day it has oeeh
impossible to obtain anything hh'
accurate information from the PAM,
stricken families as to the names +"
the miners.
The latest estimates place the nun
Der of men in the mine at Sixty -
more and not one escaped death. Inc
names of the company men weio