The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-20
DRAWING THE DAMP
WORK OF SEARCHING THE VULCAN
NINE Is COMMENCED.


Many of the Workers Being Overcome
Work has Been Continuous But Only
Three Bodies Have Been Reaohed-De-
vice Employed for Getting Air into the
Mine-Testimony of John French to
the Conditions just Before the ExpIo-
sion-ReIief Fund started.
Newcastle, Colo, Feb. 19.-All night a
throng of weeping women and children
stood about the mouth OF the mine,
while z hardy band of rescuers worked
for seventy entombed miners, all Of
whom. it was conceded, must be dead.
The men succeeded in entering the
shaft about 200 feet, but were driven
back by the black damp and gas, which
was continually belched forth. The
work Of putting fan in place so as to
supply fresh air and make it possible
for the rescuers 10 penetrate the mine
to the levels where the men were work
ing when the explosion occurred, was
prosecuted throughout the night and
with all possible speed, and the fan was
in operation early this morning.
Opinions differ as TO the cause of the
explosion. Some say ii was caused by
windy shot; others believe there was
an explosion of coal dust, asserting
chat the company had neglected TO have
the rooms sprinkled as often as the law
requires:
1t is impossible as yet to give a full
and accurate list of the killed as the list
or those on duty at the time of the ex-
plosion is supposed TO be in the pocket
of Pit Boss James Harrison, who lies
at the bottom of the slope, and is pro-
baby dead.
FLOODED WITH AIR.
Newcastle, Colo, Feb. 19-Work was
temporarily stopped about noon today
for the purpose of flooding the slope
and chambers Of the mine with air and
Of driving out, if possible gases and
menacing dangers that remained after
yesterdays explosion.
All night shifts of men, working two
hours, were kept employed putting up
an air fan IN the place of the two de-
stroyed. simultaneously crews of FIVE
10 ten men We're sent into the death trap
by way of the main slope entrance and
the air passage to work their way. if pos
sFble, to where the bodies of the dead
men lay.
his WI n was dNCplL DiASAlf-l Will Tie
most imminent peril owing to the black
damp with which the mine was filed.
Fully twenty men were carried to the
outer air overcome by the noxious gases
The work being thus impeded, progress
was slow and the results discourag ingly
small.
THREE BODIES OUT
At noon today SEQ feet of the main
slope had been penetrated and three
bodies brought out. The first body was
that Of Abel Dore, a boy. The second
was that of Joe Dore, brother of Abel,
and the third that of Frank Comikitcly,
a carpenter, brought out at go this
morning.
As the work goes on, 1t becames GER
tain that the mine has not caught fire.
John French is the only man alive
who can tell anything about the condi-
tons existing in the mine just prior 10
the explosion. He was employed in
the main air passage yesterday morn
ing mending some of the timbers. and
owes his life to the fact that the gases
IN the passage became so bad at IL
o'clock that his eyes gave out and he
was compelled TO quit work and seek
the outside air.
Rev. e. n. Ma1lery, of the Gleenwood
Springs Methodist church, has started
a fund for the relief of the rela tives OF
the dead.