The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-02-28
COLORADO'S HORROR.
NOT A MINER SAVED FROM
THE DISASTER.
All Quickly Perish-The Cause OF the Ex-
plosion a Mystery-The Machinery was
Wrecked and It's Impossible to Get Any
Air Into the Shaft.

wrecked ana It's Impossible to Get Any
Air Into the Shaft.
NEWCASTLE, Feb. Col, 2O.-An un-
known number of men are dead as the
result OF a terrible explosion hat oc-
Cured in the Vulcan mine, one of the
coal properties of the Atchison, To
peka and Santa Fe Railway company,
at 1920 yesterday forenoon. Usually
seventy-five men are employed in the
mine. but less than this number were
at work when the explosion occurred
yesterday. There is little doubt that
all who were at work are dead.
The number of victims cannot now
be accurately stated, estimates run
ming from fifty to seventy. Those
best informed think the number is
very likely between fifty-fve and
sixty. The excitement at present is
so intense that efforts to secure a
complete list are useless.
The only man who got out of the
mines at the time Of the explosion
was Edward WEIGH, VINO was near the
mouth of the tunnel inc was blown
out. His skull was fractured, arm
broken, the face badly cut and burned
and all the hair burned from his head.
He was breathing when found, but
expired shortly after without showing
consciousness. The miners who es-
capped direct death from the explosion
must have been quickly sutfocated by
gas, as aid means of ventilation were
cut off.
The first news of the disaster was a
report as from 100 cannon. People
rushed out of their homes and places
OF business to see what had happened
and one look toward the Vulcan mine
was sufficient, for a dense cloud Of
smoke issuing from the mouth OF the
slope told the tale Of death. A throng
OF people was SOON at the scene of dis
aster, a distance of nearly two miles
from Newcastle. 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 were filled with
the fallen rock, earth and timbers.
Both fan houses We're wrecked and the
slope n vicinity were SO full of the
debris and the gas was so bad hat it
was hard and dangerous work to
begin the rescue.
Nevertheless, willing hands were
soon at work and five men went down
as far as possible to ascertain the con-
dition of the slope and found it such
that it will require great labor to re-
cover the bodies of the miners. The
gas was so bad that after the party
had gotten 200 feet they were COM
PEELED to return.
AS soon as the news of the explosion
reached Newcastle, superintendent
Paul Blount closed the mines of the
Gn1nra1nt E1,ol n md J,nr ~, ~ , ~ RI a.
taking his miners, left for the Vulcan
mines, where all are actively at work
aiding in the attempts at rescue.
There are two shafts in addition to
h one in which the explosion took
place. In the upper of these two the
reseuers are in about 800 feet and it is
through this that the air 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 evil
dence that all are dead.
The cause of the explosion is not yet
Known. The coal fields in which the
Vulcan mine is located have been
troubled with subterranean gases for
many years In many places over an
area of eighty to 1OG miles smoke has
issued from crevices 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 inio the workings. A
little over a year ago the mines of the
Vulcan company had to be flooded on
this account, and the old workings
have never been %reopened. The drift
where yesterdays accident occurred
was a new one. 1t is thought the dis
aster may have beer caused by the
breaking into an immense pocket OF
gas, generated by these everlasting
fires. On February s, State Coal Mine
Inspector Griffith inspected the mine
and pronounced it in splendid condi-
ton and the work is said to have been
done at all times in the most careful
manner
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