The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1899-06-24

Catalonia mine, one of the golfers Do
minion Coal Company, says an explo-
sion accompanied by terrible loss Of life
occurred Friday. More than forty
men were in the pit when the explo-
sion occurred, and it is believed that
nearly all Of them persisted. Many life
less bodies have already been recover
ell. The explosion was caused by gas.
which had accumulated in the old
works.
Some of those in the mine escaped |
through the slope, but how many is
not yet known. The officials are I'M
able to state how many were in the
pit but say there may have been ff-
ty five.
The explosion occurred in the west
pit, at depth Of about three quarters
Of mile and was caused by gas which
had accumulated in the old working pit
The full force Of men employed in the
mine at night is about $50, but the
night shift had just stopped work and
all but about sixty had left the mine.
There was scarcely an intermission be-
tween the concussions The first was
dull boom then there was rumbling
noise like an earthquake, succeeded by
deafening prolonged and awful roar,
which reverberated among the hills for
miles and the shock of which shatter-
ed glass in every direction in the i'm
mediate vicinity Of the disaster The
meaning Of the sound was we'll under
stood throughout the mine district and
anxious people flocked to the mine en-
trance Before they arrived Suffocating
volumes of coal smoke began to pour
out, showing that fire had followed the
explosion.
Tho officials Of the mine were among
tho first to reach the shaft. A tally
sheet showed that some sixty men
were missing, but later number OF
miners appeared having escaped by the
slope. There were about % in the
company who were able to report
their presence to their various friends
at the shaft but several others who haC
= managed to get out of the slope hat
fallen, overcome by exhaustion or tn
fumes which they had inhaled. Whe1
u these had been reached it was eviden
that at least twenty men and possibl!,
thirty had been cut off by the explosion
and persisted Any who survived tn
explosion would quickly have perishe'
}. from suffocation.
OF the incidents attending the explo
= sion the survivors were for long tim
p too confused to give an intelligent &C
p count.
? Shortly after 4 o'clock the watchma
3 smelled gas and burning wood an
D Manager Thomas Brown was notified
D He opened the shaft just as the expl'
4 sion occurrd. The work of rescue VIZ
Z promptly undertaken by Assistant Gel
Z eral Manager johnson and Daniel Me
Z lin, underground manager Of the Hr
Z colliery, with large number OF II
= Hub colliery, with arge lumber OF Il
= miners.
y The party were confronted wi
y many difficulties Men, women al
q children hung about the opening OF
slope weeping and distracted Dow
below pitchy darkness prevalle
lighted by occasional brilliant bursts
the conhagration raging through t
Il nit. The lamp Of the Tescuing pal
La she'd feeble CLEANS and the Volunte'
CROPPED their way down into the mil
the poisonous gases almost chokl
them. After brief time a body W
brought up, then another and anoth
until thirteen had come to the surta
None of them were mangled, but
were blackened. The bodies were !;
side by side in the large room in
office building Men and women crov
ed into the place and the identifcati
were accompanied BY most pitt
scenes.
In the midst Of the excitement
the mouth of the skaft the uncon
GUS form of Manager Brown =
brought to the surface. The open
Mona Of a door in ore Of the passages w,ss
le lowed by an explosion. and Mr.. Bro
}. fell down having been made sense
By tho shock n sP:ta Of tie effort
LIS