The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-12-10
Explosion From Unknown Source
Happens without Warning
TO Those Below.
THE HEART-RENDING SCENES
FrenIied Relatives Of the Imprisoned
Men Rush 10 the Scene Heroic
work OF Rescue Still
Going On.

CARBONADO. WASH, Dee, 9-AnI
explosion IN tunnel No Of the Carbon
llill compnny's mine at II O'Clock this
morning kiled - men. People who had
been accustomed Ia livelihood 10y min.
my knew at once what the explosion
meant, aud stood around with bIanched
faces.
These apprehepsious Of some fearful
disaster we're confirmed IN little While
with the information that the morning
shin in tunnel No, had been caught in
an explosion OF fire damp. Scyenty-two
men urrclat work in the mine when the
explosion occurred, 4 rush OF the in
habithnts was made In the direction u
the mouth of the tunnel. Wives Of the
men supposed 10 be on shift, ran 10 and
fro. scr, aiming and wiingihg their hands
with anguish, and crying children were
clpging to their skirts, II was all that
ID. r, Davies, superintendent oi the
mine. could do'.to stop friends OF the
doomed miners and their wives from
plunging madly into the tunnels mouth.
The coR mines here are those OF the
Carbon Hill Coal company. but they
really belong 10 the Southern Pacific
Rail Odd company.
The rock is Of u soft, bituminous yarie-
ty productive OF large proportion Of
gas. and has been much used in gas man
uiHciute. The foreman in charge oi the
shift was Jonah Davis. Foreman Davis
escaped unhuri together with about
forty miners,
Frenzied relatives oi missing men
gathered at the mouth oi the mine and
waited eagerly to catch glimpse of the
forms rs they Nete hurried by TO the
coroner's office,
The work Of rescue is being rushed for
ward but it may be several days before
the last backened form is taken from
the mine, Tor many men are believed to
lie buried under u mass OF earth and rock
To extricate them will take time aud
thns lar the work Of rescue has been
pushed at the extreme point Of the
workers, Tor black damp Nnd noxiouS
gases have driven rescuers back repeat
edly,
The cause oi the explosion is u mys-
terry TO everyone, Not even the miners
rescued can give any explanation.
Only safety lamps OF the English Claney
and Davis patterns are worn when ut
work. Should, however, one OF the men
open his lamp in an accumulation Of coal
gas, an explosion wonld result The only
open light known was that OF small
locomotive used to haul cars in and out
OF the canyon on the main level 1t is
merely theoriziug to say that this was
the cause, although mule driver named
james Cowley, now lying wrapped in oil
skin, and fairly covered with a mixture
OF boiled linseed oil aud lime juice, says
he was caught in the shock on the main
Conway was the first man to
come out OF the mine, His story is as
follows
81 was just about ready, when Watt
Jones halloed out let her 20, Jim, and all
OF u sudden thought ton OF dynamite
had burst. The force of theShock threw
me down, and flame OF fire seemed to
surround me. crawled out through it
on my hands and kuees as well as could
until reached the engine For Gods
sake pull out quickly | begged, for !
iet as though | was burning TO death
aud could hardly breathe. II did not
take much urging, for the black damp
was already beginning to smother us and
/ was hauled out on the engine as near
as can remember
The list OF dead who could be ident-
fed is as follows:
Rees ones, fire boss aged 30, unmar-
ried.
Dan Davis, aged lS
Evan Lewis, aged 90