The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-17
Attic Caledonia Mine, Near North
Sydney, Cape Breton, Shocks
z. That Community.
THIRTEEN DEAD RECOVERED
With the Fate Of Others Unknown.
The Distressing Scenes
At the Mines.

The most appalling disaster In the his
tory OF Cape Breton coal mining, oc-
| CURED ut the Caledonia mines ut Giuce
Bay, the principal colllery OF the Do
rninlon Coal Company. to-day,when two
explosions occurred. causing the death
OF more than half score Of men, ,includ
Ing Thomas Johnson, the underground
manager of the works, and brother OF
the assistant manager of the Dom,ulor,
Coal Company Up to noon thirteen
bodies had been recovered. The names
OF the victims found up to that hour
follow: Thomus johnson, underground
manager; Nell Mcdonald, OF Plctou !;
John Doyle, sr., John Doyle, jr., Stephen
Mccormick. OF Sydney: Alex. McDon-
aid. Cape North: Donald Martin, Will
lam Simpson, Malcolm McAuley; two
men named Gillis. father and son.
The explosions occurred In the west
PIT, ut u depth Of about three-quarters
Of mile and were caused by gas
which had accumulated In the old
workings. The full force of men employ-
ed 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 intermls-
sion between the conclusions. The first
was dull boom. Then there was a
rumbling noise like m earthquake, sue.
ceeded by a deafenlnE, prolonged and
awful roar. which reverberated among
the hills for miles. and the shock Of
which shattered glass In every dlrec-
tion in the immediate vicinity of the
disaster.
The meaning of the sound was well
understood throughout the mining dis
trlct, and anxious people flocked to the
milne entrance. Before they arrived
suffocatlng volumes OF coal smoke be-
gan TO pour out. showing that fire had
followed the explosion.
Those Who Escaped.
The officials OF the mine were among
the first to reach the shaft A tale of
the men showed that some three score
-Weras caisElngr- but a. moment later a
number of the miners appeared. having
escaped by slope. There were about
twenty-five in the company who were
able to report their presence to the
anxious friends at the shaft. but several
others who had managed to get out of
the slope had fallen, overcome by eS-
haustion or the fumes which they had
inhaled. When these had been num-
bered 1t was evident that t least twen-
ty men and possibly thirty had been
cut of by the explosion and DerIshed.
ANY who survived the explosion would
quickly have per!shed from sufTocation.
or the incidents attending the explo-
sion the survivors were for Il long time
TOO confused to give an intelligent ac-
count. There was no apparent danger
at midnlgh: nor up to O'Clock, when
the underground manager, Thomas
johnson. now missing. last reported.
Shortly after o'clock the watchman
smeiled gas and burning wood and
Manager Thomas Brown was notified.
lie opened the shaft just as the explo-
sion occurred. The work of rescue was
promptly undertaken by Assistant Gen.
eral Manager Johnson and Daniel Mer-
lin. underground manager of the Hub
colliery. with large number Of miners,
Distressing Scenes.
F. The partywero confronted with many
difficulties. Men, women and children
hung about the opening of the slope
weeping and distracted. Down below n
pitchy darkness prevailed, lighted by
occasional brilliant bursts OF the con-
iiagration raging through the pit. The
lamps OF the rescutng party shed feeble
CLEANS, and the volunteers groped their
way down into the mine. the poisonous
gas almost choking them. After brief
time. body was brought up, then an
other and another, until thirteen had
come to the surface. None OF them
were mangled, but all were hlackenea.
The bodies were laid side by side in the
large room In the Office building. Men
and women crowded into the place and
the identttications We're accompanied by
most pitifu! scenes.
In the midst Of the excitement at the
mouth Of the shaft the unconscious
form of Manager Brown was brought 10
the surface. The opening OF n door in
one of the passages was followed by mn
explosion und MIR, Brown fell down.
having been made scnseless by the
shock.
In spite OF the efforts or the rescuIng
pnrty the proportions OF the fire In the
pit soon forced them to give all atten-
ton to that. The flames seemed to gain
hendwny despite the utmost efforts to
check their spread. The work. more.
over. had to be stopped at frcQucn, In
tcrrals. owing to danger from fire
damp aud with each retreat OF the men
the fire Travelled with double fury.
The Wreck Of the Mine.
The wreck OF the mine seemed beyond |
question. but inter the atmosphere clear
ed somewhat and the work OF fighting
the fire resumed. At noon word wns
sent to the surface that Il was believed
the fire was under control and that FUR
thcr search for bodlc soon would be
taken up although at that time the res.
clcrs were 500 feet from the scene OF |
explosion. The names OF men still
missing cannot now be given. It may
be night before the lre will be sub