The record-union., 1899-12-10

e'SAeW Inc son came out unnarmed,
but his father met with death.
The tunnel in which the explosion
took place is about one and quarter
miles in length, on a water level I'M
DER the southwest part of the town.
Inere are several air chutes running
up to the surface of Wingate Hill, west
of here.
The force Of the explosion was such
that it knocked down John Ryan, So
called, Finn, who was working at the
eighth crosscut, 800 feet above the
water level.
Ihe other Firms escaped up through
another timber chute running up to the
slope Of the hill. These were all IN
injured, but most of them left the mine
at once without helping the rescue
rarty.
Lave Lewis was working with lIowell
Msredith at the time, but he manage i
to escale. Ryan, the Fina hal all he
:ouli do TO crawl through the fallen
timbers, which blocked all eg,ess.
lnme dately after the explosion the
foreman. John Davis, gave the alarm
to the men working on the different
levels, shouting as loud as he could:
Look out for the black damp, and
get out for your lives"
The Firms were quick to take advant-
age of the timber chute. Altogether
some thirty men escaped by this means.
many of them being hoisted up by
ropes. Rees Meredith. a son of Howell
Meredith, descended the incline from
near the company's store and Office.
about two hours after the explosion,
with several other men. They could
only go distance of a half mile when
their progress was checked by he
black damp, which is air from which
all oxygen has been burned. and is
strongly charged with carbonic acid
gas.
Ever since the catastrophe Superin.
tendent Davies and Foreman Jonah
Davis have been fighting against the
great odds of this deadly gas, aided 10y
the brave Welshmen.
Just at this moment, S:45 D. M. a
number of men have been pulled I'D
through the timber chute near the sum-
NIT of Wingate Hill from a depth Of
several hundred feet They We're pick
ed up from six of the levels near the
w
rescued up through the inclined tram
way. All of them are badly blackened
and burned, and they are Immediately
taken to the company's hospital ana
are wrapped in cloth soaked in linsasd
oil by doctors Juswart of Carbonate.
Johnson of Fairfax, Charles Taylor OF
Wilkeson and Loughten and Rummel
Of Tacoma.
The scenes at the hospitals are pitt
full Men whose clothing is almost
burned from their bodies are laid out
as fast as they arrive, their eyebrows
and hair singed and their faces black
and bleeding. Women and children
surround the building weeping.
A crowd of voiceless men stand in
front Of the mouth Of the incline, wait
ing to see who of their friends will next
be brought out alive Occasionally a
shapeless body comes up on the car.
Rescue parties are working both in the
incline and at the old timber chute on
the hill
Sadness fills the Meredith home Mrs.
Meredith with eyes flowing with tea s.
fears that not only has she lost her
husband, but her son, Daniel Meredith
who, although said to be saved, has not
appeared across HIS accustomed
threshold. A crowd of sympatfizing
women. neighbors, are grouped around
her offering their consultations.
At present it is stated confidently
that a large proportion of the unfortu-
nate miners may be brought out alive.
1t was customary to work 115 men
divided into three shifts, but the first,
the morning shift, was the largest.
Several years ago an explosion of fire
damp occurred in this mine, and two
men lost their lives. Nobody SO far
blames the company, as the explosion
is regarded as an accident common 20
all coal mining districts. Timber gangs
are now at work replacing the deranged
timbers and incidentally rescuing the
imprisoned miners or taking out an
occasional body. The fans are wo.k.ne
Well, and most of the black damp is
rapidly sucked out of the mines. The
fans were not stopped at all by the ex-
plosion.
The work of rescuing the living was
completed at . O'Clock. By that time
the mine had been purified by the fans
to such an extent as to permit free in
gress and egress.
Down in the canyon, mile from the
town, is the tunnel mouth leading to
Number Z. Nearly two mics up the
hillside is the shaft to the mine, and it
was here that the work was pushed
vigorously. Men went down in little
parties of two or more, and searched
for the living as fast as the deadly
damp would allow progress. Those
who We're brought to the surface were
mufied in sacking to protect their
burns until they could be hois,sed to the
top of the incline and carried to the
hospital. There were not many Of these.
but the search was continued until all
hope of saving life was at an end.
Many cases of heroism on the part of