The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-10

CARBONADO, WASH, Dec. O.-About
noon this quiet coal mining village was
stunned with the first report of a ter
rife subterranean explosion in the mine
of the Carbon Hill Coal company, the
tunnels of which run for miles under the
town. There was an enormous rumbling,
a smothered sound for a few moments,
and then it ceased abruptly.
The people who had been accustomed
to earn a livelihood by mining knew at
once what this meant, and stood around
with hlanched faces. Apprehensions Of
some fearful disaster were confirmed in
little while with information that the
morning shift in the Tunnel No. had
been caught in the explosion of fre-damp.
Seventy-fve men were at work in the
mine, and the meager news conveyed the
information that all must have been kill
ed, as there was no chance of escape.
Those who were not killed outright would
be hemmed in by falling walls and tim
Der, ard suffocated by the fumes and
smoke before any opportunity for relief
could come.
DISTRACTED WIVES.
A rush of the inhabitants was made in
the direction of the mouth of the tunnel
Women, wives of the men supposed to be
III the shaft. ran to and fro, screaming
and wringing their hands with anguish,
crying children clinging to their skirts.
1t was all that D. T. Davies. the super
intendent of the mine, could do to keep
the friends of the doomed miners and
their wives from plunging madly into the
tunnels mouth
The coal mines are these OF the Carbon
Hill Coal company, but they really belong
to the South Pacific Railway company.
The coal is a soft, bituminous variety,
productive Of a large proportion Of gas,
and has been most used in gas manu-
shift was J. H. Davies. 1t is said that
seventy-eight men we're working under
him. Sixteen bodies, all mangled beyond
recognition, have so far been taken out
by the relief corps.
So far details Of the disaster are mea-
ger, as Supt. Davies and Foreman Davies
of the day shift, are now down in the
mine, engaged in the rescue. The num-
Der of men employed in the first day shift
was seventy-two. Their hours are from
Z a m. to 5 p. m.
The explosion occurred between 10 and
II, as near as can be ascertained. Da-
vies, the foreman, escaped unhurt, and
besides some twenty of the Fins: Most Of
the men are Welch, and several of the
Welch miners escaped, but they immedtN
atefy turned around and went back into
the mine in the hope of being able to
rescue those still supposed to be alive.
Howard Meredith was working consid-
erably above the water level when the
explosion came, and he lowered himself
down timber chute to rescue one of his
sons, Daniel Meredith, working below.
The son came out unharmed, but his
father is still down in the mine, and one
of the rescue force said he saw his dead
body
The tunnel in which the explosion took
place is about a mile and a quarter in
length, on a water level, under the south
west part Of the town There are several
Wingate Hill, west of here.
TERRIFIC FORCE.
The force of the explosion was such
that it knocked down John Ryan, Finn.
who was working at the light cross-cut
122 feet above the water level.
Another Finn escaped through an old
timber chute running up to the slope of
the hill. These were all uniniured. but
most of them left the mine without
helping the rescuing party. Dave Lewis
was working with Howell Meredith at
the time but he managed to escape
Ryan had all he could do to crawl through
the fallen timbers which blocked all
egress.
Immediately after the explosion the
foreman, John Davies 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 advantage of the timber
chute Altogether some of the men. es-
caped by this means, many of them being
hoisted UP by ropes.
Rees Meredith. a son of Howell Mere
dith, descended the incline from near the
company's store and Office about two
hours after the explosion with several
other men. They could only 60 a dis
tarioe of half a mile when their passage
was checked with black-damp. which is
air from which all oxygen has been
burned. strongly charged with carbonic
acid gas.
Just at this moment, S:45 o'clock p. M,
a number Of men have been pulled up
through the timber chute near the sum-
NIT Of Wingate hill, from depth Of sew
eral hundred feet. They were picked up
from six of the levels near the water