Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-12-14
Az EXPLOSION OF Gas
Killed Many Miners at C@.'
bonado, Washington.
CArsE OF ACCIDENT A MYSTERY
,. p,,ckdamp Followed the Ex'
p,o.ion. but the Mine was hAs'
ily Ventilated.

Tacoma. Dec. IA mine explosion
a. Carbonate, 30 miles eaSterly HOE
Tacoma. at IL O'Clock this morning.
t;lled 80 men. Identification OF the
dead men is almost Impossible. Inc
scraps o; clothing that still Gin: TO the
todies of the men are carefully pre-
served. laid aside and labelled 70 ala ID
the Identification. Frenzled relatives
~ ,he missing men gathered at the
month n; the mine and watched eagerly
70 catch a glimpse OF the forms as they
were hurried by to the coroner's once.
The work of rescue is being rusned
forward. but il may he days tetore tne
los, hlackened form is taken from the
mine. for many men are belleVen 10 Iis
buried under masses OF earth ana rock:
To extr;cate them will take time, AMI
thus far the work OF rescue has heen
pushed forward at the extreme enHul'
auce of the workers. for the piacS
damp and noxious gases have driven
the rescuers back repeatedly.
When the explosion occurred a rush
OF the inhabitants wac made IN the ol'
rection OF the mouth Of the tunnel:
Women. the wives OF the men supposed
20 he in the shift, ran to and fro,
screaming and wringing their hands
with anguish, crying children cllnglng
to their skirts.
II was all that D. T. Davies the
Superintendent OF the mine, could do
70 stop the wives and friends OF the
doomed miners from plunging madly
into the tunnels mouth.
4 revised death list follows:
Companv men-Leonard Johnson.
Henry Soni. Matt Rehela and Victor
Ruhinaki formerly given as John Hid
all Firms: Michael kichinko, John
Mellon AMI Andrew Gecey. Poles;
John H. Jones. David x. Thomas.
Howell Meredith. sr.. Watkin Jones,
Evan NJ. Lewis, Daniel Davis and Rees
Jones. all Welsh; William Wilson,
Joseph Lee and Richard Dare, Amer.
leans. and Ben Zeidler, jr., German.
Contract miners-Au2ust Hainut
and Emil Hainut. Belgians; Paul Cur.
tiss. Adam Pavoll. John Flots and
Stephen Kraunoga, Poles: Ben Zeidler.
ST.. Germans; Matt Nuland and Jacob
Lands, Firms. The cause Of the ex'
plosion is mystery to every one.
Only safety lamps are worn when at
work. Governor Rogers will con.
duct searching examination as to the
cause OF the explosion. He has tele.
graphed State Mine Inspector Owens,
now at Spokane, TO attend the inquest
and examine witnesses himself. The
question OF the ventilation of the mine,
in conformity with the state law, will
be thoroughly gone into.
The total number of men in the I'M.
fortunate shift was 10, OF whom ~ are
alive. all OF them having escaped or
been rescued.
The mines are owned by the Carbon
Hill Coal Company. They give work
to 400 men. and have an output of 30o.-
600 tons annually. and are situated 40
miles from Tacoma. on the Cascade
division OF the Northern Pacific. The
mines are in deep ravine, through
which the Carbon river flows. The
mines are supplied with every appli.
ance for safety. They are largely tun.
neled, and the tunnels are so big that
locomotives are run into them.
In 1890 an explosion at this same
mine cost two lives. and John Hartman
and some others were severely burned.
Aid for Needy.
Seattle, Dec. -. Washington min.
ers, through the local union, have
taken steps to render the families OF the
victims and those injured in the Car.
bonado explosion financial aid. All la.
Dor unions in Western Washington
will contribute to the fund.
SERIOUS REvERSES.