The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1899-12-16
1A|R1Y.F|VE men KILLED.
IN A COAL NINE EXPLOSION.
At the Town OF Carbonate, FOrty
Miles From TacOmn-Same Mine
Exploded In 1sDO-Tunnels Large

Exploded in 1sYO-Tunnels Large
Enough for an Engine to Enter.
Tacoma, Dec. ia mine explosion at
Carbonado, 40 miles from Tacoma Satur-
day killed 33 men. Identity of the dead
is almost impossible. The scraps OF cloth
ing that still cling to the bodies OF the
men are carefully preserved, laid aside
and labelled to aid in Identification.
Frenzied relatives Of the missing men
gathered at the mouth of the mine, watch
ed eagerly to catch glimpse of the forms
as they are hurried by to the coroners
office. The work of rescue is being rush.
ed forward, but it may be days before the
last blackened form is taken from the
mine, for many are believed to lie buried
under mass of earth and rock.
To extricate them will take time, and
thus far the work Of rescue has been
pushed forward at the extreme peril OF
The workers, for the black damp and nox-
ious gases have driven the rescuers back.
List of Missing Company Men.
Mike Knish, Leonard johnson, J. H.
Jones, Henry Soini, Mike Kichinko, VIII
liam Wilson, John Mellon, David X.
Thomas, Matt Ryhala, Ben Zedler, Jr,
John Hill, Howell Meredith, Sr, Watkin
Jones, Andrew Gecey, Evan M. Lewis,
Joe Lee, Richard Dare, Daniel Davis,
Rees Jones, Peter Merpax.
Missing Contract Men.
August Hainaut, Matt Nuland, Paul
Curtiss, Adam Pavoll, John Sofia, John
p. Dekonink, Ben Zedler, Sr., Emil Hahn
aut, T. j. Edwards, Avans Richards,
Joseph Thomas, Steve Kromoga, William
M. Davis, Jacob Lande.
Cauxe May Never He Known.
The cause of the explosion is mys-
terry. Not even the miners rescued can
give the slightest possible explanation.
Only safety lamps, the English Clanney
and the Davie patterns, are worn when at
work. Should, however, one OF the men
hapleasly have opened his lamp in an ae-
cumulation of gas, the gas would SUD
denly ignite and explode. The only open
light known was that from the small loco
motive used to haul cars in and out from
the canyon to the main level. 1t Is the
orizing to say that this was the cause, al
though mule driver, named James Con-
way, now lying wrapped in oil silk and
fairly covered with mixture OF boiled
linseed oil and lime juice, says he was
caught in the shock on the main gang
way. Conway was the first man to come
out of the mine.
Incidents mt the MOrgue.
Among the incidents at the morgue an
old man, father of Richard Dare, totter
ed in anxiously inquiring for his son.
rough but kindly disposed young mlnel
busy with the care of the corpses being
eager to save the old man sight befor
which any strong man might quail, toi'
him that he did not think that his son wa
there. The aged father left the cheap
looking one-story building sobbing, bu
still hoping.
He was spared vision of shapeles
mass of charred flesh and rags.
"a black cloud hangs over Carbonate,
was the sombre observation OF one 500
covered miner, and it is true one, tt
overhead is a gloomy, cloud-obscured Six,
All day the rain mad been drizzling dow
and the town was in mass OF mud.
this rain and through this mud the silel
professions bearing upon stretchers u
corpses and the injured have been trea
ing their way to the morgue and the nc
pital, handling with tender solicitude the
gruesome burdens
The last estimate Superintendent Davl
made of the number of dead Is betwe
30 and 35. This is thought to be const
vative. Superintendent Davies is &C
and collected, but Foreman Davis has
90 about his painful duties with
knowledge that his promising young
has gone to the speechless bourne.
James Conway, who lies in the hos
tai, has wife and two small childr'
Richard Dare, dead, was married only
few months ago. His father is here Wis
ing from Pennsylvania.
Four of the mules in the mine w
knocked down and killed, says one OF
Firms, through an interpreter.
In 1890 an explosion at this same m
cost two lives and John Hartman
some others were severely burned.
The mines are owned by the Carl
Hill Coal Company. They give work
400 men and have an output OF 300,
tons annually and are situated 40 M
from Tacoma, on the Cascade division
the Northern Pacific. The mines are
a deep ravine through which the Car.
river flows. 1t is glacial river.
mines are supplied with every appia
for safety. They are largely tunne
and the tunnels are so big that loco
tives run into them.
Later.
Stunned by the suddennness Of the n
horror, the people here seem too "a
for any expression Of grief Of den
strative nature.
Thirty-two is number of dead. AS
a miracle two men were rescued q
o'clock Sundey morning, after the aN
night. entombed in the dark cavern