Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-17
ANOTHER COAL
MINE HORROR.
TWO EXPLOSIONS RESULT IN
DEATH OF ELEVEN MEN.
tBy Telegraph to virs,n,nn.p,lot.,

10y leleSrapn TO Vlfk,nlln- PllOt.l
North Sydney, c. b., June 1G.-The
most appalling disaster in the history of
Cape Breton coal mining, occurred at
the Caledonia mine at Glace Bay, the
Coal Company. to-ay. when two explo-
sions occurred. causing the death of
eleven men. including Thomas johnson,
the Underground manager of the works
and brother OF the assistant manager
or the company. Up to noon ten bod
les had been recovered. The names of
the victims follow:
Thomas johnson, underground man
ager; Neil Mcdonald. of Picton; John
Doyle. Sr., John Doyle, Jr., Stephen Nc
Cormick OF Sydney: Alexander Nc
Donald. Cape North; William Simpson,
Malcolm McAuley, Roy McDougall, Ar
thur Grant
Missing-Donald Martin.
DEEP UNDERGROUND.
The explosions occurred in the west
pit and at Il depth of about three quar-
tiers of a mile. and were caused by gas
which had accumulated in the old work
!ngs. The full force OF men employed
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 intermis-
sion between the conclusions. The
nrst was a dull boom. Then there was
IOiSe ike an eHrtnNuaKr.
preceded by a prolonged and awful
rer, which reverberated amncR the hills
Tor miles. and the shock of which shat
tered glass in every direction in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the disaster.
MEANING OF SOUND.
The meaning OF the sound was we'll
understood through the mining dis
mine entrance. Before they arrived
suffocating volumes of coal smoke be-
gan to pour not. showing that fire had
followed the explosion.
The officials Of tho mine were among
the first to reach the shaft.
THE ROLL CALLED
tale of the men showed that some
three score were missing. but n mo-
ment later a number of the miners APP
peared, 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 exhaustion or the
fumes which they had inhaled. When
these had been numbered It was evil
dent that at least twenty men and pos
slbe thirty had been cut off by the
explosion and persisted. Any who sur
Vived the explosion would quickly have
persisted from suffocation
OF the incidents attending the explo-
sion the survivors were for n long time
TOO confused to give an intelligent ac-
count. There was no apparent danger
at midnight nor up TO o'clock. when
the underground manager. Thomas
johnson, now missing. last reported.
THE FIRST WARNING.
Shortly after o'clock the Waterman
smelled gas and burning wood. and
Manager Thomas Brown was notified
He opened the shaft just as the OK
plosion occurred. The work of rescue
was promptly undertaken by Assistant
General Manager Johnson and Daniel
Merlin, underground manager of the
Hub Colllery, with a large number of
miners
AN AFFECTING SCENE.
The party was confronted with many
difficulties. Men. women and children
hung about the opening Of the slope.
weeping and distracted. Down below
pitchy darkness prevailed, lighted Oc-
casionally by brilliant bursts of the
conflagration raging through the nit.
The lamps of the rescung party shed
Feeble CLEANS. and the volunteers grop-
ed their way down into the mine the
poisonous gases almost choking them.
After brief time. n body was brouSh.
up. then another and another until
, eleven had come To the surface None
or them were mangled but all were
blackered. The bodies were laid side by
side in the large room in the Office
building. Men ana women crowded
into the place and the idcntiGcations
were accompanied by most pitiful
scenes.