The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-17
ACCUMULATED GAS IN WORN
INGS CAUSED EXPLOSIONS.
fIFFtCU-TY IN BRINGING UP B0DIES
Eleven Brought to the Surface. Fighting the
Fire in the Workings Believed ;tLast
TO be Under Control. The
Search 10 g) on.

I
Cape Breton coal mining, occurred at
| the Caledonia mine at Glace Bay, the
principal colliery of the Dominion Coal
/ Company to-day, when two explosions
occurred causing the death of IL men,
including Thomas Johnson, the under
ground manager of the works and
brother of the assistant manager of the
| Dominion Coal Company. Up to noon
ten bodies have been recovered.
The names Of the victims follow:
| Thomas Johnson, underground man
ager
| Neil Mcdonald, of Pictou.
John Doyle, Sr.
John Doyle, Jr.
Stephen Mccormick, of Sydney.
Alexander Mcdonald, Cape North.
VIM. Simpson.
Malcolm McAuley.
Roy q. McDougall.
Arthur Grant.
Missing:
Donald Maryin.
+ The explosions occurred in the west pit
at depth of about three quarters of Il
mile. and were caused by gas which had
| full force Of men employed in the mine
| at night is about 100, but the nigEt'
shift had just stopped work, and all but
about sixty had left the mine. There
was scarcely an intermission between
| the conclusions. The first was u dull
boom. Then there was rumbling noise
| like an earthquake succeeded by a
| deafening. prolonged and awful roar,
| fha hills for
miles. and the shock of which shattered
glass in every direction i'll the imme-
date vicinity of this disaster.
The meaning of the sound was
well understood through the mining
district and an excited crowd of people
| ficcked to the mine entrance. Before
they arrived suffocating volumes Of coal
smoke Logan to pour out, showing thai
fire had followed the explosion.
The officials Of the mine We're among
the first to reach the shaft
| 4 tale of the men showed that some
three score were missing. but moment
later a number of the miners appeared
having escaped by Il store. There were
about twenty-five in the company who
were able to report their pres
ence to anxious friends at the
shaft. but several others who had man
aged to get out Of the stope had fallen,
| overcome by exhaustion or the fumes
which fhey had inhaled. When these
| had been numbered it was evident that
ut least twenty men and possibly thirty
| had been cut off by the explosion. and
/ pershed. Any whp survived the eX-
/ plosion would quickly have perished
| from sulfocation.
/ he nttopI.n,r fba nyn1n-
sion the survivors were for Il long time
too confused TO give an intelligent ac-
count There was no apparent danger
at midnight nor uij 10 two O'Clock. when
the underground manager Thomas John
son. now missing, last reported.
! Shortly after four O'Clock the watch
man smelled gas and burning wood and
| Manager Thomas Brown was notified.
He opened the shaft just as the explo-
sion occurred. The work Of rescue was
promptly undertaken by Assistant Gen
eral Manager johnson and Daniel Mer-
lin. underground manager Of the Hub
Coliery. with Il large number of min
| ers.
The party were confronted with many
| difficulties. Men. women and children
hung about the opening Of the stops.
weeping and distracted. Down below
/ Il pitchy darkness prevailed, lighted by
occasional brilliant bursts of the confa
| grafton raging through the pit The
lamps of the rescuing party shed feeble
CLEANS and the volunteers groped their
way down into the mime. the poisonous
! gases almost choking them. After Il
/ brief time, a body was brought up. then
another and another until eleven had
come to the surface. None OF them were
mangled, but all were hlackened. The
bodies were laid side by side in the
large room in the office building. Men
and women crowded into the place and
| the identitications were accompanied by
most pitful scenes.
In the midst of the excitement at the
mouth of the shaft. the unconscious form
of Manager Brown was brought to the
surface. The opening of a door in
one Of the passages was followed by an
explosion, and Mr.. Brown fell down,
having been made senseless by the
| shock.
In spite of the efforts of the rescuing
party the proportions of the fire in the
! pit soon forced them to give all atten-
! ton to that. The flames seemed to
gain headway despite the utmost efforts
! to check their speed The work had to