The record-union., 1899-06-17
Explosion in the Principal ColIisry
at Lease Bay,
Resulting Ia the Death Of Eleven Miners
Working Underground.
That Many More Lives Were Not
Lost Due to the Fact That the
Night Shift Had Just Quit, and
Majority Of the Men Had Left
the Mime.

N1SAt SAAxt x180 just <&u1C, anu
a Majority Of the Men Had Left
the Mine.
NORTH SYDNEY IN. b., June 16.-
The most appalling disaster in the his
tory of Cape Breton coal mining oc-
CURED at the Caledonia mine at Glace
Bay, the principal colliery of the Do
minion Coal Company to-day, when
two explosions occurred, causing the
death Of eleven men. including Thomas
Johnson, the underground manager OF
the works and brother of the assistant
manager Of the Dominion Coal Com
pany.
Up to noon eleven bodies had been
recovered. The names of the victims
found up to that hour follow: Thomas
johnson, underground manager; Neil
Mcdonald of Pictou; John Doyle, ST.;
John Doyle, Jr.; Stephen Mccormick
of Sydney mine; Alexander Mcdonald,
Cape North; William Simpson, Mall
colin McCauley, Roy McDougal, Arthur
Grant
The explosions occurred in the west
pit, at a depth of about three-quarters
Of a mile, and were caused by gas,
which had accumulated in the old
workings. The full force of working
men employed in the mine at night is
about 100. but the night shift had just
stopped work, and all but about sixty
had left the mine. There was scarcely
an intermission between the cOncus-
sions. The first was dull BOOM Then
came rumbling noise like an earth
quake, succeeded by deafening, pro-
longed and awful roar, which reverber-
ated among the hills for miles and the
shock Of which shattered glass in every
direction in the immediate vicinity Of
the disaster. The meaning of the sound
was we'll understood throughout the
district, and anxious people f1ocked to
the mine entrance. Before they ar
rived suffocating volumes of coal
smoke began to pour out, showing that
fire had followed the explosion.
The officials of the mine We're among
the first to reach the shaft. A tally
showed thatsome three score were miss
ing, but a moment later number of
miners appeared. having escaped by a
slope There were about twenty FIVE
in the company who were able to re-
port 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 exhaus-
ton or by the fumes which they had
inhaled. 1t was evident that at least
twenty men, and possibly more, had
been cut off by the explosion and per-
ished
OF the incidents attending the explo-
sion the survivors were for 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
Shortly after O'Clock the watchman
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.
Grad Manager Johnson and Daniel Mer-
lin, underground manager of the Hub
colliery, with large number of miners.
The party were confronted with many
difficulties. Men, women and children
hung about the opening of the slope.
weeping and distracted. Down below
pitchy darkness prevailed, lighted by
occasional brilliant bursts Of the con-
flagration raging in the pit. The lamps
of the rescuing party shed feeble rays
and the volunteers CROPPED their way
down into the mine, the poisonous gases
almost choking them. After brief
time body was brought up, then an
other and another, until thirteen had
come to the surface. None of them were
mangled. but all were blackened.
The bodies We're laid side by side in
the large room of the office building.
Men and women crowded into the place
and the identifications were accom-
panied by the most pitiful scenes. In
the midst of the excitement about the
mouth of the shaft, the unconscious
form of Manager Brown was brought
to the surface
In spite of the efforts of the rescuing
party, the fire in the pit soon forced
them to give all attention to that.
Work had to be stopped at frequent
intervals, owing to the danger from
fire damp, and with each retreat of the
men the fire travelled with double fury.
Inc WIcCk VI Tie HllIl6 So0Ifl6O UeyOIlu
question, but later the atmosphere
cleared somewhat and the work OF
fighting the fire was effective
At noon news was sent to the surface
that it was believed that the fire was
under control and further search for
the bodies would soon be taken up, al
though at that time the rescuers were
500 feet from the scene of the explo
sion. The names of the men missing
cannot now be obtained 1t will be
nearly night before the fire will be SUBJ
dued sufficiently to permit a sufficient
advance in the mine.
1t has been ascertained that the mine
has not taken fire generally, but that
the timbering is afiame.
The mine produced 1000 tons per
day.
Later-At 2:30 O'Clock this afternoon
all the miners had been accounted for
except eleven. The body of Donald
Martin was the only one missing.
OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE DIS
ASTER
HALIFAX, June 16-According to
an official account of this mornings dis
aster in the Caledonia mine Of the Dia-
mond Coal Company at Glace Bay.
Cape Breton, there were two explosions,
the first killing six men and the Sec
ond five Fire started Near what ia