Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-07

Lamps Sad Scenes at the MiIis Mouth.
FIRE CREEK, w. Va, March 7.-The
first reports of the explosion at Red Ash
mine were greatly exaggerated. The
latest reports since are that there were
only 80 miners entombed instead Of 1876
Only ten bodies have been taken out sc
FAR instead of 81, rs previously reported,
but it is believed that all of the 40 that
are still in the mine will never be fou ID
alive. The explosion happened as the
men We're going into the mine in groups,
and in couples in some instances, and
they were strung along in this manner
for over mile, SO that the work Of res.
cue will require long time. There were
more men near the entrance who es.
capped than were lost.
The Red Ash mine is large drift,
and the explosion occurred near the en-.
trance, which was thus closed by the
falling slate, entombing large number
of miners.
The scene of the disaster is between
this place and Thurmond, on the south
branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio rail.
way, and every assistance possible was
rendered by the railway company and
by the adjoining mining towns. Relief
parties from great distances arrived as
soon as possible. State Mine Inspector
Pincl1ney, with a corps of experts and
many workmen, has been on the ground,
rendering all assistance possible and de.
voting his attention more toward relief
than to an official investigation as to the
cause of the disaster.
J. Fred Effinger, Of Staunton, Va,
the principal owner of the mines, spared
no effort In the work of rescue and re.
lief, and his manager, Ferdinand How.
ell, had all the men available at work in
trying to clear away the debris and res
cue the entombed men. The managers
and bosses OF all the mines in this dis.
trict came to the scene as soon as posi-
BILE and joined in the work of rescue. II
is impossible to describe the amount of
work done by this concentrated army OF
men, but they were greatly impeded be.
cause Of the extent of the enormous
blockade at the entrance to the drift,
The large heavy side tires of the ell.
trance were blown out to some distance
together with lot Of heavy timbers
Even mules were blown out some dis
tance.
The force Of such an explosion caused
an immediate falling Of the slate and
other debris, SO that the entrance was
filed up for great distance and the
difficulties in digging through it caused
delay in the work Of rescue. As many
men as could work ut one time were
digging away with all their might ant
were relieved in short relays by orhel
men so as to expedite the work Of res
cuing as many as possible.
AT the first successful strike of th,
workers 10 bodies were recovered
Seven Of them We're already dead ant
tho other three We're dying. AS thu
miners were located at different place
in the drift, and the explosion caused
the falling slate to blockade the rooms
in different parts Of the mine, the worl
Of rescue met with one great obstruc
tion after another. At the mouth of tn,
mine the scene was beyond description
the wives aud children and tho neigh
bors of those who were known to be en-
tombed We're there in full force, an,
their anxiety aud distress were most in
tense. While they We're all seeking /,
help those who We're rescued ana to ge
the mine reopened, yet these bereave,
people were for the most part in the wa,
| of the rescuers and had to be held bacl
| from the entrance.
| Tho mine Is one of the largest in Wes
Virginia and was very heavily timbere,
| IN the different drifts, II was for thi
reason feared that those who had no
been killed by falling debris Mt the tim,
| of the explosion would be pinioned b,
| these connecting timbers and suffcl
| death from sutfocation. Air was forced
| into the minc by engines on the surface
which were kept working after the ex
! plosion, but II was found that air coul'
be pumped into the drift for only shor
distance, rs the coal, stone and eartl
shut of all possibility of reaching th
interior. The pumps and all other ma
chinery.in the mine were demolished, sC
that everything had to be done through
temporary arrangements ON the surface
| After the men got under Roadway il
the work of rescue, ,they reached the flrs
party IN less thar an hour, but the,
met greater difficulties after that time
II was then that kilograms We're sent l.
Montgomery, Charleston and othe
| places for physicians, nurses and cas-
kets, but during the greater part of tn
day there was use only for the caskets
The estimates ON the number in tn
mines when the explosion occurred IN,
based ON the number who entered at u
o'clock. The manager stated that by
o'clock or $50 a. m. there would hay
been twice as many men iii the mines
The population of this mining villag
is only 500. All are miners, and tn
calamity will reach almost every littl
home In the town.
Those working on the rescue relay
Raid that the scene became more terribl
ms they got further into the mine. TIL
men become almost faint of heart whe
they stuck place filled with dead bod
tes,
Most Of the bodies that cannot
identified or recognized have been place
in the large blacksmith shop Of the Re
Ash Coal company, and that place prt
sents the appearance Of a hoyribl
morgue. Although the bodies are man
gled beyond recognition, yet they ar
surrounded by those who are in distres
and hunting their lost friends.
The general belief is that the explc
sion occurred by contact with dus
when the miners entered with thei
! lights and that 1t was not due to fir
damp, as has been currently reported a
| day. Nearly all the men employed i
the mine We're white, only about on'
j fifth being colored, and most Of th
+. men were married and had families l
the little cottages near the tipple of tt
] great mine,