Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-07

cue and relief and his manager, Fer
dinand Howell, had all the men
available at work in trying to clear
away the debris and
Rescue the EntOmbed Men.
The managers and bosses of all the
mines in this district came to the
scene as soon as possible and joined
in the work of rescue. 1t is impossi-
BILE to describe the amount of work
done by this concentrated army of
men but they were greatly impeded
because of the extent of the enormous
blockade at the entrance to the drift.
The large heavy side tiers of the
entrance were blown out to some dis
lance together with a lot of heavy
timebrs. Even mules were blown out
some distance. The force of such an
explosion caused an immediate fall
ing of the slate and other debris so
that the entrance was filled up for a
great distance and the difficulties in
digging through it caused delay in the
work of rescue.
AS many men as could work at one
time were digging away with all their
might and were relieved in short re-
lays by other men SO as to expedite
the work of rescuing as many as pos
sible.
The first successful strike of the
workers was about 10 a. m. when ten
bodies were recovered. Seven of them
were already dead, and the other three
were dying.
AS the miners were located at differ
ent places in the drift and the explo-
sion caused the falling slate to block
ade the room sin different parts of
the mine, the work of rescue met with
one great obstruction after another
At the mouth of the mine the scene
was beyond description, the wives and
children and the neighbors of those
who were known to be entombed were
there in full force and
Their Anxiety and Distress
were most intense. While they were
all seeking to help those who were
rescued and to get the mine reopened,
yet these bereaved people were for
the most part in the way of the res
cuers and had to be held back from the
entrance.
The mine is one of the largest in
West Virginia and was very heavily
timbered in the different drifts. 1t
was for this reason feared that those
who had not been killed by falling de-
bris at the time of the explosion would
be pinioned by these timbers and suf-
fer death from suffocation.
Air was forced into the mine by
engines on the surface, which were
kept working after the explosion, but
it was found that air could be pump
ed into the drift for only short dis
lance, as the coal, stone and earth
shut off all possibility of reaching the
interior. The pumps and all other
machinery in the mine were demol-
ished so that everything had to be done
through temporary arrangements on
the surface.
After the men got under Roadway in
the work of rescue they reached the
first party in less than an hour, but
they met greater difficulties after that
time. 1t was then that kilograms were
sent to Montgomery, Charleston and
other places for physicians, nurses and
caskets, but during the greater part of
the day there was use only for the
caSketS.
All work was stopped in the sur
rounding mines of the district and the
people within a radius of many miles
assembled on the grounds of the Red
Ash company. Had the explosion oc-
Cured an hour later many more would
have been entombed in the mines.
The estimates on the number in the
mines when the explosion occurred are
based on the number who entered at
Z o'clock. The manager stated that
by o'clock or $50 a. m. there would
have been twice as many men in the
mines.
The population of this mining viii
lage is only 500 All are miners, and
the calamity will reach
Almost Every Little House
in the mining town. None of the peo-
pie here have been at their homes dur
ing the day. but they have remained
around the Red Ash mine. Some have
not eaten during the day. Food was
literally supplied to the relays of
workmen in the rescuing party, but
many of the women who could get no
word of comfort refused to eat or go
to their homes.
At a late hour tonight, the most
reliable estimates obtainable put the
number of the victims at 125. The
capacity of the mine is 175, but there
have been only $50 on the pay roll so
far this month, and it is stated that
nearly all of these were in the mine
at the time of the explosion. The
manager, superintendent, bosses,
bookkeepers and others are very busy
with the force of reseuers, but at the
same time they are all very reticent
as to the extent of the casualties and
any other information regarding the
disaster. So far as could be learned,
there are thirty-seven dead bodies in
the village tonight, that have been
taken out of the mine during the day,
and there are also parts of human
bodies at different places. These bod
les. as a rule, are so mangled as to be
beyond recognition, and the following
are the only names of the dead that
are obtainable late tonight:
LIST OF THE DEAD.
p. B. LONG. fire boss.
BRET LONG, workman.
TOM LONG TRAINER