The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-03-15
THE: RED Ash Mine
A Terrible Gas Explosion in the Red
Ash Colliery in West Virginia.
Old Fire Boss observation-disclosures Of
Miners Assert That the Fans
Were Not Operated for
Three Days.

Were Not Operated for
Three Days.
| Hinton, w. Va, March 7.--The most
terrific and disastrous explosions that
has ever occurred in this section oc-
Cured Tuesday morning at O'Clock
at Red Ash Coal & Coke Co.'S mines
at Red Ash, opposite Echo. Fayette
county, thirty miles west of this place.
The loss of life is appalling.
Fire Creek, w. Va, March S.-The
rescuing parties continue working
hard at Red Ash mine in removing
debris and securing the bodies of the
victims of the explosion of Tuesday
1t is still impossible to give the exact
number of the victims or to identify
all of the bodies that have been recov-
cred. The most conservative estimate
of some of those connected with the
mine places the number of killed at
40, and there are others who insist
that the number of victims will be
found to reach twice that many.
Fire Creek, w. Va, March 0.-That
the explosion at the Red Ash mines
Tuesday morning. which cost half n
hundred lives, was due to carelessness
of some einploye there is little doubt.
Suits for heavy damages will be
filed against the Red Ash Mining Co.
Col. John Sinclair, of Fayette. the at
torney of the company, who is one
of the best known lawyers in tie
state, was brought to the scene and
made "A thorough examination.
The explosion was almost certainly
due to the f,ct that the first shi.
of 80 or more men entered the inine
before the proper precautions had
been taken 10 ascertain whether
there was gas III the passageway.
| This examination is the duty oi
the fire boss. 1t is his duty to cover
every part of the mine each morni:..
before the men enter. He curried
Davy Safety lamp, which is ;,ai
to announce the presence of g:s,
fire damp.
The fire boss was Block Lai
Laing is among the missing and it
believed the shifts started to wori: c.
fore he had compie .ed his circuit. ~.
safety lamp could not possibly hay
/
lamp would certainly have done so.
Up to three weeks ago MAI
named Hearst was the fire boss. Min
ers who have known him for ycars
say that he knew his business lhol
oughly. Before his discharge IA,
stated that some OF the bradishes
| (wooden partitions used to shut oil
| dangerous or unused cnambers) need
ed repair, and if they were not fixed
soon an explosion might result. The
superintendent states that bradishes
are constantly ncing required.
Scores of miners assert that the
fan has not been in constant opera
tion the last three days before the
explosion.
Fire Creek, w. Va, March 9.-The
progress made at the Red Ash mine
! has been small, owing to first one
| cause and then another. The work.
| ing crews were tired and fresh men
were not at hand, the crowd present
being very much smaller than on pre-
vious days. Then couple of dead
mules were found mixed with other
debris in the main entry, and the
stencil made their removal task of
some time. However, fresh crew of
experienced and willing men from the
Laurel mines arrived later to lend a
hand. Superintendent Laing expects
to get through the entire job within
| the next "a hours, when the full eX-
tent of the tragedy will be known.
Others who are acquainted with the
A., l. t.,lr
to complete it. Work has progressed
| 1000 feet into the mine.
| Thurmond, w. Va, March 10.-The
total number of those taken from the
Red Ash coal mine, where the terrific
explosion took place Tuesday morn
ing, is thirty-one. OF these, VIM. Rob-
/ inson, Elisha Bruce and boy named
Tom, all colored, are living and will
probably get well. They were found
after the explosion. The dead taken
out up to this time are John Day,
VIM. Day, Matt Quarles, Jas. Wash
ington, Jas. Hackney, Sam jackson.
Chas. Fouts, Simon Fits, Nevill Ram
sey, Eddie Hamrick, Volley Agey,
John Stone, Robt. Ball, Smith Frank
lin, Hollister Noell, Isaac Morris, No
vella Dews, Lew Dodson, c. c. Stew
art, Chas. Downey, Walter Dennis, Pc
ter Chappell and six others who were
/ found in such a state of decomposi-
tion that they have not yet been iden-
titled. This makes the total number
of dead taken out %, those who will
recover three and the number still
thought to be in the mine about 20.
The body taken out supposed to be
that of Chas. Downey was found to
be c. C. Stewart, Downey's body be-
4 ing recovered later. Six others were
found, but were SO badly decomposed
that they have not yet been recog-
nized. The bodies now being found
are SO offensive that it makes work
in the mine very disagreeable and
renders necessary the use of large
quantities of disinfectants.
Killed His Brother and Himself.
Oakland, CAL, March 1O.-Alex. Car.
ter, 32 years of age, in temporary
fit of insanity shot and killed Ills
brother Charles, university student
aged %, at the house of their parents
In North RarkaIav Thau pIacip0 fh6