The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-02
EXPLOSION KILLS
OVER 200 MINERS.
Eighty-Five Bodies Already Taken
From the Pleasant Valley Conn.,
pany's Mines i'm Utah.


pared for death from damp which they
knew would be inevitable.
TAKING OUT BODIES.
AS fast as bodies were reached they
We're taken to boarding houses and 9TH
er company buildings where they were
dressed and prepared for the coroners 8
inquest. These buildings are numerous
and I'm each are from 10 TO S5 bodies
which are laid in long rows. To those
which have been identified are attached
tags with name and addresses.
Two hundred collins have been or
dered through local undertakers TO be
sent at once TO the scene OF the disas-
ter. A special train bearing the serl-
ously wounded has started from Scho-
field for Salt Lake.
1t appears to have been one of those
accidents that are common 10 the very
best regulated mines, and against the
best endeavors OF the most competent
superintendents. The state mine in
spector is still without the data TO lay
blame on any one.
w. G. Wilson was one OF those for
tunate ones on the level of No. 1, whe
escaped. He tells his story as follows:
There was low rumbling noise
heard I'm the distance. followed by q
sort Of wave that can hardly be de-
scribed, but that Is known to all who
have been in explosions. said TO my
partner that n gas was known 20 exist
in the mine should say that an explo-
sion had occurred. / advised that we
run TO the tunnel, and with me came
six men working i'm that section. In
the main tunnel we met the driver and
asked him II he had noticed the strange
occurrence. He replied that he had al
most been knocked off the car by the
rush or air. j was then convinced that
IL was indeed an explosion. and advised
my comrades to hasten with me TO the
mouth. We met two others further on,
and they proceeded with rs. We were
reached us some three or four minutes
before we reached the open air, and al
most suffocated u.s."
The afterdamp delayed the work of
rescuing party, but the magnitude Of
the disaster soon became apparent.
BODIES IN CLUSTERS.
All the men on the raise known as
pixies Peak" were lying in clusters.
John James. a county commissioners.
and his son George, were found en-
twined ir. loving embrace in each 9TH
er's arms. Some of these men had their
oloaks about them; others had tried to
protect themselves by burying their
faces In the grould floor OF the mine.
hoping thus to escape the deadly gas
that was fast enveloping them.
Bernard Dougall. a young engineer
from Springvile, Utah, who entered the
mine few minutes before. with his as
slstants, was found with his instru-
ment set. while he and his men lay
dead around IL.
After the foul air cleared away from
No. the work OF rescue began. and IL
was soon found that a great many of
the miners of No. had been suffocated.
The men OF the lower levels had been
warned OF the explosion, and had made
their escape before the gaseous air had
reached them.
Cars were taken in and the dead were
brought TO the mouth OF the mine.
HEART RENDrNG SCENES.
Here men, women and children, rela-
tives of the dead miners. had begun to
gather, and as the bodies were brought
out and recognized by their families,
their lamentations were heart-rending
The dead were all carried into the
boarding houses directly opposite the
mine and at midnight 1877 men. nearly
all heads OF families. were laid out in
the cold embrace of death.
Thomas Parmlee, superintendent OF
the operations here, said the explosion
was brought about by giant powder
which was taken into the mine by some
of the miners, that exploded in some
unaccountable way. igniting the dust,
and causing an explosion.