Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-03-07


taken The Miners-Details of The
Catastrophe.
FIRE CREEK, W. Va, March u
The most disastrous mine explosion
ever known in the New River dis
trict occurred at the Red Ash mine
shortly after the miners went to work
early yesterday morning. Although
the most heroic work Of the rescuing
party has been going necessarily, it
is impossible to estimate the full
extent of the loss Of life and prop
erty.
More than fifty dead bodies have
already teen taken out and the mum
Der of the dead may reach seventy
five or more. It is thought at least
forty-five miners are yet entombed in
the wrecked mine
The Red Ash Mine is a large drift
and the explosion occurred near the
entrance, which was closed by fall
ling slate, entomb1ng large number
of miners.
The scene of the disaster is be-
tween this place and Thurmond, on
the south branch of the Chesapeake
q Ohio railway, aVd every assistance
possible was rendered by the railway
company, and by the adjoining min
ing towns.
Relief parties from great distances
arrived as soon as possible. State
Mine Inspector Pinckney, with a
corps of experts and many workmen
have been on the ground during the
day, rendering all assistance posi-
bic and devoting attention more.
toward relief than to an official in
vestigation as to the cause of the
disaster.
j. Fred Eflinger, of Staunton, Va,
the principal owner of the mines,
spared no effort in the work of res
cue and relief and his manager, Fer
dinand Howell, had all the men
available at work in trying to clear
away tle debris ard rescue the en-.
t0mbed 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
impossible 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
distance together with a lot of heavy
timbers Even mules were blown
out to some distance. The force of
such an explosion caused an imme
diate falling Of the slate and other
debris so that the entrance was filled
up for a great distance and the diff
culties 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 relays by other men SO as to
expedite the work of rescuing as
many as possible.
The first successful strike of the
workers was about 10 A. NJ. when ten
bodies were recovered. Seven of
them were already dead, and the
other three were dying.
As the miners were located at diff
ferent places in the drift and the
explosion caused the falling slate
to blockade the rooms in 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 neigh
bors 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
anime re-opened, yet these bereayed
people were for the most part in the
] way of the rescuers 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. It
was for this reason feared that those
who had not been killed by falling
debris at the time of the explosion
would be piaioned by these timbers
and suffer death from sutfocation.
p 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
pumped into the drift for only short
distance as the coal. stone and earth
shut off all possibility of reaching
the interior. The pumps and all
other machinery in the mine were
demolished so that everything had
to be done through temporary ar
arrangements on the surface