The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-03-10
MINERS SHUT IN.
Frightful Accident at the Red Ash
Mines Near Thurmond,
West Virginia.
RESULT OF AN EXPLOSION OF NINE GAS.
after Twelve Hours OF Rescue Work Up
wards OF Fifty Bodies Had Been Taken
Out-Only Threo OF the Men Were Res.
cu.d Alive, and They Arc No Expected
to Live.

to Live.
Fire Creek, W. Va. March S.-fhe
most disastrous mine explosion ever
known in the New River district oc-
Cured at the Red Ash mine shortly
after the miners went to work early
Tuesday morning. Although h most
heroic work of the rescuing party had
been going on Observation-Disclosures was
impossible Tuesday night to estimate
the full extent of the loss of life and
property.
The Red Ash mine is n large drift,
and the explosion occurred near the
entrance, which was thus closed by
the falling slate, entombing a large
number of miners.
The scene of the disaster is between
this place and Thurmopd, on the South
branch of the Chesapeake d Ohio rail-
way, and every assistance possible was
rendered by the railway company and
by the adjoining mining towns.
Relief Parties Soon Arrived.
Relief parties from great distances
arrived as soon as possible. State
Mine Inspector Pinckney, with a corps
of experts and many workmen, was
on the ground during the day, render
ing all assistance possible and devot-
ing his attention more toward relief
than 10 an official investigation as to
the car,Se of the DISASTER.
j. Fred Efinger, of Staunton, Va,
the principal owner of the mines,
spared no effort in the work of rescue
and relief, and his manager, Ferdinand
Howell, had all the men available at
work trying to clear away the debris
and rescue the entombed men.
Joined In the Work of Rescue.
The managers and buses of all the
mines in this district came TO the scene
as soon rs possible, and joined in the
work CT rescue. 1t is impossible 10
describe the amount of work done by
this concentrated army of men. but
they were greatly impeded ecaus of
the extent of the enormous blockade
at the entrance to the drift. The
large heavy side tires of the entrance
were blown out to some distance, TO-
gsther with a lot of heavy :iInbers.
Even mules were blown out some dis
lance.
Delay In the Work of Rescue.
The force ofsuch an explosion caused
an immense falling of the slate and
other debris so that the entrance was
filed up for n 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 relays by
other men so as to expedite the work
as much rs possible.
Ten Bodies Recovered.
The first successful strike OF the
rescuers was about 10 a. M, whea ten
bodies were recovered. 1t wa icund
that seven of them were already dead
and the other three were dying.
As the victims were brought to the
surface and carried away on the hasti-
reconstructed stretchers, it was fire.
quently noticed that many anxious
watchers met their husbands, fathers.
brothers and SONS among the %rescuers.
when they thought these men were in
the mines. These meetings between
the men who had not yet entered the
mines and their families were very
touching. All those who could not find
their friends in tie crowd assumed
that they were in the closed mine.
We're All Neighbors and Friends.
The population of the village is only
500. All are miners, and they all know
each other. There was great distress
all day among those who could not
find their friends Or hear from any
ore that they had been seen since the
explosion.
As ThurE.ond is only three miles
from the scene of the disaster, there
we're some few in the mine who lived
at that place. but for the most part the
victims resided here, and the calamity
will reach almost every little house in
the mining town.
Refused to Eat or Go Home.
None of the people here had been
at their homes during the day, but re-
manned around the Red Ash miIe.
Some had not eaten during the day.
Food was literally supplied to the re-
lays of workmen in the rescuing party,
but many OF the women who could get
word of comfort refused to eat or
go to their homes.
The Horror Grows.
After IL hours work at the wrecked
mine more than fifty dead bodies had
been taken out, and the num-
Der of dead may reach IS or more. 1t
was thought, Tuesday night, that at
As miners were yet entombed in
the wrecked mine.
As the miners were located ut diff
ferent places in the drift and the en-
caused the falling slate to
blockade the rooms in different parts |
of the mine, the work of rescuing the
met with n great obstruction
another. The inner rescued at
ten o'clock were not far from the en-
while others were at much
greater distances winthin the drift.
The exciting scene around the en-
to the mines where all these |