The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-07
AWFUL MINE DISASTER An Explosion at Fire Creek, W. Va, Results in Loss
 of Many Lives.
FIFTY DEAD ALREADY FOUND
NUMBER OF KILLED MAY REACH
 SETENTY-FIYEO OR MORE.


 SETENTY-FIYE oR MORE.
 Work of Rescue Quickly Commenced
 tances-WorA Impeded by Big Mas.
 ofDebris at the Entrance of the Min.
 Almost Every Home Stricken.
 Fire Creek, w. Va, March 6.-Tht most disastrous mine explosion evel known in the New River district occur. red at the Red Ash mine shortly after the miners went to work early this morning Although the most heroic work of the rescuing party had beer going on necessarily all day, it is i'm possible tonight to estimate the full extent of the loss of life and property More than fifty dead bodies have been taken out and the number of dead may reach seventy-fve or more. It is thought tonight that at least forty-five miners are yet entombed in the wreck ed mine. The Red Ash mine is a large drift, and the explosion occurred near the entrance, which was thus closed by the falling slate, entombing a large number of miners.
 Scene of ,he Disaster.
 The scene of the disaster is between this place and Thurmond on the south branch of the Chesapeak and Ohio rail- road, and every assistance possible was rendered by the railroad company, and by the adjoining mining towns. Relief parties from great distances arrived as soon as possible. State Mine Inspec- tor Pinckey with corps of experts and many workmen has been on the ground during the day, rendering all assistance possible and devoting his attention more toward relief than to an official investigation as to the cause of the disaster. .---ssaaa=l-@r'TA
 Work of Rescue.
 J. Fred Effinger of Staunton, Va, the principal owner of the mine, spared no effort in the work of rescue and relief and his manager, Ferdinand Howell,> had all the men available at work in trying to clear away the debris and .arasnue <thA- ent0Uhed MeuA4I The N2an- agers and bosses of all the mines in the district came to the scene as soon as possible, and joined in the work of rescue It is impossible to describe the amount of work done by this con- centrated army of men, but they were greatly impeded because of the extent of the enormous blockade at the en- trance to the drift. The large heavy sides of the entrance were blown out to some distance, together with lot of other heavy timbers. Even mules were Jicto Thp force If such an explosion caused an immense falling of slate and other debris so that the entrance was filled up for 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 of rescuing as many as pos sible.
 First Strike of Rescuers.
 The first successful strike of the res cuers was about ten o'clock when ten bodies were recovered. Seven of them were already dead and the other three were dying. As the mines were locat- ed at different places In the drift ana the explosion caused the failing slate to blockade the rooms in different parts of the mine, the work of rescue met with one great obstruction after anoth- CT.
 Beyond Description. 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 re-opened, vet these bereaved people were for the most part in the way Of the rescuers and had to be held back from the en- trance The mine is one of the largest in West Virginia and was very heavily +,nobered 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 pin toned by those connected timbers and suffer 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 ar could be pumped into the drift for only a short distance, as the coal, stone and earth shut off all possibility of reaching fine interior. The pumps and all other machinery in the mine were demolished so that everything had to be done through a temporary arrangement on the surface.
 Use Only for Baskets.
 After the men got under headway in the work ot rescue they reached the first party in less than an hour, but they met greater difficulties after that time. It was then that the telegrams were sent to Montgomery, Charleston and other places for physicians nurses 7 and caskets, but during the greater part . Of the day there was use only for the . All work was stopped in the mines of the district, and 1 the people within a radius of many ( miles assembled on the grounds pf the ( Red Ash company. Had the accident ' occurred an hour later many more would have been entombed in the mine.
 Almost Every Home stricken.
 The estimates of the number in the ly mine when the explosion occurred are I based on the number who entered at le