Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-03-10
FIFTYMINERSENTOMBED
No Hope of Rescuing Any of the
Unfortunate Men Alive.
TEN BODIES RECOVERED so FAR.

An Explosion Occurred Near the En-
trance of the Mine, which was
Thus Closed by the Failing Slate,
Causing Delay i'm Work of Rescue.
Fire Creek, w. Va, March Tone
of the most disastrous mine explosions
ever known in the New River district
occurred at the Red Ash mine early
yesterday morning. The explosion hap
pened as the men were going into the
mine in groups, and in couples IN some
instances, and they were strung along
in this manner for over a mile, so that
the work of rescue will require a long
time. There were more men near the
entrance who escaped than were lost.
The explosion occurred near the en-
trance, which was thus closed by the
falling slate, entombing about so men,
The scene of the disaster is between
this place and Thurmond on the South
branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio
railway, and every assistance possible
was rendered by the railway company
and by the adjoining mining towns.
Relief parties from great distances ar
rived as soon as possible. State Mine
Inspector Pinckney, with a corps of
CAPCA - anu many WOAhlu ID Oh luS
ground rendering all assistance pos
sibie.
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
NOVEL;, had all the men available at
work In trying to clear away the debris
and rescue the entombed 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 con-
centrated army OF men, but they were
greatly impeded because Of the extent
OF the enormous blockade at the en-
trance to the shift 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 some distance. The
force OF such an explosion caused an
immense 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 enc time were
digging a way with all their might
and were relieved in short relays by
other men, so as to expedite the work
of rescuing as much as possible.
The first successful strike of the
rescuers was about 10 a. m, when ten
bodies were recovered. Seven OF them
were already dead and the other three
were dying. AS the miners were To-
Gated at different 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 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. yet these bereaved people were
for the most part in the way OF the
rescuers and had to be held back from
the entrance.
The scenes around the homes where
the dead bodies are lying have drawn
some OF the immense crowd away from
the workmen at the entrance to the
mine. Those working on the rescue
relays say that the scene becomes
more terrible as they get farther into
the mine. The men become almost
faint OF heart when they strike place
filled with dead bodies
Most of the bodies that cannot be
identified or recognized have beer
placed in the large blacksmith shop OF
the Red Ash Coal company, and that
place presents the appearance of a hor.
rible morgue. Although the bodies are
mangled beyond recognition, yet they
are surrounded by those who are IN
distress and hunting their lost friends
The mine is one of the largest ii
West Virginia, and was very heavily
timbered in the different drifts. i
was for this reason feared that those
who had not been killed by fallins
debris at the time of the explosion
would be pinioned by these connected
timbers and suffer death from suffoca
ton. Air was forced into the min,
by engines on the surface, which wer,
kept working after the explosion, bu
1t was found that air could be pumped
into the drift for only a short distance
as the coal, stone and earth shut of
all possibility OF reaching the interior
The pumps and all other machinery IL
the mine were demolished, so tina
everything had to be done through
temporary arrangements on the sur
face.
The general belief is that the ex
plosion occurred by contact with dus
when the miners entered in the morn
ing with their lights, and that 1t wa
not due to fire damp, as has been cur
rently reported.
Nearly all the men employed in tn
mine were white, only about one-fiftl
being colored, and most of the me-
were married and had families in tn
little cottages near the tipple of tn
great mine.
The population Of this mining villag
Is only 500. All are miners, and tn
calamity will reach almost every littl
house in the mining town.
The following are the only names @
the dead that are obtainable thus far
B. B. Long, fire boss; Brett Lonf
workman; Tom Long, trapper; bod
Long, two boys named Long, Jane
Sanders, Charles Fouch, machine run
ner; Novelle Dewes. Sam Shoup, Car
Oowney, Charles Downey, Andrew