The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-03-15
TERRIBLE MINE HORROR
OVER ONE HUNDRED MEN KILLED
By EXPLOSION.
Fifty Dead Bodies Taken Out and the
The News Sweeps Through the
Shock Men, Women and Children
Frantic in Their En0eavOrs to
Reach Their Dead and Dying.

Charleston, W. Va, March 6.-The
greatest mining horror in the New
River region occurred at Red Ashe,
about o'clock this morning by an ex-
plosion in the drift mine Of the Red
Ashe Coal Company. The mine was full
Of men and the explosion occurred near
the entrance, which was closed by fall
ing slate. A relief crew was quickly at
work. The working capacity Of the
mine is 175 men and it was being work
ed to its full capacity to fill rush or
ders. 1t is believed over 100 men were
at work.
Already fifty bodies have been taken
out and the work Of rescue is still going
on.
State Mine Inspector Pinkney is on
the ground with a corps Of experts
lending all assistance possible.
The explosion made but little noise.
and the accident was first discovered
by a laborer at the entrance. The in
/ jured are being cared for as well as
possible under the circumstances and
every nerve is being strained to rescue
those still in the mine. The scene Of
the accident is three miles above Thur
mond. on the Chesapeake and Ohio
road. The principal owner of the mine
Is j. Fred Efiinger, Of StauntOn, Va.
The manager is Ferdinand Howell. 1t
Is believed that four-fifths of the men
In the mines We're killed.
The mines are on the mountain side
above water and the coal is similar to
that found in the POcahOntas district.
On this account, ii is said here that the
accident cannot be caused by fire damp
nor by gas. as supposed, but from dust,
was the case in one of the tragedies
some years ago in Il Pocahontas mine.
! The district is wild one on Rush Run,
which is a south branch of New River.
! having its mouth at Thurmond. 1t is
! about sixtyfve miles from this city.
i The miners occupied the dwellings in
! the vicinity of the mines.
The news of the disaster swept through
the town like an electric shock and
| within d few minutes hundreds of men,
women and children, relatives of the
unfortunate miners. We're crowded upon
the scene of the disaster. AS the con-
VictiOn that the rescue of the en-
tombed men alive was hopeless forced
itself on the grief stricken crowds they
| became frantic in their cndeavors to
! reach their dead and dying in the
wrecked shaft. and the work of at
tempted rescue was organized with eX-
| trcmc difficulty. OF the first twelve
men brought to the surface five were
! lead or died within 81 few minutes, and
several of the others were horribly
burned or bruised.
AS the work proceeded and the dead
Ir4icS were brought up one by one the
"rcn,S - the mouth OF the shaft be-
. rrSSinp the Shrek
/ uG, frantic women and children i'm
Of Grd the rescucrS and added to the
i.u!rur If til" Wrc K.
Fire Creek, w. Va, March 6.-After
twelve hours work at the wrecked
mine for relief, it is stated tonight
ihat there are at least fOrty-fiVe miners
. still entombed.
At & late hour tonight the most reia-
Ill" estimate Obtanable puts the number
! If the victims at l2J. SO far could be
earned there We're thirty-scven dead
podics in the village tonight that have
,ecn aiken out of the mine during the
lay. and there are also parts of human
rodcs at different places. mangled beyond
",,..oHnition. Most of the bodies that can
ct he identified or recognized have been
rlarcd in tie large blacksmith shop CIV
nI the shop the appearance of Il horrible
"orclIc.
The general belief is that the explosion
-.ruir>G ~ contact with dust when tht
miners entered with their lights,
hat it was not due to fire damp. h
zen currently reported all day. Nea!
Il the men employed in the mine
.hit". only about One-fifth being color,
/ nd most of the men were married an!
al families in the little cottages near
= tipplc Of the great mine.
\ sp .cial train arrived tonight from
.."ntgOmery filled with reporters, physi-
ANS nurses and others. and car
attained thirty Baskets.
Aft'r tho arrival of the train an order
as sent back to MONTGOMERY for tift~
.,'!c Baskets. Another train arrived frOl =
nllcSton with physicians. baskets al Il
- supplies. Still another train cam
- fiom Hinton. but there is no need =
ysi,i;tnS and nurses. as the victims al
/ .tId. There is great need of undertakers@
I'd expert mine workers. The work of
'ECUc is being continued during the night
ii viii be kept up until the mine is
AR
Latcr.-Thc latest report since midnight
that there are only fifty miners en-
.InheG. instead Of 125. Only ten bodies
ave been taken out so far instead of
i.iy-seven. as previously reported but
. = believed that all of the forty still in
Tie Ininc will never be found alive.