The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-07
Already Fifty Bodies Have Been Taken
Out and the Work Goes On.
MOST DISTRESSING SCENES.
shricl1ing, Frantic Women and Chill
drcn Impedcd the Rcscucrs ana
Added to tho Horror of tho
WorlS-Tho Injured Are Bo-
ing Cared for as Well
as ssiblo.

FAYETTEVILLE. w. V<A.s nhaicn "
Special.-This morning the most horrible
mine disaster ever known in Fayette
County. occurred at the Red Ash coal
mine, on New River. Soon after the men
had gone to their work there was i eei-
rifle explosion.
1,ha mine was full of men. and the eA-
plosion occurred near the entrance Which
was closed by falling tlate. Fehei
crew was quickly at work. The WORKING
canaci,y of the mine is 176 men, ana IL
was being worked TO ats fun capac'1y "
fill rush orders.
N is belicved over one hundred men
were at work. Already fifty hooles nave
been taken out, and the work OF rescue
is still going on. :
state Mine Inspector Pinkney IS ON
the ground with corps OF experts, 4eilo-
ing all assistance possible.
BUT LITTLE NOISE.
-uhe explosion made but little noise. and
,ha accident was first discovered by
1abnrsr at the entrance. The injured are
being ca1,ed for as well as possible uhaef
circumstances, and every nerve IS peihs
strained to rescue those still IN the mine
The scene of the accident is three miles
above rhurmond, on the Chesapeake ana
Chic Road. The principal owner OF uhe
mine is ]. Fred. Efiinger. of Staunton,
Va. The manager is FornandIn ttoweii,
1t is believed that four-illshs o. tne
men in the mine were killed.
Tho mines are on the mountain S!de
above water, and the coal is similar 10
tha, found in Ghe Pocahontas district On
this account, it is said here, that the
n accident cannot be caused by flrc-damp
nor by gas, as supposed. but from oust'
Ss was the caEe in one of the trase"aes
some years ago In the Pocahontas mine
Tho scene is about s!Ety-flVe m'les from
This city. The miners occupied the dwell
li,irs in the vicinity OF sHle mines.
WORK OF RESCUE.
The. news Of the disaster swept through
The town like en- electric shock. and with
in :, few minutes hundreds of men, NO
men and children. relatives OF the un1or-
4,,nate miners, were crowded upon the
scene OF the disaster. As the convection
that rescue of the cntonlbed men a!lVe
WAS homeless forced itself on the grief
stricken crowds, they became frantic an
their endcavors to reach their dead ana
dying IN the wrecked shaft, and the work
of attempted rescue was organized Win
extreme: difficulty.
or the frat twelve mon brought to the
surface. five were dead or died within
I, few minutes. and several of the Others
We're horribly burned or bruised.
AS the work proceeded, and the dead
bodies were brought up one by one, che
scenes a.; the mouth of the shaft became
distressing in -hc extreme. ShTlekinS,
frantic women and children impeded the
rcscners, Aana added 90 she horror of The
work.
-, -, ], ,>-,r,,>,r1->1r,-c c1,,-rI3o1JoNu,S
Mr.. John Laing, superintendent of the
mines. makes the following statement:
.1tnr explosion occurred this morning at
To'clock Z and before all our men had sune
in AS it is, we think about forty-one
men have been lost. but II it had been
twenty minutes lat:r the loss OF life would
have exceeded $50. The work Of reScuing
is being rapidly Rashed as possible. but the
fire-danp is very strong and our men
cannot work more than ten minutes at
time, when fresh men take their places.
At the progress we are now making 1t
Will take until tomorrow evening to reach
the men. Our ventilation was good, drain
age good and roofing good, no pillars
had been removed. think it occurred
by some miner who had grown careless
going in front of the tire-boss with an
uncovered lamp. No one can tell just how
it occurred. We have gotten eight men
Oul d-1N i Iiiilh t4ltic az Z Al!AA AS
ihrce yet in the mines
Step.len, who was at the mouth of the
entrance when the accident occurred,
says:
..l,he explosion occurred about I O. clock
had Just started in TO increase the speed
pf The air-fan when the explosion occurred
Coming out of the main entrance and
Inain air course, cars. lumber and coal
were blown out with great force. and also
x,.,n n Of N tho
mine. 1t looked like big flash Of fire.
was not hurt. but was scared don't
remember much.
Henry Tucker, a switchman, says:
Il was pushing down some loads of coal
wsien wind; fire. planks ana cars struck
me, carrying me about forty yards. burn
ing my face. but not injurins me much
A mule was blown against the motor
house. knocking out the end. 1t is one
half mile from entrance into where the
mine is cavsd in.
THOSE RECOVERED.
Those recovered are as follows:
William Day, dead: James Hackney,
boss driver. dead: Sam jackson. dead;
Mat Quaries. dead: John Day, dead: Joe,
Elliott. dead.
Names OF those buried In mine so far
as ascertatned. are as follows:
z. 3. long, Sam Shelf. John Clair,
Andy pritt. Quint Steward. Charles Pafo-
Ter, Dode Long, Thomas Long, Ernest
l.cng. Carl Downey. Thomas Downey. Ed
ward Dowrcy, Berry Tucker. Ralston
Holmes. William Holmes. Ed Hamprick.
William Hambrick. Alfred Collins. Tobe5
Collins. Charles Foutz. N. c. Ramsey,
!. James washington, Norvelle Douse. John
Dousc. Ed. Harper. John Stone. Valley
Ddscs. Bill Sledge Jnn!er Sanders, Sam
shue. Granville Holmes, Randolph Jones'
\ 2ed. Hobhie.
AL mines along the river have been
Siosed for the day out of respect for the
dead and fp lend what assistance they can
towards rcscning the ertombed victims.
: The scene OF accident wears an aa:ear-
Isnce Of gloom and distress, which was
s heightened by the dreaT!ness Of the day.