Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-03
Here the scene beggared all descrip-

Here The SCtuS UGSSdTeu all Q6SCTlp-
ton, for the men, women and children
relatives of the dead miners-had
begun to gather, and, as the bodies
were brought out and recognized by
their families, the lamentations were
heart-rending. The dead were all car
ried into the boarding houses directly
opposite the mine, and at midnight
1877 men, nearly all heads of families,
were laid out for Identification.
Bishop Thomas Parmley, superinten-
dent OF the operations here, gives it as
his opinion that the explosion was
caused by giant powder, which was
taken into the mine by some of the
miners and exploded in some unac-
countable way, igniting the dust and
causing its explosion.
This mine has been worked for over
twenty years, and has the reputation,
according to State Mine Inspector
Thomas, of being one of the best ven
tilated and protected mines in the
west. He states that he inspected it
less than five weeks ago, and believed
it entirely safe at that time. 1t has
never had bad air, and has always
been free from gas, and, as the coal is
Oh AOsidCQ viii pllOFClS, tuSl6 has lOL
been large accumulation of dust.
Nine-tenths of the men killed are
Americans and Welshmen. The for
mer come mostly from Utah, with a
small number from Tennessee and
Colorado.
The special train bearing four of the
injured men, arrived at the Rio Grande
Western depot this morning. Harry
Taylor, one of the injured men, said
he remembers the moment of the eX-
plosion, and he told of it, a few words
at time, between paroxysms of pain.
Il was repairing some track out on
the Dump said the injured man,
when | started toward the mouth OF
the tunnel to get some tools. | got
about fifty feet away from the tunnel
mouth when, suddenly there was an
awful report, and the same time a
black cloud, filed with rocks bore
down on me. | felt several small rocks
strike me; then | felt jolt on my
side and then-then 1 came away"
said the injured man, with CHASTITY
attempt at smiling. Next thing I
knew l woke up with man pouring
some brandy down my throat and [
saw the boys lying all around me
moaning for help. We were fixed up
and put on the train"
]. NJ. Bette, of Scofield who is the
company's storekeeper, said on his ar
rival this morning that no words could
portray the horror, the sadness and the
appalling extent of the catastrophe.
When he left, none could tell how
many had been killed, but it was
thought that the shift in No. had
been wiped out and many killed in No.
l. Whether a powder explosion or a
dust explosion, or both, had not been
decided in fact, no one had any
thought but to rescue the injured, re-
cover the dead and relieve the suffer
ing.
The financial loss to the company
will be great. In every way it is re-
garded as the worst disaster ever oc-
curing in this part of the country.
The nearest approach to it was the
Southern Pacific Almy, (Wyo.) explo-
sion five years ago, when over 100 men
were killed.
The theory of Bishop Parmalee is
that some of the Firms recently i'm
ported secretly took giant powder
down into the mine to assist them in
their work. They were exceedingly
anxious to make a good showing and
make as much money as possible, and
it is thought this form of explosive
was used in order that great bodies of
coal could more easily be dislodged.
1t is thought that when the giant pow
der was touched off it ignited dust.
A curious fact connected with the
affair is that five men, Thomas Sellers,
Alex C. Wilson, John Wilson, Harry
Taylor and John Bedoes, who were
working outside of the mine, were Sc
verely hurt
John Wilson was blown with his
horse a distance of two hundred yards
across the bottom of the canyon. The
back of his skull was crushed and
something had been driven into his
abdomen. He is in terrible plight
Thomas Sellers was fifty yards away
from the mouth of the tunnel, but he
had his right foot crushed, shoulder
knocked out of place and has back
badly hurt.
Harry Taylor had his jaw broken
and John Bedoes was seriously bruised
Three hundred and ninety-eight men
entered the mine for work yesterday
morning and a great majority of them
have persisted. 1t will not be surpris-
ing if the total deaths aggregate 500.