The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-29
TWENTY THREE LIVES LOST BY THIS
ACCIDENT.
ONE BODY CANNOT BE FOUND
OF the Dead Ninteen Were Killed by
the Explosion and Four by After
Damp-The Five Rescued Seriously
Injured The Horrible Sight Wit
messed by the Rescuers-The Bodies
Terribly Burned Most ofthe Victims
Leave Large Families.
Messenger Bureau.
Raleigh, n. c., May "a.


Raleigh, n. c., May "a.
Yesterday J. F. Harrell, who is the
superintendent of the Cumnock rail-
way, arrived here after collins, and
from him the whole terrible story was
gathered. He says the explosion oc-
CURED in the 460-foot east eve In
this q men were at work, under the
direction of Mine Superintendent John
Connolly. He and % of them were in
stantly killed by an explosion of gas
Tue to a broken glass or defective
gauze of a safety lamp. The explosion
was not heard at the surface. There
We're twenty-five miners at work
in the west level and these heard it
and hurried to the rescue. The scene
of the explosion was about half a mile
east of the shaft.
The dead were found piled one upon
another, in a space not more than for
ty feet square and 1t was evident as
they were facing the air course or
duct, by which air is constantly forced
into the mine, that the instant they
heard the explosion they had made a
dash to get to the duct. Five were saw
ed by ~rescuers and those thus saved
| were nearer the duct The twenty
three killed were burned by the flame
and bruised by the flying debris and
so are the five saved The latter are
very seriously injured and two of them
are expected to die, one of them being
Garland Thomas, white. The other
four are negroes.
Of the killed ten are white n thir-
teen colored. The dead n injured, as
rapidly as found by the rescuers, who
~ro~ol aHo,t with Cofnfxy 1arnnC in
hand, were placed in the little cars and
taken to the shaft and then lifted to
the surface. The hair was burned off
their heads and their faces. necks and
hands were so scorched that the skin
fell off at a touch. The ears were in
most cases burned ito a crisp, yet the
clothing was not burned.
One body has not been recovered,
that of Sam Mcintyre, colored. and it
is said there is no hope of finding it.
Som think Mcintyre was entirely
burned or blown to pieces or that he is
covered by debris. The mine was not
wrecked, and the costly machinery is
uninjured. BY midnight all the bodies
We're out save McIntyre'S.
Harrell says he worked all night. 1t
was found that nineteen men were
killed by the explosion and Jour by the
terrible after-damp. Harrell says this
after-damp has a peculiar and most
lOthsome odor and that he felt as
if his very system was saturated with
it. There was a great deal of fire
damp in the mine; it appear that this
a always been the case.
The scenes at the plymouth were
horrible in the extreme. All the min
ers live in Cumnock village, which
with several thousand acres of land is
owned by the company. The screams
and groans of the wives and children
0f tho IaoI f11nl thn oir Tho hndinc
of the dead were aid side by side in
a long row.
OF the dead the Mine Superintendent
Connolly was from Pittsburg, Pa.
and he leaves a very young wife and
two pretty little girls. James McCar,
they was from Ireland, and was the
boss contractor. He secured labor FOL
the mine and oversaw the laborers
The other dead, both white and color.
ed, were from this state, nearly all, IL
fact, from the vicinity of the mine
Most of the dead leave large families
some having fv to seven children.
The mine is now owned by a Syndi
cate, for which Samuel F. Henszey i!
the manager. He was in New York
but was telegraphed for and arrived
this afternoon. He had given order:
that all the dead should be buried a
the company's expense and their fam
lilies properly looked after. The bodie!
of Connolly and Mccartney were EN-
balmed and were sent to Pennsylva
MIA this evening. These two men haC
large salaries, making something lik,
5000 a mon each.
There are several mules in the mine
which draw cars. One of these wa!
killed. Every hair was burned from
it's body. The rush of flame vas Xix,
a blast.
The Langdon mine is quite near tn
Cumnock. Work is in progress da,
and night Upon the slope which i
being driven in order to strike tn
seam of coal. This slope is now dow
over 400 feet and it is said has not a
yet struck the seam, but only Jumps o
coal.
On the first day of Tune a new com
pany, a Philadelphia syndicate, take
charge of the Cumnock mine. 1t /
said there will be no interruption o
work. The accident vas due entirel
to a defective lamp.