The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-07

NOiPS VI tApertS anu many WOrkmen mas
been on the ground during the day rem
der.ng all assistance possb BILE, and devot-
to an official investigation as to the cause
of the disaster.
The mine officials had all the men avail
able 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 res
cue.
Force of the Explosion.
1t is impossible to describe the amount
of work done by this concentrated army
of men, but they were greatly impeded
because of the extent of the enormous
blockade at the entrance to the drift
The large heavy side tires of the entrance
were blown out to some distance, together
with lot of heavy timbers. Even mules
were blown out some distance.
The force of such an explosion caused
an immense falling of slate and other de
bris so that the entrance was filled up for
a great distance and the difficulties in dig
ging through 1t caused delay in the work
of rescue. AS many men as could work al
one time were digging away with all their
might and were relieved in short relays
by other men so as to expedite the work
of rescuns as much as possible.
The first successful strike of the res
cuers was about 10 O'Clock in the morn
ing, when ten bodies were recovered. Sew
en- of them were already dead and the
other three were dying. AS the miners
were located 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.
AgOnizing Scenes.
At the mouth of the mine the scene was
beyond description, the wives and chill
dren 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 reopened, yet these bereaved
pople were for the most part in the way
of the rescuers and had to be held back
from the entrance
The mine is one of the largest in West
Virginia and was very heavily timbered
in the different drifts 1t was, for this
reason, feared that those who had not
been killed by falling debris at the time
of the explosion would be pinioned by
these connected timters ana surfer death
from suffocation.
Air was forced into the mine by engines
on the surface which were kept working
after the explosion, but it was found that
air could he pun. led into the drift for
only a short distance as the coal, stone
and earth shut off all possibility of reach
ing the interior. The pumps and all other
machinery in the mine were demolished
so that everything had to be done through
temporary arrangements on the surface.
More Need for Collins.
kilograms We're sent to Montgomery,
Charleston and other places for physi-
clans, nurses and caskets, but during the
greater part of the day there was only
use for the caskets. All work was stop
ped In the surrounding mines. and the
people within a radius of many miles as
semb,ed on the grounds of the Red Ash
Company
Had the accident occurred an hour later
many more would have been entombed in
the mines.
The estimates of the number in the
mines when the explosion occurred are
based on the number who entered al
o'clock. The manager stated that by s
o'clock or $50 a. m. there would have
been twice as many men in the mines.
The popula tlon of this mining village is
only 500. All are miners, and the calam-
ity will reach almost every little house in
the town. Food was literally supplied to
the relays of workmen in the rescuing
party, but many of the women who could
get no word of comfort refused to eat or
to go to their homes.
Victims Number 125.