The Van Buren press., 1900-05-05
THE UTAH MINE DISASTER.
1t Is So Appalling that the People
Seem Utterly Unable to
Realize Its Extent.
OVER TWO HUNDRED WIPED OUT
Speculation Rife as 70 vnc Cause OF
the Explosion, rs the Mine was
Considered One of the Hest Nen-
tilated and Safest In the State
Sad Scenes ut the PITS Mouth.

Sad Scenes ut the PITS Mouth.
Salt Lake, Utah, May 3.-Two hun
dred or more lives were lost in the eX'
plosion of Mine No. of the Pleasant
Valley Coal Co., at Scotield, Utah. One
hundred and thirty-seven bodies have
already been recovered. The work ol
rescue is still progressing, although
there is no hope that any of the men
who are accounted for have escaped
death.
Scene OF the Disaster.
The scene of the disaster is just out
side this place, on the line of the Rio
Grande Western railroad. The explo'
sion, which occurred in the winter
quarters of the mine is attributed by
some to the blowing up of number
OF kegs OF blasting powder.
The company has two mines. known
as Nos. and 4. The explosion oc'
CURED in No. 4. A special train was
sent from Salt Lake bearing Supt,
Sharp of the coal company Supt. Well
by OF the railroad company, and some
doctors.
Recovering the Bodies.
As fast as bodies are reached they
are taken to the boarding houses and
other buildings, where they are
dressed and prepared for the coroner's
inquest. These buildings are numer'
Gus, and in each are from ten to thir'
ty-fve bodies, which are laid in long
rows. To those which have been iden.
titled are attached tags with name and
address. These await the coming OF
relatives or friends.
Two Hundred COGins.
Two hundred coffins have been or
dered from local undertakers to be
sent at once to the scene Of the dis
aster. A special train bearing the Sc
riously wounded has started from SEQ
field for Salt Lake.
The first news OF the Scofield dis
aster received in Salt Lake gave the
list Of killed at 25, but is was not until
evening that the full extent of the tre'
mendous calamity was understood.
Many people of this city have friends
and relatives at the mines, and the
newspaper Offices and the coal COM
pany's offices were visited by num-
bers of anxious people, who feared
some of their friends or relatives
might be numbered among the vic
Tins.
Anxiety Increased.
As the list kept constantly growing,
the anxiety of the inquirers increased,
and many of them never went to bed
The calamity was of such size and so
unprecedented in the history Of the
state and even of the west, that the
mind did not seem to be able to grasp
1t.
1t appears to be one Of those acci'
dents that are common to the very
best regulated mines, and against the
best cndeayors OF the most competent
superintendents.
The Pleasant valley Coal Co.
The Pleasant Valley Coal Co. dates
back 10 years, Its mines are at SEQ
field, where three are located; at Cas-
tie Gate, Sunnysides and Clear Creek
the latter being but seven miles from
| Sconeld.
The state mine inspector Is still
without data to lay blame on anyone
OF course, an inquest will have to de-
termine Just where the blame rests
and perhaps it never can be fully de-
termined
W. c. wilson's story.
W. c. Wilson was one of those for
tunate ones on the lower level Of No
! who escaped. He tells his story as
follows:
"1hcrc was rumbling noise heard
In the distance, followed by sort oI
wave that can hardly be described
hut that IL known to all who have beer
IN explosions, and | have been in sew
era, said to my partner that II gas
was known to exist in the mine
should say TINT IN explosion had oc
cured, | advised that we run TO III,
tunnel, and with me came six mcl
working IN thNt section. In the mail
tunnel we met the driver, and asked
him II he had noticed the strange oc
currnncc, He replied that he had al
most been knocked oR the cur by tn,
rush Of air,
Twas Indeed an ExplOsiOn.
] was then convinced that Il wns In
deed nn explosion, and advised IN,
comrades to hasten with me to III,
mouth. We met two others furthe,
ON, and they proceeded with us. w
were none too soon, for the nftel
damp reached MS some three or fouI
minutes before we reached the opei
air, almost suirocntlng u.s."
Delayed by After Damp.
The after damp delayed the work o
the rcsculng party, but the magnitude
Of the disaster soon became apparent
All men on the raise known Ms pike
Peak were lying In clusters. Johl
james, n county commissioner, wa
found with his son, George, entwloe,
IN loving embrace ineach others arms
All these men had apparently real
lied that death was coming, for al
were found as though In attitudes o
defense. Some had their cloaks ubou
them, others had tried to protec
themselves by burying their faces Il
the ground floor of the mine, hoplnI
thus to escape the deadly gas that WA
fast cnvcloping them. They must hav
lived for some time In prayerful OK
pectatlon Of rescue reaching them.