The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-23
One Man Killed in a Disaster at
Black Diamond.
ENTOMBED IN ADEADLY POCKET
r. A. Davis. One of the Oldest Coal
Miners on the Coast. Caught I'm
the Rush of burning Fluid and
Held to His Death Comrades
Workmen Were Badly Injured.

One man is entombed in a pocket of ter
rible coal gas and doubtless dead and two
are seriously burned as the result OF an
explosion in one of the Black Diamond
mines at 10 O'Clock "Wednesday morning
The man believed to be dead is i. A.
Davis, one of the oldest employees OF the
company,
The injured are Maurice Roccia and a
miner named Kline.
The explosion was caused by the igniting
OF the gas that suddenly burst out of a
seam between the coal vein and bedrock
at the end of hundred-foot breast being
sunk from the east gangway in mine No.
IA, in the center of the town of Black Dia-
mond. ROccia and Kline we're working
there. digging through the upper end OF the
shoot to the line of rock. when there was
a sudden binding explosion. They, how
ever. were able to run ont, and We're found
tottering along the gangway by the other
miners who fastened to the scene as soon
as they heard the noise Of the explosion.
Davis was working In another breast adj
joining the one where the explosion &C.
Cured This was connected with the lat
ter by a cross-cut, and when the gas rush
ed out of the seam the draft carried Ii
into Davis shoot, and doubtless overcame
him before he could move The accident
occurred 800 feet below the surface.
To Save Their Comrades.
All the workers of the mine. mum bering
$50. are working night and day to reach the
pocket where Davis is supposed to be ly-
ing, but thus far their efforts have been
in vain. They are able to get within
short distance of him. but there is solid
wall Of deadly black damp banked against
the upper end OF the breast that defies hui
man endurance to penetrate.
There seems to be nothing to do but to
make a cross-cut from the head of another
breast farther down to the one occupied
by Davis, and In this way create through
draft that will take away the noxious gas
and let them get to his body. They hope 10
finish this tunnel today.
The cause of the explosion will remain a
mystery until Roccia and Kline have recov-
cred sufficiently to talk. When they were
found going out of the gangway ny the
other miners they were scarcely able to
walk and could hardly speak They were
at once taken to their home and the at
tending physician forbade any talk or ex-
element until he could learn how serious
y they were injured It is thought that
the fire or gas penetrated their internal or
gans. in which case it is said to be doubtful
II they will recover
The Cause Unknown.
Roccia and Davis are the only men that
them are experienced miners. and II IS
scarcely thought probable that they would
light match or remove the covering from
their safety lamps when digging through a
vein. as there is almost certain to be gas
entering through the last stroke of a pick
Sometimes the draft created by sudden
opening is sufficient to blow the flame of
the lamp through the gauze covering so
that 1t will touch Off the infiammable air.
and 1t may have occurred In this instance
Davis was one of the oldest coal miners
ON the Pacific coast. He was connected
with the Black Diamond Coal Mining Conn
pany for forty years, having entered its
employment in the early operations in Cali
fornia- He came north for the company
when its first mine was opened in this
locality in 1883. and worked continuously
there ever since. He was over 80 years
old and had a wife and grown children
He was looked upon by the company as be-
ing one of the most careful miners In It's
service.