The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-05-05
GIANT AND COAL DUST
CAUSED EXPLOSION

Scohcld. May 2.-Statc Mining In
spector Thomas has been in the min
aI day. coming out only at short inter
walls. When he did appear he was s.
worn and overcome by the noxiou
damp that he sought rest at once. H,
did not talk about the accident to any
great extent Tor that reason. but hi.
Investigations have not Yet been com.
plcted ana he has formed no decided
opinion, though he is half convinced
that the explosion came from coal dust
ienited by a great flame from the ex-
plosion Of giant powder, either in the
open or by the blowing out of blast.
He is making more Investigations and
win be here till the last of the bodies
is taken out
Until the inquest has been held and
all the mass of fncoherent talk is re
duced to succinct form on the witness
stand. he win not be in position to
form a settled opinion.
inspector Thomas went in the mine
last night at o'clock and remained
till early in the morning. He will be
at work again after a very short sleep.
There is as yet no definite informa-
ton as to the cause Of this explosion.
Neither Superintendent Sharp nor his
assistant, H. C. Williams, offers any
thing but theories They cannot very
well do anything else at this time, for
there is no man alive who was at the
immediate point of the explosion-or.
rather. where the first explosion took
place.
Two Explosions.
According to their statements. there
were two explosions. the first being
box Of giant powder or blown-out
blast and the second the explosion of
coal dust 1t was this latter which
did the great damage, The giant pow
der may have killed those in its vicin-
iy. but as these men work in pairs,
not i'll crowds, that is not likely to
have killed more than two or three.
The dust explosion would, of course. (
run in all directions, blasting by its
concussion and burning with its flames
everything and everyone in reach.
Then arose the fearful after-uamp. |
which is deadly poison.
Those men killed in tunnel No. 4. or
the far greater number of them. came
10 their death by the conclusion and
the burning. Those found in the cross
entries and rooms" Of tunnel No. 1 |
died through the effects of the after |
damp, that came as the result of the
awful explosion Then it rapidly per
meated every nook and corner Of the
cross entries and the rooms: it
reached across to tunnel No /. through
the joining cross entries. raises, levels
or dips, as they are variously termed.
1t came upon the men quickly and
stcalthily, and they were overcome be-
fore they could realize what was the
matter Such was the experience Of
those men who did not hear the noise
li the explosion. Mos. of those men
In tunnel No. 4 or in its entries and
rooms who heard the sound escaped.
Many others were blown to destruction
1y it. for the concussion reached TO
some Of the entries Of tunnel No. /.
Company Is Criticised.
These men do not blame the COM
amy as a body They are too stunned
{ this time too hard at work hunting
riends and relatives and identifying
hem as they come out dead. to think
almly about anything But there are
aen who make quiet complaint. almost
nder their breath, against what they
all neglect Of the company. These de-
lare that the managers have neglect
d the safety of the men in failing IN
ampen and keep wet the coal dust
-hich gathers in the main tunnels in
he cross-enuies. the rooms and everv-
there.
Some of them have declared in very ]
ositive terms that had the company s
ept this dust damp there would have {
cen no explosion, for the reason that +
here could have been no dust in the d
ir to explode
In all these tunnels and entries the "
oor is perfectly dry" said an old t
inner, who has worked in the mire !
IF and on FOR eight years. IF this l'
Sp!osion was caused by dust there :
ouid have been no explosion if there
ad been water on the floor on if it had o
cen sprinkled In this it seems to me p
lere is negligence. 1t is known that it
lst viii cause trouble Of this kind if "
lere is a great flame. Now. there have = y
cen in this mine men handling giant g
1wder who did not know anything
bout it or practically nothing. I have a
zen instances Of gross careleseness on d
le part of the men, The managers of =,
le company must have known of this
nd they should have made provision
gafnst an exnlosion of this lind | p