The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1900-05-11
Number Of Deaths Caused by Explosion Now Placed One
Hundred and Ninety>nne.
Cause the Explosion Sill Matter Of Conjecture Bot Believed Have Been
BY Dynamite the Hands Of n-Reis
and Orphans being Raised Official sisemsn, Issued by
Pleasant Valley Coal Company

Tho worst mine disaster ever re-.
corded IN America occurred at tunnel
No. 4 Of the Pleasant Valley Coal com-
pany's mines at scohcld. Utah, at io;ta
n. NJ, May l. The bodies Of al least
1876 persons have been recovered aud u
is admitted that four yet remaio TO be
accounted for.
The number OF killed and injured Is
a matter OF dispute.
Mr.. Sharp, superintendent OF the
mine, says there were 300 men at the
minc In tunnels Nos. I aud 2 AZ the
time OF the explosion, ar.l Of this mum
Der about 100 are accounted for among
tic living Injured However there
Ia great variancc between the figures
given by Mr.. Sharp and those given by
Bishop parmley. mine superintendent
the third In authority. The latter
places the number Of men at work In
the mine at not les than 800, which
would Indicate that somewhere In the
mine number Of bodies are buried In
debris
Ninc-tenths Of the men killed are
Americans and Welsh Tho former
come mostly from Utah, with a small
number from Tennessee and Colorado,
In several families every male member
Is numbered with the dead.
A. soon "a the explosion became
known n rcscuinR party was collected,
but could not enter the mine for at
least an hour on account Of Gre damp.
They first tried to enter tunnel No l.,
but were driven back, They then tried
No, 4, where they found the air begin
ming to circulate, aud after clearing
away the fallen aud dead horses ut the
mouth OF the mine they entered about
two hundred yArds when they came
upon the dead bodies 81 six Of the men.
From that time on bodies were en-
countered In all parts OF the mine In
profusion, and were brought out so
rapidly as to make II difficult to main
tain correct count A. first hopes
were entertained that great
many Of the miuers would be
found alive II they could be reached
quickly. With this idda In view rescue
work was prosecuted vdith great vigor,
but with a total lack OF system. Peo-
pie ran here. there and everywhere, In
the hope OF saving some friend or rela-
tive, aud while laborlng under this ex-
eitement things became 80 chaotic as
10 defy ENHANCEMENT. Following the
tirst excitement came stupor--a sense
ofbeing overwhelmed which lasted for
several days, from which IL seemed im-
possible TO arouse many, To make them
OF any assistance In establishing order,
OF the bodies recovered, nearly all
were In good condition. A few were
horribly burned aud blaolSened by the
flames at the time Of the explosion,
and few were MANNED and almost
unacceptable hon being blown
against the solid walls The great
portion Of deaths resulted from Gre
damp, however, poison generated by
the explosion-that renders one UNI
conscious as soon "a breath Ia
inhaled.
This death-dealing are damp did
not extend to all parts OF the mine, a.
is evidenced by the finding OF six live
horses In tunnel No. / three days after
the explosion. Not having the intel
ligenee to scent danger, they did not,
like their keepers, endeavor to escape
only to run into aud succumb TO the
poisonous fumes. How many men
thus ran into the arms OF death will
never be known, but 1t Is presumed to
be many.
OF those In No, 4, where the explo-
sion occurred, there was no chance to
escape. The explosion was 40 terrific
that nothing could live, Horses were
blown against the walls aud killed,
and one man, driver, was blown out
OF the mouth al the mine aud across
tho canyon distance OF 500 feet,
picked up alive and will recover. This
incident, which Ia one Of many, gives
an idea OF the immeasurahle power re-
leased, which created such sad havoc.
The cause Of the disaster, II Is ad-
mitted, was the ignition Of coal dust,
How this occurred, however, Is and
always will be a matter OF conjecture,
for there are no witnesses, An who
were near enough TO have furnished
any enlightenment were blotted out Of
existenre fnstnutlv IL Ia lhouvht "A