The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-08
WORK OF RESCUE
At RED ASHE MINE
1t Goes Steadily on Both
Night and Day.
Il MORE BODIES FOUND
THE NUMBER OF DEAD MAY REACH
SIXTY
THE MOST CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE, So
From SO to SO Still in the Mine. "a Taken
Out of Whom 29 Were Dead and 5 Ser
iously Injured. Hot Air Retards
Work of Rescuers.

Fire Creek, w. Va, March Z. The
rescuing parties continued working hard
at Red Ashe mine today in removing
debris and securing the bodies of the
victims of the explosion of yesterday.
The scenes of distress among those
appalling as yesterday. The work at the
mine continues night and day, and it is
still impossible to give the exact number
of the victims or to identify all of the
bodies that have been recovered. The
most conservative estimates of some of
those connected with the mine places
the number of killed at fifty-two, and
there are others who insist that the
number of victims will be found to reach
sixty. Eleven more bodies were recov~
cred today. report was made
at the mine during the afternoon that the
total number removed was p, of whom
fifteen are dead one fatally injured and
five others seriously hurt.
THOSE RESCUED ALIVE.
A report from the rescuers at the mine
after s o'clock tonight was that "a had
been taken out, % being dead and five
seriously injured. Those rescued alive
are
Carl Dovney. John l.. Day. Joseph Elliott,
John Kane, Harry Dawson.
While the surviving miners and others
estimate that there are at least SO min
ers still entombed, General Manager
Howell says there are still in the mine
only Sc. The estimate of the latter
would indicate that there were seventy
killed and five injured, and it is conceded
that all of those still in the mine are
dead.
None of the mines in this district are
yet working, and thousands of people
have visited the scene of the Red Ashe
disaster today. Some of the dead bodies
have been shipped to the former homes
of the victims.
Many funerals were held here today,
and many will be held tomorrow No
definite cause for the explosion has yet
been learned by Governor Atkinson, the
State and District Mine inspectors and
others who are investigating the case.
In addition to the theories of dust, fire
damp, ETC., it was claimed today that
natural gas had escaped into the mine,
and that it ignited when the miners en-
tered yesterday morning with their
lighted lamps. The work of rescuing
parties is retarded by hot air and ii is
thought the mine is on fire. Air is be-
ing pumped into the mine by compress
sion. 1t will probably be several days
before all the bodies can be recovered,
as they are scattered along for almost
mile under the ground, and it will require
much time to clean the debris from this
long subterranean course.
1t is discovered that there were three
more men in the mine than had been
supposed-Isaac Morris, Walter Dennis
and man whose name is not known, all
colored.
AT IL o'clock tonight the relief force
are within one thousand or twelve hun
dred feet of their goal.
THOSE IN THE NINE
Those in the mine at the time OF the explo
sion far as known are:
B. b. Long, Sam Shelf, John Clair. Andy
Pritt. Quit Stewart, Ed Hobbe, Robert Jones,
Granville Holmes. Sam Shaw, Junius Sanders
Bill Sledge, Vale Edgars, John Stone, Ed Harper,
Wm. Holmes, Ed Haverich, William Haverich,
Fred Collins Tobe Collins, Charles Fouts, n. c.
Ramsey, James Washington Newvelle Douse,
John Douse, Berry Tucker, Ralston Holmes,
Charles Downey, Edward Downey, Ernest Long,
Thomas Long, Carl Downey, Date Long.