The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-16
A MINE EXPLOSION
HORRIBLE AFFAIR IN BRITISH
COLUMBIA.
THE DEADLY MINE GAS.
SIXTY MEN CAUGHT LIKE RATS IN
A TRAP.

Accident Occurred at the Union
Mines OF the WeIling CoIIIery--An
Explosion at IL O'Clock Caught
the Entire Shift-Not One Escaped,
Rocks and the Mine on Flre-The
Rescuers Driven Back by the
Flames.
Seattle, Wash, Feb. 15.--A dispatch to
the Post-InteNigencer from Victoria says:
What is feared will prove one of the
most horrible mine accidents in the his
tory of the Dominion took place to-day at
the Union mines. owned by the yelling
Colliery Company of which James Duns-
muir, the premier OF the province, is the
principal shareholder.
Newspaper correspondents are now hur-
rying by steamers and tugboats to the
scene. AS near as can be gathered, the
explosion took place about IL o'clock this
forenoon in No, shaft situated in the
village of Cumberland.
There were sixty men in 1t when the
explosion took place and not one of them
escaped. The explosion ignited the m n,
wrecking the shaft from midway down
to the bottom and>flling it with solid
mass of rock, earth and timbers. The
first explosion was followed by several
more. while dense volume of smoke
pouring from the vent holes, indicated
that fire as we'll as gas was doing de-
structive work below. Men of the morn
ing shift in No. shaft organized a
rescue party. No. and No. 6 are con-
nected by tunnel and through this chan
mel the attempt was made.
They had not cut their way many yards
through the debris when they encounter
ed fire, which rendered the pace un-
tenable and obliged the party to desist.
The message came back by telephone
to the surface conveying the heart-break-
ing news to the relatives of the impris.
oned men, whose urging was not necessary
to induce the relief party to return to
their apparently hopeless task. Overcome
at last by gas and smoke, they reluctant
ly withdrew from No. aud commenced
work on long cut from No. 4, the only
other means of reaching the men. Work
on this was prosecuted with the greatest
vigor until abatement of the fire IN No.
enabled them to once more return there.
The fans are now working again, the
cage has been sent down It's feet, and is
still going down in No. shaft Many
of the men are married and have large
families.
From the head office Of the Dunsmuir
Company here. a special train left at 1.15
to Nan.mo. Premier Dunsmuir's personal
representative, A. l.. Lindsey his SON
Robert Dunsmuir, Mr.. Lite, the superin.
tendent of the mine, and Inspector of
Mines Morgan left on this special At
Nanimo, which was reached this even
ing, the Dunsmuir steamer Joan awaited
them, and on her they will proceed sixty
miles by water to Union Bay the remain
ing six miles by land to Cumberland to
be made on the Dunsmuir colliery railway
The scene of the accident will be reach
ed by midnight.
DIR. Walkem, the colliery surgeon, viii
join the party of officials at Nanimo and
will accompany them to the mine.
Even should the rescuing party reach
the interior of the wrecked workings to-
night there is little hope for any Of the
men locked up in the shaft. The only
possible escape would be by reaching some
remote portion of the workings to which
the fatal gases and smoke could not pen
citrate The gas in a coal mine the pre-
miers brother-in-law said tonight did its
work in a few minutes. Hence the hope
lessness of the task of saving men who
had been i'm 1t for hours.
The last report of the inspector Of mines
pronounced the shaft as complying with
regulations governing coal mines.