The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1901-02-22
MEET i: AWFUL / De AT'H
At LEAST SIXTY LIVES LOST m a
MEME ACCIDENT.
An Explosion Isnited the Mine,
Wreckins the shaft and Impris-
oning the Miners - Village OF
Cumberland, b. G., Terribly he
renved - Definite Details Of the
Horror Not Yet Obtninable-Res-
cue Parties Fight Nobly, but Are
Blocked by Fire - Little Chance
for the Imprisoned Miners.

Victoria, b. c., Feb. 17.-An explo-
sion that 1t Is feared will be one Of
the most horrible mine accidents in the
history of the dominion occurred yes
terday forenoon at the Union mines
owned by the Wellington Colliery COM
pany, of which James Dunsmuir, the
premier of the province, is the princi-
pal shareholder. Telegraphic advices
received so far give no complete story
of the accident, but newspaper cor
respondents are now hurrying by
steamers and tug boats to the scene
and the full facts will shortly be OBJ
tainable. AS near as can be gathered
the explosion took place at about IL
o'clock in No. shaft, one Of the work
ings of the big coal mine there. This
particular shaft is situated in the viii
lage of Cumberland. There were sixty
men in it when the explosion took
place and not one of them escaped.
The explosion
Ignited the Mine.
The shaft was wrecked from midway
down to the bottom and filled it with
solid mass Of rocks, earth and tim
bers. The first explosion was followed
by several more, while the dense vol
ume of smoke issuing from the vent
holes indicated only too truly that fire
as well as gas was doing it's destructive
work below. AS soon as practicable
after the accident the men of the
morning shift in No. shaft organized
rescuing party. No. is situated
about a mile from No. 6, but the two
workings are connected by a tunnel,
and through this channel an attempt
was made to help the unfortunate fell,
lows in the wrecked shaft. They had
not cut their way many yards through
the debris when they encountered fire,
which rendered the place untenable
and obliged the party to desist for a
time. They soon returned to their ap-
parently hopeless task and labored he
roically until, overcome at last by gas
and smoke, they reluctantly withdrew
from No. S and commenced work on
long cut from No. a. the only other
means of reaching the men. Work on
this was prosecuted
With the Greatest Vigor
until abatement of the fire in No. en-.
abled them once more to return there.
ing, it being stated that the fans are
oSoAAA WI Ming dllu llldL luc cage has
got IT'S feet and is still going down in
No. Shaft. Immediately upon re-
ceipt of the news yesterday at the head
Office of the -pppsrpaliiIa mo.
John Byrnes, ex-member Of parlia-
ment, brother-in-law of the premier
and ex-nlanager Of the Dunsmuir min
ing business, said that scarcely any
hope could be held out for the men.
The only way by which any of them
could escape would be by reaching
some of the remote portions of the
mine to which the fatal gas and smoke
could not penetrate. The gas in
coal mine he said did it work in a
few minutes. Hence the hopelessness
of the task of saving men who had
been in it's for hours. The last report
of the inspector of mines reported the
shaft as complying with the regula-
lions governing coal mines.