Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-28

All lhe men were DehInd hIm deeper

All the men were Denlnu MIN deeper
IN the mine.
BY the time he gave the warning at
the pit mouth the miners were wildly
rushing along In total dtfSneess. Their
lamps had gone out. FIantlcally they
ran, shouting vainly for help which
could not come. In their terror they
rushed blindly on, striking their faces
and outstretched hands against the
cruel coal until they fell TO rise no
more.
Such is the story as tod by the con-
fused countenances and hands OF dead
miners as they lie upon the deal planks,
silent and awful spectacles beneath the
white sheets that are spread over them
I'm that improvised morgue, while a
sturdy coal-begrlmmed miner keeps ST.
lent watch In the corner Of the building.
ABOUT VENTILATION.
In order that the layman might under
stand the situation II Is hardly neces-
sary 10 state that the first thing to be
considered In the operation OF a mine Is
successful ventilation. With this object
I'm view in driving entries from the main
entrance to a mine the work Is always
carried on by simultaneously driving
parallel entries. At stated intervals
these are Joined together by a cut be-
ing made 10 connect the two. so that
there may be no blind alley for foul air.
AS the entries are driven deeper into
the veins these cross sections are closed
up by air tight doors and another cross
section cut at q point ZONE forty feet
further along until that In turn IN
closed and an opening made stlll fur
Their along In this way practically per-
feet ventilation IL secured by the air
entering the main slope (entrance) TO
finally be sucked out by means of a
powerful fan situated at the entrance to
the man way"
In order that the air may not take any
short cuts II Is carried across the vari-
Gus entries at the top. This system is in
vogue at the Diamondville No. mine
here. BY this means, Civil Engineer +.
s. Davis OF the mine stated to the
News" this afternoon, that over ten
miles of tunnellng in the No. mine
was ventilated.
SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK.
Had the men followed the back exit
OF the air and kept ahead Of the smoke
and fumes they would all have been
saved
ONLY ONE MAN SAVED.
As It was, but one kept his wits and
Is alive today to tell the tale. His name
Is Charles Mahan; needless 10 remark
he Is ready-wltted Irishman endowed
with the characteristic Hibernlan pluck.
He Is now In the mine at this time as
slsting In the bringing out Of the bodies
of the men who failed to follow his adj
vice and leadership.
MAHAN'S STORY.
This is how he tells the story Of that
awful half hour In his race with DEATH
''The first thing that told me thai
something was wrong was when at
about o'clock in the afternoon | came
out Of one Of the rooms" My lamp
went out did not think much Of II
for the minute but went into the room
again and III my lamp. 1t went out
again and then | knew that something
was wrong. / did not stop, but rushed
out, following the air current and called
TO the coal diggers In the various rooms
as | ran. They called back 70 me,
whether they did not understand or not
! do not know, but | ran; l had to TO
get out alive"
And then Mahau stepped into coal
car and the black yawning main slope
swallowed him and his comrades as
they went In to help get out the bodies
OF the miners whose fate the Irishman
50 narrowly escaped.
Owing TO the fact that the major por-
ton Of the miners employed at D!a-
mondville Is made up OF Italians, blue
eyed fiaxen- haired Films and Austrl-
ans one and all Of whom have barely
q hnuffncr aanuotpta nGa wit IA the np1fa
OF the country of their adoption Il Is
extremely difficult to obtain any de-
tailed account Of the mine horror from
participants in that wild stampede for
light and air and life. The mine officials
state they have told all there Is to tell,
and, pending an investigation, which
win be held In the near future, there Is
nothing more TO say. AT present all
the energies OF the men and the officials
of the company are directed towards
stamping not the fire and recovering the
bodies
ANOTHER AMERICAN MISSING.
Another name OF missing has been
added to the list, that OF William Jar
man, who makes the third American to
perish I'm the horror. Jarman came TO
this camp from McAlllster, Indian Ter
ritory, two months ago, and was just
preparing 10 send for his young wife
when death overlook him.
Among those who arrived on the
scene today TO render all assistance pos
sIble was Superintendent Manson Of the
Montana division oregon Short Line, in
his private car.
Much sympathy is expressed toward
the afflicted families OF the deceased
miners and the company. the universal
opinion expressed being that the COM
pany Is In no way responsible for the
appalling loss Of life, II is expected
that the mine will soon resume work
again. when the old average maintained
by the Diamondville Coal company OF
$4,000 tons Of coal a month will once
more be under way.