The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-20
AT COAL CREEK, TENN.
Believed That Not a Person
 Escaped Fatal Injury.
Not Known How Such an Accumula- tion of Gas Was Possible, as the Ventilation Was
 Considered Sufficient

Coal Creek. Tenn. May 1s.-The worst disaster in the history of Tennessee min- ing occurred at 7:30 o'clock this morning when between 175 and 225 men and boys met instant death at the Fraterville coal mine, located two miles west of town, as result of gas explosion.
 Out of the large number of men and boys who went to work this morning, de- yelopments at 1olo'clo tonight show that only one is alive, and he is so badly in- jured that he cannot live. This was Will liam Morgan. an aged Englishman, who was road man in the mine. and was blown out of the entrance by the force of the explosion. One hundred and sew enty-five miners were checked in for work this morning by the mine boss. In addi- ton to those were boys who acted as help CTS, drivers, roadman and others 70 the number of perhaps fifty.
 Fraterville mine is the oldest mine in the Coal Creek district. having been open ed in 1870. It is fully three miles from the mines opening to the point where the men were at work. They had not been at work long before the terrible explosion occurred. There was fearful roar and then flames shot from the entrance and the air shaft.
 Rescue Parties Formed.
 News of the disaster spread like wild fire, and as soon as order could he brought out of chaos. two searching par ties were started in. one at the main en- trance, the other through Thistle mine. which adjoins, and in which no men were at work. The Thistle party was unable to make any headway as the gas stified the workers. The FraterviIle party went fully two miles under the earth until heavy fall of slate was encountered. At this barrier men worked like demons, hoping against hope that those Beyond might be safe.
 The scenes at the mouth of the mine while the workers were within are be- yond description. Business hadfbeen sus-' pended in Coal Creek and all its mines as soon as the news of the disaster be- came circulated. and men. women and children gathered around the Fratervile entrance Women whose husbands and sons were within were wild with grief. All day long the rescuers toiled at the slate obstruction and not until o'clock did they force an entrance through 1t. Up to that hour only five dead bodies had been recovered and hope was stirl high that many within were safe. The hopes of the diving were doomed, however, for when once the reSCueTS cOui0 eHIeT anu proceed, they walked along once contin- uous tomb of death. There was not sign of life. Every soul had perished, they believed, although it will be early in the morning before all the rooms can be entered.
 Eight dead bodies were first discovered. and these were sent to Coal Creek Twen-- ty-six r,ore were soon gathered today. They were not disfigured beyond identifi- nd VI horne from the mouth of the gigantic tomb was soon surrounded by eager crowds of rela- tives of those who were entombed. The mint was not on fire except in remote DOT tions, and all bodies will perhaps be reached before daylight.
 Partial List of Dead. A partial list of the victims, scarcely one-third, Is as follows:
 George Adkins. mine foreman. head blown of.
 Z James Hightower.
 Robert Smith.
 Robert Price.
 James Slower.
 William Price.
 Roscoe Bradley.
 William Bradley
 Thornton McGee.
 Charles Vandergrif.
 W. J. Evans.
 Charles Evans.
 Charles Brooks.
 Oscar Murray.
 William Murray.
 Marion Wilson.
 Railey Wilson. Mandy Webber.
 Robert Smith.
 Carl Discern.
 George Discern,
 James White.
 Walter White.
 Bannie Vowell and two sons.
 Richard Massengill.
 Scott Hudson.
 Robert Smith
 James Whitten and ten year ola son. Ed Sorrel and 15 year old son.
 John Aikens and two sons.
 James Strickland.
 Peter Childress
 William Childr sss.
 John Childrcss.
 James Childress.
 Joe Smittey.
 Edward Smittey.
 Charles Adkins.
 Boyd Adkins.
 Frank Sharp.
 Oscar Sharp.
 Rufus Webb.
 Leon Miller.
 Roscoe Miller.
 Ben Sharp.
 AlDFEJ
 Cit Hightower.
 Thomas Disney.
 Hurrying from Cincinnati.
 The Fraterville mine is owned by the Coal Crock Company, of which Ma ior l.. C. Camp Is president. He was in Cincinnati and is now hurrying to the scene of the disaster. In 1901, after in- specting Fraterville Mine, State Commits sioner of Labor R. A. Shiflett reported that the ventilation was not up to re- uurements. that the furnace was in adequate to vsntilate the mine and that airways were choked in places. He found that 164 men were at work on the day of his visit requiring by statute 15.- 200 cubic feet of air per minute. The volume of air entering the mine, he said. was only 5000 cubic feet per minute.
 Mine Inspector Shifiett who was at Nashville when the news of the disaster