Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-09-18
Two White and Fourteen COlOred Men
Known Victims.
NO CHANCE TO EFFECT A RESCUE
Parties Who Attempted it Driven Back by
Gas and SmOke-AccumulatiOn OF Gas
Caught Fire From Lamp of Miner
Men Disregarded Warning
Not to Go to Work.

Roanoke. Va, September l5.-A speciai
from North Fork, w. Va, says;
A disastrous gas and powder explosion
occurred in the Big Four mine OF the
Algoma Coal and Coke Company here
this morning about s o'clock. James
Lester. an engineer, John ROeckie, a Hun
garian miner, and fifteen colored miners
are known to be in the mine now, and
there is no chance of their being recovered
alive, as they are beyond the point where
the explosion occurred, and the gas and
smoke is SO thick that the rescuing parties
are being driven back.
Ii. +. .Frankenfeld, the tank boss, and
6eorse Gaspie, a Hungarian miner, sue
ceeded in crawling over the fallen coal and
sat. to the lights of the rescuing party,
and all have been taken out alive, although
they are both badly burned and nearly
sufocated by the Is and smoke inhaled
CAUSE OF EXPLOSION.
The explosion was caused by an accu-
mulation of gas catching on fire from the
lamp OF a miner who was going to work,
and this in turn fired six kegs OF blasting
powder that had been stored back IN the
mines. The explosion knocked down all
of the bsattices for quarter OF mile
back toward the mine entrance, thus cut
ting out all of the air from the men i'm
prisoned behind the debris.
There had been small gas explosion IN
this mine on Saturday last, which burned
two mine mules to death, and Mine Su-
perintendent A. ]. Stewart had personally
cautioned the men who worked IN the
mine not to attempt to work again until
the air bad been tested by safety lamp,
but they disregarded his caution and went
in to their death.
A rescuing party headed by Mine In
spector Cooper, attempted a rescue this
morning, but were driven back Dy the
want of air. 1t is now learned that the
coal is burning, and there is no hope OF
exhHguishing the flames until new air
passage can be built to the point OF the ex'
plosien. Superintendent Stewart has
large force of men at work now, and Will
make a second attempt to reach the I'M
prisoned men this evening.
RETURN OF RESCU1NG PARTY.
At 8 O'Clock tonight the rescuing party
returned from the Algoma mine, and re-
port that they were unable to reach the
dead or dying men imprisoned there, on
account IF the deadly black damp. The
men have been working faithfully all day,
and have so far succeeded in building air
brattices to within fifty yards of the place
where the explosion occurred this morn
ing. They have found the bodies OF the
two mules that were used by the miners
when they went to work today.
The names OF the victims have not yet
been obtained, and their identity Will not
be known until the bodies are reached by
the rescuing parties.
ELEVEN BODIES RECOVERED.
Bluefeld, WA, Sept. 10, ll:3O p, m -
A telephone message just received from
Algoma states that eleven bodies have just
nbsSs recovered from the mines, with SIX
ire 10 be taken out. So far those re-
Eered are colored miners, with the ex-
tion of one white miner named Luster.
"a names of the other men are unob'
able at this hour.
kbe fan runner, Franken6eld, who was
5ghe mine and located more than quar-
ter of a mile distant from where the explo-
sion occurred, came staggering out nearer
(dead than alive, and after several attempts
was finally able to tell his story of the ex'
plosion and how he had attempted-to to go TO
aid the entombed miners, but being over
come by the gas was forced to retrace bis
steps toward the main entrance, and after
continually failing finally reached an open
ing.
The explosion occurred one mile from
the mouth of the main entrance, and was
distinctly heard for several miles. 1t is
positively known that sixteen men were
cut off, aud it is possible that the number
may exceed this.