The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1902-07-16

1
Slope and Conemaugh Mine. They
are slowly working their way toward
the scene of the explosion, but must
night the gas every step of the way.
Canvas screens are being used to wall
all The side entrances and rooms so as
TO force current of pure air ahead of
The rescuers. Engineer A. G.. ProSser,
who, with Mr.. Moore, entered the
main opening, came the to surface at
Mill Creek Thursday and Immediately
set about getting men and material to
assist in the rescue. 1t will be abso-
iutely impossible to state the loss of
life until the reScuerS reach the scene
of the disaster, which may be several
hours, possibly midnight
TRYING TO SAVE WHITNEY.
Harry Rodgers, the mine foreman,
his assistant, William Blanch, with
Fire Bosses John Whitney, John Re-
tallick and John Thomas, were not in
the Klondike when the explosion took
place, but started down Il short time
later 1t Is feared all have perished.
Griffith Powell and Thomas Foster,
two other fire bosses, carried MIR.
Whitney two hundred yards i'm the
hope OF saving his life, when
they were compelled to drop
their burden and save them
serves. MIR. Whitney was unconscious
while being carried by his friends.
The fifteen-year1old son of Harry
Rodgers, whenShe heard that his father
had been overcome with fire-damp,
started down toward the Klondke to
help rescue him, il possible, and he
had no sooner entered Ihe drift when
the deadly gas almost overcame
the lad and he had to becarried back.
His tongue protruded its whole length
from his mouth and men had to force
his Jaws apart with Il stick to prevent
lackJaw Young Rodgers, who is en-
ployed in The mine, was among those
who escaped through the Mill Creek
shaft.
THE BoD!Es OF FIFTY MEN.
Several miners have reached the sur
face who were working near the scene
or the explosion. They say that they
passed through Il portion of the Klon-
dixie district and saw the bodies of
at least fifty men. The men who
came out were foreigners and were in
such an excited condition that it was
impossible to get connected story
from them. Il
Tlie.smine has been open for about |
nifty years and is producing 3, 600 tons |
per day. 1t is the property of the |
cambria Steel Company. The fami- |
lies or the entOmbed miners are as
Sembled in large numbers at the mine |
opening, but they cannot get any defl- |
mite information and must endure a |
suspense OF many hours. - 81
ARMoRY Asa sioReuE.
The armory of Company II, 5th reg
iment, n. q. p, will be turned into a |
charnel house.
After conference it was an
nounced that the dead miners would |
be brought to the armory Friday. |
PlankS have been laid on chairs in the |
armury and the removal of bodies will |
begin at an early hour in the morn
ing.
The ambulanceS of all the under
takers in the city are at Mill Creek in |
readiness To begin the transfer of |
bodies.
At midnight President Powell |
StackhOuSe was seen at the mouth of |
the mine and gave out the following |
statement:
The disaster is an awful one and |
came on us entirely unexpectedly. The !
mine had been inspected only three |
days ago and was pronounced in salts |
factory condition. In the thirty years |
that the mine has been in operation |
no serious accident has occurred. The |
cause is yet indefinite, but | believe |
it was caused by gas escaping from |
the fifth heading, which was closed |
and was not being worked because it !
contained gas, into the sixth heading. |
TIE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES
is now placed at l25. No list Of the !
names of the dead miners can be given. |
for the majority of them were for
cignerS, and were known only by check !
and not by name. The only way their |
names will ever be known, if the |
bodies are recovered in time for iden-
titication, will he by their families
sending their names to us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NINE.
The mine in which the disaster oc-
Cured is one of the largest coal mines
in the United States, according to the
statement of officials tonight. From
the entrance in the hill across the
river from the point to the one at Mill
Creek is distance OF three and three
quarters miles. The * klOndikc section.
i'm which the explosion occurred, is
about two miles from the Mill Creek
entrance.
The mine is divided into large
number of headings, levels and sec
tiOnS. The sections run oil TO the left
and right of the headings, and are
known as rights and lcftS by the
miners. The men who escaped this
afternoon have spent years working in
it. Otherwise they could never have
reached the surface. Lights were out
and there was no way for them to find
their way to the top had they not
known the mine perfectly.
EFFECT OF THE EXPLOSION.
The few survivors who have cscap-
cd from the depths of the mine de
scribe the condition as frightful. out
side of the "KlondikcH the mines are