The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-01
Only Eleven Have Been Recovered
from the Pit.
DRY COAL DUST IGNITED
AND CAUSED AN EXPLOSION THAT
WAS FELT ON THE SURFACE.
Several Miners Seriously Injured, One
of whom VIII Die-Other Disasters
I'm Same CoIIiery.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. March S1.-At
4:45 o'clock this afternoon an explosion of
gas in the Nelson mine of the Dayton Coal
and Iron Company at Dayton, Tenn, ig-
nited the dry coal dust in the mine and
caused terrific explosion. Twenty-Five
men are known to be dead. Others were in
jured Ten bodies have been recovered.
Twelve bodies are still in the mine. A list
of the casualties follows:
Dead-Lark Hunter, Alex. Taffer, James
Franklin, John Harvey, Thomas Shaver,
James Harris and P. G. Travis, all white;
Norris Pierson. Morgan Smith, John Rob-
inson. j. E. Hill, Bryant Smith, Mack
Foust. all colored. and six others, names
Fatally Injured-w. T. Head, brother of
James Head. superintendent OF the mine,
burned internally. will die.
Seriously Injured-James Riley, white,
right leg broken, bruised about head and
face: Will Presnell. white, badly burned;
William Scarborough. white, badly burned;
Arthur Hughes. white: George Wafford,
colored; Thomas Cummings, white; Henry
Gonyon, white.
Gas exists i'm the Nelson mine, and the
men are required to use safety lamps. 1t
is the rule of the company for the miners
to place their fuses ready to be lighted for
blasts just before quitting works each day,
and there are workmen known as fire
men" who go through the mine after all
the miners are out and set off these blasts.
The miners quit work at 4:9O o'clock this
afternoon. 1t takes about forty-five min
utes TO get out of the mine. The two fire
men" to-day, who are supposed TO have
Il
John Harney. They shot the blasts about
4:45 O'Clock, before all the miners could get
out of the mine. 1t is supposed that one of
the fuses was defective and resulted in
what is known as a blown blast" The
flame shooting out from the blast ignited
the gas which in turn ignited the accumu-
lation of dry coal dust in the mine. The
explosion that followed was horrible in its
intensity II shot out of the mouth of the
mine and completely wrecked the shed at
the mine entrance. Three men were killed
while standing outside the mine, and two
seriously and one fatally injured.
This mine has been the scene of two Sc
rious explosions in the past. In 1889 four
men were killed and eight seriously injured
by an explosion of gas. Dec. 20, 1895. an
explosion OF mine dust occurred in which
twenty -tlshl lives NtIt ioSt. ms was
caused by a miner carrying an open lamp
contrary TO regulations. In May. 1901. an
explosion of a similar nature occurred in
the Shallidav mine. operated by the same
company. in which twenty-one lives were
lost
The force OF the explosion I'm the Nelson
mine to-day was terrible. Bodies were lit
orally mangled and torn to pieces. The
company states that there were but sew
enty-hve men at work i'm the mine to-day
Most Of them were out of the mine when
the explosion occurred.
Reports from Dayton at midnight show
that eleven dead bodies have been taken
from the Nelson mine. The company claims
there are but eight more i'm the mine
Miners claim there are twelve 10 fifteen
more. Rescuing parties work hut a
a late hour tonight struck a heavy fall
of slate that will delay them for a day or
two.