The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-16
SEVENTEEN IN MINE
NO HOPE FOR BURIED MEN AT
NORTH FORK, w. VA.
GAS AND POWDER EXPLOSION.
RESCUE PARTY DRIVEN BACK BY
WANT OF AIR.

Engineer james Lester, Hun
parian Miner and Fifteen Negro
Miners Caught in ExpIosiOn-Gas
Caught From Miners Lamp and
Fired Six Kegs of POwder-Brat-
tees knocked Down for a Quarter
of IA Mile and the Men Imprisoned
Rehind the Debris.
Roanoke, Va, Sept. ia special
from North Fork. w. Va. to the
Roanoke Times says:
A disastrous gas and powder explo-
sion occurred in the Big Four mine
of the Algoma Coal and Coke Com
many here this morning about o'clock.
James Lester, an engineer; John Rocc-
kie. a Hungarian miner. and fifteen
negro miners are known to he in the
mine now and there is no chance of
their being recovered alive as they
are beyond the point where the ex-
plosion occurred. and the gas and
smoke is so thick that the rescuing
parties are being driven back.
H. F. Frankenfield, the bank boss,
anu GCOI sc odSPlG, d L,
succeeded in crawling over the fallen
coal and slate to the lights of the
rescuing party, and have been taken
out alive, although they are both bad
ly burned and nearly suffocated by
the gas and smoke inhaled.
The explosion was caused by an ac-
emulation 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 ex-
posion knocked down all the brattices
for quarter of a mile back towards
the mine entrance, thus cutting out all
the air from the men imprisoned be-
hind the debris. There had been a
small gas explosion in this mine on
Saturday last. which burned two mine
mules to DEATH and Mine Superintend-
ent A. j. Stewart had cautioned the
tempt to work again until the air had
been tested by safety lamp, but they
disregarded his caution.
A rescuiEg party, headed by Mine In
spector Cooper, attempted a rescue this
mhrning, but were driven back by the
want of air. 1t is now learned that the
coal is burning and there is no hope
of eXtinguishing the flames until a new
air passage can be built to the point of
the explosion. superintendent Stewart
has large force of men at work now.
and will make second attempt to
reach the imprisoned men this evening.
Shut on by Black Damp.
At s o'clock tonight the rescuing
party returned from the Algoma mine
and report that they were unable to
reach the dead or dying men imprison-
ed in there on account of the dea 'ly
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
morning. They have found the bodies
of the two mules that were used by
the miners when they went to work
to-day. 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.
The Last Body Recovered.
The last one of the seventeen miners
killed by the explosion of the Algomt
mine this morning was brought out
OF the mine at II o'clock tonight.
Faithfully all day did the mine super
intendent with his force of men, work
to reach the imprisoned men before life
had fled, but their heroic efforts We're
truitless. At 10 o'clock they reached
Inc place of explosion, but not until
several of the rescuers had been over
come by the deadly gas and brought
unconscious, were the resi- found.
1t was fearful sight to watch the
crowd of men, women and children
eagerly watching each car coming
rom the mine expecting the corpse of
father, son or brother to be brought
out
All the principal mine inspectors of
me field had gathered at the Algoma
Hine, and every means known to the
experts miners was exerted to reach
me imprisoned men before death came.
Ihis disaster, coming so closely after
me end of the coal strike in this field.
VIII probably cause a suspension of
INNING in this community, as the men
nave not yet lost that spirit of dis
content of which the strike was the
result.
The Names of tn edead cannot be
given tonight.
ELEVEN ROnTT5s pEC0VERED