Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-05-22
The FAYETTEVILLE
MINE HOLOCAUST
One Hundred and Seventy-Five
Men Died in the Burn
ing Shaft.
ONLY ONE MAN ESCAPED
Understandable Scenes at the Mine az
Charred Bodies OF tho Men
Wero Taken Out OF the
Fiery Furnace.

| Coal Creek. Tenn, May 21-The
worst disaster in the history of Tennes-
| see mining occurred at 1880 o'clock yes
| terday morning, when between 175 and
225 men and boys met instant death at
the Fratewile coal mine. located two
miles west of this town. as q result OF
| Il gas explosion.
| Out of the large number of men and
| boys who went to work. developments
| at 10 o'clock last night showed that
| only one is alive. and he is SO badly In
| jured that he cannot live.
1 This man was William Morgan, an
aged Englishman, who was a road man
in the mine, and was blown out of the
entrance by the force of the explo-
| sion.
| One hundred and seventy-flve miners
| We're checked in for work by the mine
| boss. lii addition to these there were
boys who acted as helpers, and drivers
and road men, and others to the num-
Der of perhaps fifty.
| The lTraterville mine is the oldest
| mine in the Coal creek district, having
been opened in 1870.
| 1t is fully three miles from the mines
opening TO the point where the Hlen
| were mt work. They had not been at
| work long before the terrible explosion
occurred. There was IA terrible roar
and then flames shot from the entrance
| and the air shafts. News of the disas-
| ter spread like wildfire, and as soon as
order could be brought out of chaos
two rescuing parties We're started in,
one at the main entrance the other
through the Thistle mine, which adj
Joins, and in which no men We're at
| work. The Thistle party was unable
TO make any Roadway, as the gas
stiiled the workers The Fraterville
party went fully two miles under the
earth until a heavy fall of slate was
encountered. AT this barrier men
worked like demons, hoping against
hope that these beyond might be safe.
The scenes at the mouth of the mine
while the workers We're within We're
beyond description. Business had been
suspended in Coal Creek and all it's
| mines rs soon as the news of the disas-
ter became circulated and men, women
and children gathered around the Fra
terville entrance.
Scene OF Grief and Despair.
Women whose husbands and sons
We're within We're Wild with grief. All
day long the rescuers toiled at the
slate obstruction, and not until 8
O'Clock did they force an entrance
through it.
Up to that hour only five dead bodies
had been recovered, and hope was sttll
high that many We're safe. The hopes
--'--'so s'So-NANNA' o".S' -
for when once the rescuers could enter
ana proceed they walked along one
contlnuous tomb OF death. There was
not sign OF me. Every man has per-
lshed, they belleve, although 1T VIII be
early IN the morning before all the
rooms can be entered.
Eight dead bodies We're first recov-
cred, ana 1hese We're sent to Coal
creek. lWehly-slN We're soon found.
lheg We're MOI dlslgufed peVohd
lueiltiil@l'loE anu each corpse, as ~
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uas ny ~.
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