The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-20
Explosion Of Gas Causes the
Death Of Hundreds.
ONLY ONE MAN ESCAPED
He Was Blown from Mine and
Will Die from Injuries.
REscuERs WORKED WELL
Barriers of Slate Removed Only to Find
That Every Soul Within Had Per-
isheu-News Spread Like Wild
Fire. and Men. Women and
Children Flocked to the
Mouth of the Shaft.
fRr Associated Press.

tBy Associated Press.}
T. COAL CREEK, TENN, May 19.-The
worst disaster in the history of Tennes-
See mining occurred at 7:3o o'clock this
snorning when between 175 and 221 men
end boys met instant death at the
Fraterville Coal Mine, two miles west Of
1nis town, as result of a gas explo-
sion.
out of the large number of men and
BOYS who went to work this morning. de-
velopments at 10 O'Clock tonight show
that only one is alive and he is so
badly injured that he cannot live. This
man was William Morgan, an aged En-
giisliman, who was a road man in the
mine. and was blown out of the en-
trance by the force of the explosion One
hundred and seventy-flve miners were
checked in FOR work this morning by
were boys who acted as helpers. and
drivers to the number of perhaps fifty.
AN OLD MINE.
Frateville mine is the oldest mine in
the Coal Creek district. having been
opened in 1870. 1t is fully three miles
from the mines opeing to the point
where the men were at work. They had
not been at work long before the terri
bic explosion occurred, There was
searfu1 roar and then flames shot from
iE,e entra nee and the air shafts
News of the disaster spread like wild
;,,ln
par,ies were started in. one at the main
entrance. the other through Thistle mine,
which adjoins and in which no men We're
st work The Thistle party was una BILE
TO make any headway, as the gas stified
the workers. The Fraterville party went
fully two miles under earth. until
heavy fall of slate, was encountered. AT
this barrier men worked like demons,
hoping against hope that those beyond
might be safe
WOMEN WILD WITH GRIEF.
The scenes at the mouth of the mine,
while the workers We're within, were be-
Sond description. Business had been
suspended IN Coal Creek, and all its
mines, as soon as the news of The disas-
ter became known, and men, women and
children gathered around the fraterVille
entrance Women, whose husbands and
All day long the rescIerS toiied at The
State obstruction. and rot until O'clock
This evening did they force an entrance
through it. Up to that hour only five
dead bodies had been discovered, anG
hope was still high that many within
were safe The hopes of the living We're
doomed. however. for when once the res
lcuers could enter and proceed. they
walked through a continuous tomb o.
death There was not sign of life.
Every man had perished. they believed,
although it will be tomorrow morning
before all the rooms can be entered.
Eli ight dead bodies were first recovered,
and these were sent to Coal Creek
ITwenty-six more were soon found. They
were not distigured beyond Identification
Iana each corpse. as il was borne from
I1he mouth Of the gigantic tomb, was
surrounded by eager crowds of relatives
Iof the men who We're entomped. The
mine was not on fire, except in remote
lportions. and all bodies, perhaps, may
be reached before daylight
PARTIAL LIST.
A partial list Of the victims. scarcely
one-third is as follows:
George Atkins. mine James Slower.
foreman h cad Robert Smith.
blown off. Robert Price.
James Hightower. William Bradley,
Roscoe Bradley. Thornton McGhee,
Chas NanGegrift, ". j. Evans.
Charles Evans. Charles Brooks.
Oscar Murray, William Murray.
Marion Wilson. RaileS Wilson,
Mandy Weber, Carl Discern.
Samuel Discern. James White.
John White Walter White.
Banne Vowel and Scott Hudson.
two sons. Ed. Sorrell and 15-
Richard MassenEil. year-old son,
James whitten and John Aikens and
ten-Sear-old son. two sons.
.7rnes Strickland, William Childress,
Peter Childress. Joe Smittey,
John Chiidress. Charles Adkins,
Edward Snittey. Frank S.-arp.
Boyd Adkins, Rufus Webb,
Oscar Sharp, Roscoe Miller
Leon Miller. Albert Goodman,
Ben Sharp. Thomas Disney.
Cit Bightower.
VENTILATION WAS POOR.
The Fraterviile mine is owned by the
Goa. Creek Coal Company. of which Ma
sor E. c. Camp is president He was in
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