The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-16
MANY KILLED IN
 MINE EXPLOSION
Seventeen MenGonhned and No
 Chance for Escape
REsc0ERS ARE DRIVEN BACK
Explosion Caused by Accumulation of Gas Catching Fire From Lamp of Miner Going Setting
 Off Powder.

North Fork, ". Va, September 15.- A disastrous gas and powder explosion occurred in the Big Four mine of the Algoma Coal and Coke company here this morning about o'clock, as the re- suit of which James Lester, an engineer; John Rocckie, Hungarian miner, and fifteen colored miners are known to be ] imprisoned in the mine. There is hardly one chance of the men being recovered alive. as they are beyond the point where the explosion occurred. The gas and smoke Is so thick that all rescuing par ties have been driven back. H. F. Frank enfield, a mine boss, and George Gaspie, a Hungarian miner, succeeded in crawl ing over the fallen coal and slate after the explosion to the lights of the res cuing party and were taken out alive, although badly burned and nearly suffo- cated by the gas and smoke inhaled.
 The explosion Is said to have been caused by an accumulation of gas, catch ing 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 explosion knocked down all of the brattices for quarter of a mile back towards the mine entrance, thus cutting out all of the air from the men imprisoned behind the debris.
 There had been small gas explosion in this mine on Saturday last and Mine Superintendent A. J. Stewart had per sonally cautioned the men who worked in in the mine not to attempt to work again until the air had been tested by safety lamp.
 A rescuing party, headed by Mine In- spector Cooper attempted a rescue this morning but were driven back by the want of air.
 It is now learned that the coal is burn ing and there Is no hope of extinguishing the flames until new air passage can be built to the point of the explosion.
 Superintendent Stewart has a large force of men at work now and will make a second attempt to reach the imprison- ed men this evening.
 At s o'clock tonight a rescuing party returned from Algoma mine and report ed that they were unable to reach the men imprisoned in there on account of the deadly black damp.
 The men have succeeded in building air brattices within fifty yards of the place where the explosion occurred. The bodies of the two mules that were used by the miners when they went to work today have been found.
 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 party.
 The last one of the seventeen miners killed by the explosion of the Algon mine this morning was brought out of the mine at Il o'clock tonight Faithfully all day did the naine superintendent with his force Of men work to reach the impris- oned men before life had fled, but their heroic efforts were fruitless. At 10 o'clock they reached the place of the explosion but not until several of the rescuers had been overcome by the deadly gas and brought out unconscious were the rest found.
 It was a fearful sight to watch the crowd of men, women and children eag- erly watching each car coming from the mine expecting the corpse of father, son or brother to be brought out.
 All the principal mine inspectors of the field had gathered at the Algoma mine and every means known to the expert miners was exerted to reach the im- prisoned men before death came.
 This disaster, coming so closely after the end of the coal strike in this field, will probably cause suspension of min ing in this community. as the men have not yet lost that spirit of diseontent of which the strike was the result
 The names of the dead cannot be given tonight