The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-07-10
HUNDREDS were
KILLED AT HANNA
Number Of Dead Is Now Placeo
at 234, Most of Whom
Are Married.
MERE ALL BURIED ALIVE
Explosion of Fire Damp Cut All Means
9f Escape and the Men Are Supp
81 posed to Have Smothered- $
Rescue Work Slow.

omaha, Neb., July IA special to
The World-Herald from Hanna Wyo.,
says:
Hanna was the scene of a terrible
alsaster at 1890 O'Clock Tuesday
"When an explosion Of firedamp in mine
mo. OF the Union Pacific Coal com
rpany snuffed out the lives of y284 men,
injured many others, and caused the
erty. 55;s: 5i aas -: rs ~ So
Inc mine was not fired, as was stated
IN the earlier reports but the explosion
,7;as terrific and completely shattered
me tlmoers Of the main shaft and num-
-erous entrances, filled the workings
With debris and those of the miners
mat were not killed outright by the
explosion We're buried alive. The eX-
2iosion was. heard for many 1nilei
around, and attracted people from the
,adJoinlng settlements. Huge timbers
ana railroad iron were hurled from the
mouth OF the shaft, a distance Of two
IND three hundred feet.
superintendent e. S. Brooks and a
,targe force of men went to work with
II will to remove the debris from the
:thaft and reach the ,entombed miners.
Their progress into the mine was
blocked by the foul cases. and several
Zines they We're forced to return to
he surface.
All day the rescuing party worked,
the force being increased from time to
'.lne by the arrival Of ranchmen and
'thers from nearby settlements, and by
chose of a relief train sent out from
sRaWlins which arrived at o'clock In
,he afternoon. .....t.f., ~
About / o'clock yesterday afternoon
our men We're taken out alive, and Il
half hour later they were followed by
"orty-two others. Many were uncon-
Hcious and had to- be carried from the
workings. Some were injured, but
lone fatally. Several are in a serious
cover.
Nearly 800 in the Mine.
Two hundred and eighty-two men
Ind up to a late hour last night only
sorty-e eight have been accounted for.
IF this number, two are dead Is
1t was some time after the explosion
occurred that the first man was
brought to the surface. He was
followed by others until 1 o'clock,
when the last were brought ont. The
'escuers were unable to penetrate fur
her into the mine until additional
openings had been made to permit
fresh air to reach the lower levels and
:lear away the foul gases. Horses and
sscrapers were put to work hauling de-
.oris away from the shaft, and cars
we're pushed, down the incline, loaded
and hauled back up the tipple and
Jumped ,,osps~.--
The work is progressing slowly, ow-
ng to the narrow space in which the
rescuers are compelled to operate, but
~ daylight the mine should be opened
sufficiently to permit of deep eXplOra-
ions and the rescue OF the dead bodies.
Y Some Slight Hope. '4
Late. last night a party of rescuers
.edched four mules that were alive,
and this; caused hopes to arise, in the
breasts fof; the lired workers and the
,nsious women and children gathered
about the shaft. 1t is a faint hope,
however, for experienced mine bosses
ind miners say that when the impris-
oned men are reached all will be found
lead. +
Some Of the miners who escaped said
hat they saw twenty dead bodies in
entry No. II. They reported that many
Of the, men We're crazed by the eXplo-
sion and ran hither and thither in the
nine. MANY of those could have es-
capped, but they lay down, buried their
aces in their hands, and gave up the
light. Ht5.
or the 1884 dead about It's were mar
.ried and leave large families. About
100 were Finlanders, fifty We're col
Bred, and the remainder were Amer
cans. Sc &-s$
The. Hanna mines are among the best
On the Union Pacific system, having
:oeen established in 1878. The town was
named for Senator Hanna, when he
was member of the Union Pacific
Coal. company. Mine No. 1 is practically
/ new property. It has twenty-six en-
tries, fifteen miles Of workings and q
main shaft of one and one-half miles
In length. The mine has been recog-
aized as a dangerous property for some
lime. on account of the 4afge-amount Of
yas, but the system of ventilation has
,een so good that an accident was not
anticipated. :.ii 81 60 Z. s: :..s. :; 7