The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-04-02
Adebert Merrill, Of Silver Lake, One
of the Survivors of the Disaster
Tells 9! the Explosion.
CARDIFF NOW A DESERTED CITY.
Kenosha County Boy is one of the Few EN-
ployes of the Mine Who Remains at his
Post of Duty.

The people of Kenosha city and
county have read with horror during
the last few weeks OF the explosions in
the coal mines at Cardiff, ILL.,, and the
EVENING News has received letter
from Ade1bert Merrill, of Silver Lake,
who was at the mines at the time of
the explosion. Cardiff is now a de-
serted mining town and the Kenosha
county boy is one of the few survivors
of the explosion who remain at the
mine to guard the property of the COM
pany. At the time of the great ex.
plosions Merrill was in charge of the
bell and gave the signal for the men to
enter the mine. In writing of the
horror he says:
Cardiff, ILL.,, March 10, 1908.
Dear Mr.. Editor
You have seen in all newspapers
about the awful explosions we are
having here at the Cardiff coal mines.
Last Tuesday the engines broke so the
mine was compelled to stop operation
for few days waiting for repairs.
Last Wednesday we loaded part of
the massive engines and sent them
away for repairs. Last Thursday
night fifteen men were working in the
mine when an awful explosion took
place at II o'clock. Three men were
killed and twelve badly wounded. Sun
day six men went down in the mine to
work and at $50 p. m. another explo-
o1a la 1nd hoe
and broken timbers hundreds of feet
IN the air. We got one man out alive,
and succeeded in finding two dead
bodies and three are still in the mine.
I worked until four O'Clock this morn
ing trying to get the other three bodies
out, but all in vain.
went home and got my breakfast
and prepared to go 10 work at nine
o'clock. had been over to the mine
about thirty minutes and four men had
prepared to go down in the mine to
look for the three dead bodies. had
charge of the bellIwhich gave signals
to the engineer to lower the men down
to the bottom of the mine, which is
220 feet deep.
In FIVE minutes more the men would
have been going to the bottom, when
another explosion took place
which shook the earth for miles
and miles away, throwing tim bers high
in the air, and lasted about four min
utes, blowing the top off of the timbers
which had been erected to support the
wheels which the rope runs on that
lowers the cage to the bottom of the
mine at the air shaft, where the men
go down and up in case of accident at
the hosting shaft where the coal is
hoisted to the top of the tower, where
it then runs over large screen into
the railroad cars ready for shipment.
The large fan, which afforded air for
the workmen of the coal pit, was so
badly broken that it may be some
time before it can be repaired.
Sunday night after the second ex-
plosion eighteen mules were known to
be dead. The first explosion only killed
three men, but now it is impossible for
anything to be alive in the mine, for
the air is stopped and the shaft is full
of gas and black damps. The total
number of mules was forty-seven.
About 400 men were employed in the
mine. If the men had been working
when the last explosion took place not
a living man could have been saved
from an awful death. This mine has
hoisted as high as 1901 tons of coal in
one day this winter, being very val
liable piece of property, its value being
in the neighborhood of $250,OOO, which
may be total loss to the White
Breast Fuel Co.
The weeping of the loving wives
and children waiting for the bodies of
their dead to be brought out of the
mine is something that no mortal
tongue can describe. have just been
over to see a man that was in jured in
the explosion this morning. He was
| looking down in the mine when it ex-
ploded and was struck by flying tim
| Der. He was taken home, where he
died about fifteen minutes later. This
made total number of nine dead, and
many are wounded. Another explosion
| is expected at any moment.
| I think a mine explosion must re-
semble volcano.
Very truly.
| DIET RERT MERRTTT