Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-01
MINES OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FUEL CO., IN COLORADO ARE
ON FIRE.
WORKMEN ENT0MBED
Coroner Says Twenty-Five Men Are
Imprisoned in the Burning Works
and All Are Probably Dead-Thousht
to Have Been Two Explosions.

oner Sipe, who has begun the In
quiry into Fridays mine explo-
sion, today said that there were
about twenty-five miners entombed
and probably all of them dead. AS
the mine Is burning and cremating
the bodies it is impossible to de-
termine the exact nVmbe in the
mine.
There were but two Americans
among the miners, the others be-
ing Slavs and Mexicans.
Trinidad, Colo, Oct. S1.-More than
a score of men were killed late Fri
day afternoon by an explosion
in the mines OF the Rocky
Mountain Fuel Company Of Teroio,
forty miles west of this place. Hun
dreds Of miners from nearby camps
tried all night to get into
the mine to save any of the
entombed men who may yet be alive.
Deadly fumes overcarne the rescuers
frequently, but their places were i'm
mediately taken by others ready to
risk their lives. 1t is not thought that
anyone in the mine can escape, as the
works underground are on fire.
Most of the miners were married,
and the crowds of relatives about the
mouth of the works presented dis
tressing scene. Big bonfires were
built to enable the rescuing parties to
continue their work. Many of the
mourners knelt before images of
saints, praying that husbands or sons
might be brought out alive.
Theories AS to Cause.
Superintendent Robert O'Neill be-
lieves there were two explosions. The
first was slight. but sufficient to cause
the second, which brought the roof Of
the mine down on the men. The sup.
erintendent thinks the explosion was
caused by dust. Another theory Is that
a miner threw lighted match into a
small quantity Of powder. While some
intimate that that there is a connection
between the accident and labor
troubles, all the indications are against
this theory.
A large number of mine officials left
here as soon as news of the accident
was received. Company doctors were
picked up all along the line, as well
as all other available physicians.
F. J. Foreman, stock inspector,
said last night.
Il was standing not more than 800
yards from the mouth Of the tunnel
/ when the explosion occurred. The ex'
plosion was preceded by a low rum.
bling sound resembling an earthquake
which startled the whole camp. Out
Of the mouth of the tunnel and two
air shafts came q great volume OF
smoke and dust, which continued fol-
nearly a minute. Timbers from two to
! three, feet in diameter were shot into
the air and broken into splinters
Shower Of Debris.
Rocks were thrown over the CAM
for a distance Of a quarter of a mile
In fact, 1t rained rocks, broken timber'
and all kinds Of debris for fully a min
ute, and many people were injured b!
being struck by these missiles.
Immediately after the explosion
Z which was for all the world like a vol
canic eruption women, men and chill
dren rushed to the mouth of the tun
mel and women whose husbands wer
in the mines had to be brought ava.
by miners to keep them from beinl
killed by deadly fumes coming from
the mouth of the tunnel"
The mine in which the accident oc
Cured works eighty men, but there
:. no record of the exact number in tn
mine at the time of the explosion. TIL
mine was opened only a year ago.