The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-04-07
HORROR IN
AN ILLINOIS MINE
Explosion Is Reported to Have
Caused Many Deaths of
Non-Union Miners.
GAS HAD ACCUMULATED
The Explosion Blew the Shaft. :.
Pieces-Fif tssn Bodice .Ars Re.
covered, but Some Of Them
Are Unrscoenizable.

i Benton, H.. April a.--soue tst,
miners We're %ento,nbed In Joseph Lett
er's mine at. ziegler by a terrific en-
plosion of gas. and 1t is probable tfnt
thirty OF move of the hurled meil ,,e
dead.
The explosion was due to the fact
that the Letter mines are not worked
on Sunday. thus allowing gas 10 aecuMa-
ulate in The lower workings.
When between thirty-tive and forty
five miners had descended into .ne
mine to resume work Il terrific eNplos-
ion bclw the timbers about the moa,h
of the mine high into the air. One Of
the steel cages was blown TO the SUI
face from the bottom of u 5~Oo-foot
shaft. Thu shock of the explosion Was
felt AT Benton. twelve miles distant.
one miner WAS killed and four were.
severely injured at the mouth of the
shaft in which the explosion occurred.
Were Two Explosions.
The aumbe of dead is estimated att
thirty-four. wounde eight. 1t traIA-
pires that there were TWO explosions
close together. The first explosion took.
place in the air shaft aad was fol-
lowed by a much greater %upheaNa} IA
the main shaft. There were employed
In the mine only $50 men, 12o men being
~ dhSS. TOuI cages, eiCl GI's-
tanning ten men of the day force, bad
gone down into the mine and were s. p
posedly at the bottom when the catas-
trophe occurred. The explosion wreck-
ed the shaft, blowing out the s,ids on
which the cages We're hoisted. OF tie
thirty-four men thought to be dead
only thirteen have been taken out. Re
sides these bodies three were removed
alive. bur With fatal injuries
Among tile dead are:
JAMES RENBURN. engineer.
j. =. FINK.
WILLIS CAMPBELL.
Ihe remainder are Greeks and I.t:n
and We're designated by mu,f!.
bers.
Shaft a Wreck.
Superintendent Hurd said that the
was Il wreck and that the inai,.
entrance was so disabled hat ii would
q week TO repair it. In the effort
10 recoNe. the men five res
cuers We're overcome by ~afterdamp.
All the searchers for the men below
were lei down by hand. In two IN
stances the men above We're nearly
by gas.
The work of rescue was begun at once
by miners who We're arriving when the
took place, but the main shaft
was demolished so hat rescue work
mad TO be carried on through the air
shaft. This has hindered the work OF
AIDING the entombed men to such an ex-
leht that when darknes fell only three
and one injured mar had been
brought to the surface. These bodies
We're found forty feet from the bottom
OF the air shaft and this is as far as
The rescuers have been able TO pe.le-
rate. A of union miners from
Duquoin and other neighborlny min
ng towns, headed by District Presi-
lent Morris. FASTENED to Zeigler sool
utter the explosion occurred and o.
their aid.
Bodies Not Identified.
The bodies of the dead are so biack.
that they annot at once be iden-
lified. Rolly Campbell is the injured
miner brought out of the shaft. n It
S said that he cannot live. Campbell
s conscious, but he is unable to give
my explanation of the accident.
There was much excitement among
he miners when the accident becan1.
Snown, because there had been u strike
If long duration and many conflicts
1ad occurred between strikers and
miners.
An all day investigation tends to
show that the catastrophe was due 10
be accidental explosion of
ID gas.
Up to 10 o'clock fifteen dead bodies
lad been recovered. The work of res
is made Very difficult and danger
'us by the foulnesS of the air in the
nine. Only two bodies found show
marks of the explosion. death in the.
'ther cases having evidently resulted
rom asphyNiation.
Joseph Letter is expected to reach
leiglel, although it was at first report
ID that he was en- route to Europe.
work will continue all light.
Tonight th,rty-one coftins, accom-
panied by am undertaken. arrived IN