Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1905-04-07
THE zE|CLER, ILL.,,
MINE EXPLOSION
Upwards of Thirty Miners Are Said
to Have Lost Their Lives.
SHOCK FELT TWELVE MILES.
Searching Parties Unable 20 Pene.
trate b Mine, Owing to the
Demolition of the shaft and
Mass Of Debrm

DNH'Ohb III, HDIh II OOlIlc IOIIN
miners were entombed. Monday, is 10.
seph Letters mine at Zeigler, by a ter.
rifle explosion Of gas, and it is prob
able that thirty or more Of the buried
men are dead.
The explosion was due to the fact
that the Letter mines are not worked
on Sunday, thus allowing gas to &C.
cumulate in the lower workings.
When between 80 and 40 miners hat
descended into he mine, Monday
morning, to resume work, a terrific ex.
plosion blew the timbers about the
mouth of the mine high into the air.
Cae of the steel cages was blown TO tn:
surface from the bottom of a 5G0-foo,
shaft. The shock of the explosion
was felt at Benton, ~ miles distant.
One miner was killed and four wers
severely injured at the mouth OF tn
shaft in which the explosion occurred
The work of rescue was begun at ono
by miners who were arriving when the
explosion took place, but the main
shaft was demolished, so that rescue
work has to be carried on through the
III 0idli. IDIo ndo IlilutltI lIlt WI N
of aiding the entpmbed men to such
an extent that when darkness fell Mon
day night only three bodies and one
injured a had been brought to the
surface. These bodies were found iG
feet from the bottom of the air shaft.
a committee of union miners from
Duquoin and other neighboring towns
h,.I.I -, ni.t,;at D,..;yapt N1nrrtc
fastened to Zeigler soon after the OK
plosion and offered their aid.
The bodies of the dead are so black
ened that they can not at once be iden-
titled. Rolly Campbell is the injured
miner brought out of the shaft, and II
Is said that he can lot live. Camp
bell is conscious, but he is unable &c
give any explanation of the accident.
There was much excitement among
the miners when the accident became
known. because there had been a strike
of long duration and many conflicts
had occurred between strikers and non
union miners.
An all-day investigation tended tc
show that the catastrophe was due to
lIlt dI'IlflIldI ChDloCIoll vi
ed gas.
Up to ten o'clock Monday night Is
dead bodies had been recovered. Th'
work of rescue Is made very difficult
and dangerous by the foulncSs OF the
air in the mine. Only two of the bod
les found show marks Of the explosion
Death in the other cases having evil
l..,1. ..,,r,a1 y,n,, nIth ,Fviatinn
The Latest Estimate.
Benton, H., April THE number
of dead Is estimated at "a; wounded
8. 1t transpires that there were two
explosions close together. The first
explosion took place in the air shaft
ard was followed by a much greater
upheaval in the main shaft. There
were employed in the mines only
1870 men, 1870 being at work days
Four cages containing ten men OF the
day force had gone into the mine, and
were supposedly at the bottom when
the catastrophe occurred,
OF the "a men thought to be dead
only Is had been taken out at ten
o'clock Monday night.
superintendent Herd says the shaft
is a wreck, and that the main entrance
is so disabled it will take a week to
repair it.
In the effort to recover the entombed
men. five rescuors were overcome by az
ter damn. All the searChers for the
men below were let down 10y hand. In
tNo instances the men above were near
ly overcome by gas.
AID uvoc IAN uIc TpOUpl &C