The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-04
FIFTY MINERS ARE ENTOMBED Thirty or More Believed
 to Be Dead. A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION Accident in Joe Letters
 Zeigler Property. Accumulated Gas and Not Labor Trou- bles Believed to Have Been Re-
 sponsibie for Tragic
 Occurrence.

 from the Letter mines. The rescue party finds 1t difficult to work owing to the absence of a proper fan to purify the mine air. All the bodies found except two show no marks of injury. indicating death to have been due to were found worked in the shaft by numbers. and their names have not yet been secured. Late today an, order for twenty coffins was sent to St. Louis besides twenty ordered earlier today.
 Benton. H.. April 3.-Fifty miners were entombed today in Joseph Lei ter's mine at Ziegler by terrific ex- piosion of gas and 1t Is probable that thirty or more of the men buried are dead.
 Thus far four bodies have been found. The explosion 1t is supposed, was due to the fact that the Letter mines are not worked on Sunday. thus allowing gas to accumulate in the low CT workings.
 After thirty-five or forty-five miners had descended into the mine today to resume work loud explosion blew the ground about the mouth of the mine high In the air. One of the steel cag- es was blown to the surface from the bottom of a 500 foot shaft.
 The shock of the explosion was felt at Benton. twelve miles northeast of zeigler. A teamster driving along a road half q mile from the mine was covered with falling cinders and debris covered the floor of his wagon half an inch deep.
 One miner was killed and four were severely injured at the mouth of the shaft in which the explosion oc- cured.
 The Rescue Work.
 The work of rescue was begun at once by miners who were coming to work at the time. The main shaft was demolished so that rescue work has to be carried on through the air shaft This has hindered the work of aiding the entombed men to such an extent that when darkness fell to- night only three bodies and one iu- jured man had been brought to the surface. These bodies were found for ty feet from the bolton of the air shaft and this is as far as the rescuers have been able to penetrate the shaft.
 
 Duquoin and other neighborilg mining towns headed by District President Morris hastened to Zeigler soon after the explosion occurred and offered their aid.
 The bodies of the dead men are so blackened that they cannot at once be identified. Rolly Campbell is the injured miner brought out of the shaft and 1t Is said he cannot live. Camp bell Is conscious, but he is unable to give any explanation of the explosion.
 c. E. Childers, a striking Zeigler miner last October predicted in a printed article that an explosion was likely to occur on account of what he termed improper ventilation of the shafts
 There were much excitement among miners when the accident became known, because there had been a strike of long duration and many con flicts have occurred between strikers and non union miners
 An all-day investigation tends to show that the catastrophe was dus to the accidental explosion of accumula- ted gas.
 The number of dead Is estimated at thirty-four; wounded eight. There were two explosions close together. The first took place in the air-shaft and was followed by one much greater in the main shaft
 There are employed in the mine on- ly 1SO men, 12O of whom worked day time. Four cages containing ten men each of the day force had gone into the mine and were supposedly at the bottom when the accident happened. Three men were removed alive but fatally injured.