Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-04
AN EXPLOSION
Wrecks Joseph Letters
Coal Mine in SeigIer.
Four Bodies Have Thus Far
Been Recovered.
FIFTY Miners Estombed by Disaster
Work of Rescue.

Benton. ILL.,. April 3.-SOme 50 miners
were entombed today in Joseph Letters
mine at Seigler by a terrific explosion
or gas, and 1t is probable that 30 OF.
more of the buried men are dead, Thus
far Is bodies have been removed and
more than 80 are said to BE- dead. The
explosion, it is said. was due to the
fact that the Letter mines are not
worked on sunday. thus allowing gas
to accumulate in the lower workings
When between s. and A miners had
descended into the mine, today, to re-
sumo work, terrific explosion blew
the mouth of the mine high into the
air. One OF the steel cages was blown
to the surface from the bottom OF a
500 foot shaft.
The shock Of the explosion was felt
at Benton, IL miles northeast of Seig-
Ter. A te:,mster driving along a road
half mile from the mine was covered
with falling cinders. the debris covering
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 occurred.
The work of rescue was begun at
OEce 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 air shaft.
This has hindered the work of aiding
the entombed men to such an extent
that when darkness fell tonight, only
three bodies and one injured man had
been brought to the surface. These
bodies were found 40 ceet from the bot
tom Of the air shaft, ard this for many
hours was as far as the rescuers were
able to penetrate the shaft.
A committee of union miners from
Duquoin and other neighboring mining
towns, headed by District President
Morris, fastened to Seigler soon after
the explosion occurred and offered their
aid.
The bodies CT the dead are SO black
ened that they cannot at once be iden-
titled. Rolla Campbell is the injured
miner brought out OF the shaft and it
is said that he cannot live. Campbell
is conscious, but he is unable to give
any explanation of the accident.
c. f. Chalders, a striking Zeigler
miner, last October. predicted in
printed article that an explosion was
likely to occur OH account of what he
termed improper ventilation OF the
shafts.
There was much excitement among
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 tends to
show that the catastrophe was due to
the accidental explosion Of accumulat
ed gas.
The exploring party finds it difficult
to work in the mine. because of poor
ventilation Forty collins have been Or
dered and 81 reached Zeigler. tonight.
A coroner's jury has not yet been
called.
Joseph Letter is expected to reach
Zeigrr by tomorrow, although he was
reported to be on the way to Europe.
Search for bodies will continue all
night. Nearly all the bodies found show
no marks of injury. indicating death
by asphyxiation.
Superintendent Hurd of the Letter
mine, today, estimated the number of
dead at "a and possibly 80. The wound
ed total eight.
It transpires that there were two ex-
p!osions close together. The first ex-
plosion took place in the air shaft and
was followed by much greater up
hedval in the main shaft.
There are employed in the mine only
40 men, 100 being at work days. Four
cages, each containing about 10 men.
of the day force had gone down into
the mine just before the catastrophe
occurred. The explosion wrecked the
shaft, blowing out the skids on which
the cages We're hOisted. Besides the Is
bodies recovered. three men were re-
moved alive but with probably fatal
injuries. Among the dead are James
Rayburn. engineer; J. p. Fink and
Willis Campbell. The remainder are
Greeks or I.ithCanians.
Surt Hurd said, tonight. that the
shaft was wreck and that the main