The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-19
DUST EXPLOSION
CAUSED DISASTER
Dinner Hour Saved Hundreds Of
Miners From the Fate Of
Their comradcs-The
Rescue Work Made
Difficult By Tons
of Wrcckage.
(By .Assoclated presaA

s CHARLESTON, w. VA, January H.
Eighteen men are believed to have ,,ca,
Killed in Il terrific explosion to-day In
one or the mines of the Detroit and Ka-
nawha Coal. Company at Detroit, on Paint
Creek, this county. twenty-five miles from
mere. The men who were in the mine at
the time OF the explosion, and who are
believed to have perlshed. are Isaac PAN
cake John Snyder. Charles snyder Isaac
Snyder a. N. soyine, james MccardIe.
Patrick McCardle. Stephen McCardle.
". +. Neal. Peter Brldgeman, Edward
BridgemaD, Philip Bridgeman, Melvin
Bridgeman, John Nickel. Edward Nickel
Claude Sanders. Patrick Mclaughlin.
John Mclaughlin.
Dinner Hour Saved Hundreds.
The four Bridgemans were brothers, as
We're the three Snydcrs. the three Nc.
Cardles and the two slickels. The Me.
i-aushiins wtre father and son. Tha,
more men were not in the mine at the
tiine OF the accident WIS due TO the fact
tliat almost all of the day men, consisting
OK miners. leaders and drivers. wen, eat,
ing their dinners on the outside. and
thus escaped the fate of their comrades.
Inc explosion occurred at 1870 O'Clock
iiat ~ oeth elther before or after the
noon hour the death LIST wouId ba,,.
been stin more appalling as hundreds Of
men would have been killed The force
OF lhe explosion was SO great that tho
hills trcmbled. Tons of wreckaea and
debris We're hurled from the mouth o,
the mine. blocking the entrance ana
making the work OF rescue difficult.
Recovering the Bodies.
News OF the awful disaster quickly
Spread 10 nearby mines and hundreds Of
men We're so1El at the scene, eager To
join In the effort to rescue the entombed
miners If alive or recover their bodies
II dead. The vcntilating fan was blown,
out of position by the explosion and II
was not until four o'clock this afternoon
that II had been repaired and put back
In Its place, AS soon MS 1t was set In
motion a fairly good current of air was
sent circulating through the entries,
Rescue Work Obstructed.
The first rescue party consisting of
fifteen men. entered the mine AZ $50
o'clock The work OF replacing the fallen
prattices and removing the debris which
obstructed their progress was slow,
The first body reached was that OF c.
2. Neal. which was discovered l50 yards
from the entrance. The mine superin-
tendent says that the other men were
working much further back than Neal.
and he has no hope OF reaching them
until Tomorrow morning. Even though
the men survived the explosion, II is
almost certain that they will fall VIC
tins TO the deadly after damp, Mothers.
wives. children and friends of the en-
tombed miners crowd about the mouth
of the pit and declare they will not leave
until they know the fate OF their loved
ones.
Blast Ignited the Dust.
The cause OF the explosion Is not vet
fully determined. but 1t is believed that
blast isnited the dust which accumu
lates in the mines.
The Detroit and Kanawha Canal Com
pany sold It's holdings few days aro
to II syndicate consisting of the Muck
low Brothers. of this city; w. d. Boyer.
OF Scranton. Pa, and other Pennsylya
MIA capitalists. who purchased ten mines
on Paint Creek and Incorporated the
Paint Creek Colieries Company to operate
them. The transfer OF the properties
was made last Monday. and few days
before the transfer. the mine was ex-
amined by the mine inspector who re-
ported that 1t was In good condition