The Tupelo journal., 1906-03-30
ENTOMBED BY A
GAS EXPLOSION
ONE HUNDRED MINERS SHUT IN
A WEST VIRGINIA MINE.
SOME WERE RESCUED ALIVE
A Canvass Of the Homes of thc Com
pany's Employees ShOws About
Seventy-Five Men Are
Still Missing.

m6u are kuOWu 10 DC uedu, 20 luJulCu
and from rs to Is missing, and believed
to be dead, as the result of an explosion
of gas in the shaft of the Century Coal
Co. at Century, a small mining town
situated so miles north of Fairmont, on
the Bellington & Buckhannon branch
Of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. The
explosion took place at 4:30 Thursday
afternoon, but owing to the telephone
wires being put out of commission by
the high winds, details are lacking.
Many Had Left the Nine.
The Century mine, which is owned by
Shaw Bros, of Baltimore, Nd, is one
of the lergest Independent operations in
northern West Virginia. Over $50 men
are employed daily in the shaft, and had
the explosion been an hour earlier the
loss of life would have been appalling.
AS it was, many had left the mine.
The giant fan which furnishes aid for
the shaft was partially wrecked by the
force of explosion, but was repaired i'm
mediately, and within an hour after the
accident, Superintendent James Ward
had a relief gang in the mine. The first
trip out brough ten men-five dead and
five badly burned. They were found in
the main heading near the bottom OF
the shaft. The living could give no de-
tails of the explosion, saying that they
were on their way to the surface when
the explosion took place behind them.
A Second Expedition.
A second expedition Immediately went
down and explored the main heading,
which was found to be uninjured by the
explosion, except that the brattices
were blown out.
Four more bodies were found in this
heading, and 20 injured men who were
making their way toward the bottom OF
the shaft were brought to the surface
by the rescuers
Fourteen ~subheadings at midnight
were yet UNEMPLOYED, and Superintend-
ent Ward, who was still in the mine,
sent word that, owing to the prevalence
of gas, he was undecided at that time
whether or not to push the work into
the subheadings for an hour or so. The
mine, however, was being rapidly freed
from the fumes of the explosion by the
fan, and the work of rescue was pushed
on throughout the night.
A HOuse-to-Honse
Immediately following the explosion
the officials began a house to house can
vass to ascertain the number of men to
be found on the surface. This resulted
in 100 miners being found who had
come out previous to the explosion. 1t
is believed that there are many more
outside who have not yet been &C
counted for. If this is not true, there
are still IS men in the mine with little
hope of their being alive.
Relief Trains and Physicians.
Relief trains bearing physicians were
hurried from Philippi and Buckhannon,
and the doctors Immediately took care
OF the wounded in the Office building,
which was transformed into a tempo
rary hospital.
The families of the dead, wounded and
missing men gathered quickly at the
opening, and the pathetic scenes always
witnessed at such accidents were enact
ed. Several foreign women insisted up
on going into the mine, and were only
prevented from boarding the cage by
force.
h Latest From the Mine.
Wheeling, w. Va, March PA re-
port from the Century mine at three
o'clock Friday morning stated that nine
dead men had been recovered. Sixteen
men who were overcome by gas were
brought up. They will recover There
now remain in. the mine at least II men
to- coko l.. ,r11pouyp