The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-07
Nearly Four Hundred Men Are Believed to Have Lost
 Their Lives
IDEAD BODIES ARE FOUND
 CHARRED AND MANGLEO
Gas Is Still Pouring From Air Shafts and No Hope Is Held Out That In1- prisoned Miners Can Escape
 From Certain Death.

Monongah W. Va December 6.-Three charred and blackened bodies lying in the improvised morgue prepared near the entrance to the mine, four men lowering between life and death from the awful injuries sustained and deadly gases in- haled, in a temporary hospital into which one of the company buildings had been transformed, and nearly 400 men impris- oned by tons of coal, rock and mine debris in the depth of the hills surround ing this mining town, with the chances all against a single one of them being alive, is the most accurate summary ob- tainable tonight of the result of a mine explosion today which in all probability was attended by a greater loss of life than any former disaster in the history Of the bituminous coal mining industry of America.
 The explosion occurred shortly after 10 o'clock today atfer the full force of 4C1 men had gone to work in the two mines affected These mines are Nos. and of the Consolidated Coal com pany, located on opposite sides of the West Fork river, at this place, but merged in their underground workings by a heading and on the surface by great steel tipple and bridge. (
 Three Corpses Found.
 The finding of the three corpses and the four badly injured men is the only reward for strenuous and uninterrupted work on the part of the large rescuing forces that immediately set to work at cry possible point.
 The four living men are unable to give of f1RS tl.IIp fsf. even explain how they reached the sur- face. They state that immediately back of them when they began their frantic struggle for liberty there was a large number of men engaged in a similar struggle while still further back in the workings there was a large number, of whom they knew nothing.
 It is the opinion of the mine officials and others familiar with mining that these seven men had not penetrated the mine as far as had the majority of the day shift when the explosion occurred and that they headed for and reached the main entry before the heavy cave in that now blockades the entrance more than few hundred feet beyond the main opening of mine No. 6.
 Caught In the Debris.
 As to the miners referred to by the rescued men as having been ai--e when last seen, it is believed that they were caught back of a heavy cave-in of coal anC mine roof and that they could not have survived more than few minutes in the deadly gases with which the en- try filled as soon as the ventilating sys- tenn was interrupted. There is more hope for those in more remote sections of the mine, as they may have reached work ings where fresh air is supplied by other openings. But at best only the most slender hope is entertained for the sur wal of any one of the men in the mine until the debris can be cleared away and communication with the outside is estab- lished.
 The two mines regularly employ 1000 men, working in two shifts, 800 during the day and 300 during the night, and the best information obtainable at this time is that the entire day force had gone to work this morning and that all were caught. It was shortly after 10 o'clock when the explosion occurred ani at that hour even the latest of the force is customariy at work, according to mine officials Beyond these figures the company officials do not attempt to give estimates.
 The general opinion is that the num- Der of dead and imprisoned will reach 300. A few persons believe that number will be exceeded, claiming that more than half of the total force worked dur ing the day. while the other hand some think the number will be smaller The most conservative estimates place the number of victims at 300 or more.
 Cause of Explosion.
 There is much speculation as to the cause of the explosion but the most generally accepted theory is that it resulted from black damp. It is be- lieved that a miner attempted to set off a blast which blew out and ignited ,lot ion ,f 1T, fo ,l that this in turn ignited the coal dust. a highly infammable substance found in greater or less quantity in all Vir- ginia mines. All explanations of the cause up to this time are necessarily speculative.
 The explosion affected both mines and so far as Is now known appears to have done about as much dama ge in one as in the other. 1t has not been established in which mine 1t origi- nated Evidencng the terrific force of the concussion, in which props in the entry of No. are supporting the roof were not only shattered and torn from their position. but were blwon out Of the entry and to the opposite side of the river.
 Every evidence of the awful force is shown in every section of the mines that has been reached by rescuers Huge quantities of coal and rock have been loosened and hurled Into every opening and all of the underground structure is wrecked beyond semb lance of It's original shape.
 Pile of Wreckage.
 The entry of No. mine, 300 feet from the mouth, is piled high with the wreckage of two strings of cars and two electric motors. Some of the rescuers have climbed over this and found dead bodies beyond, but have made no attempt to remove them to the surface. partly because 1t would be almost impossible to carry the bodies over the debris, but more par .ticuiarly because they do not want to lose any time in reaching other sec tions of the mine where it is possible
 (CONTINUED ON PAGE Al