The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-17
MINE EXPLOSION
DEALS DEATH To
SCORES OF MEN
Thirty-hve Bodies Taken
Out of a Colliery in
Alabama
MANY YET ENToMBED
Estimates Place Number of
Dead at From Forty
to Eighty
HOT AIR RUSHES OUT
Rescue Work Prevented for
Some Time by the Ter
rife Heat

blkMl lNGHAM Ala, Dec.
16.-A message from Yolande
at midnight says IS bodies have
been taken from the mine and
that the reseuers believe between
35 and 90 are still in the lower
entrances.
YOLANDE, Ala, Dec I6.-An ex-
plosion took place in mine of the
Yolande coal and coke company at
1925 o'clock this morning. It is i'm
possible to tell at this hour how many
are dead as result of the explosion,
the estimate varying all the way from
30 to so. The work Of rescue has
been extremely slow hEcanse of the
debris in the mine and the large
crowd of women. children and sight
seers at the opening. The explosion.
is known to have occurred in either
the. fifth or sixth right entrance. All
of the bodies have been recovered
AAOAi LtG6G EAllk4CS d0Q SOEllC Oh Lll(tI1
were SO mutilated that Identification
is almost impossibl.. The bodies OF
10 white and seven roIored men have
been Identified.
According to superintendent T. C..
Huckabee the explosion undoubtedly
was due to windy shots" Huckabee
had just made a tour OF inspection and
congratulated some of the men on the
utes after reaching the top he saddled
his horse and was about to go for
days hunt when the explosion occurred.
RECOVERING THE DEAD
Parties of miners from Alternate,
Searles, Davis Creek and Brookwood
are here ready to help in the recovery
of those who are still entombed. It
will be noon tomorrow before all of the
dead are recovered.
Under the supervision OF Chief Mine
Inspector J. NJ. Gray and his assistant,
James Hillhouse, forces are at work
clearing away the wreckage
The mines so down 1900 feet There
was terrific explosion. the force OF
which was seen outside, dust and tim
Der being blown out in great quantities,
destroying small buildings near by and
also landing on the station, some dis
tance away. Terrific heat was felt
after the explosion
FOURTEEN MEN SURVIVE
Oficials Of the company on the scene
Immediately took steps to start a res
cue party to reach the men on the in
side. The fans were started and other
measures taken to drive out the bad
air. within an hour IA men had crawled
out of the mine. Several Of these men
were badly burned. Two hours after
the explosion it was still impossible to
venture near the mouth OF the mine, so
hot was the air that was rushing out.
The Yolande mines are but a few
miles from Virginia City. where a SINH
lar explosion occurred about two years
ago. 112 men being killed at that time
Yolande is s5 miles south of Birming-
ham on the Birmingham Mineral rail-
road. The Yolande coal and coke COM
pany is headed by DR.. G. B. Grove OF
Birmingham. Between rs and 100 men
are given employmens in the No L
mine. This being Monday morning. the
full force did not go into the mine. less
than 100 men going down.
The Yolande mines were among the
MoseIey collierfss OF the Birmingham
district. Nonunion men were worked
exclusively, but everything possible
had been done to insure the content
ment of employees with their conditions.