The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-12-12

place, but merged IN their under
ground workings by heading and on
the surface by a great steel tippls
and bridge.
Three Bodies Found.
The finding of the three corp5es
and the four badly injured men rs
the only reward for strenuous and un.
interrupted work at every possible
point
The four living men are unable to
give any detailed report of the dis
aster or to even explain how they
reached the surface. They state that
Immediately back Of them when they
began their frantic struggle for lib
erty there was a large number Of
men engaged in similar struggle,
while still further back in the work.
ings there was a large number, of
whom they knew nothing.
Tt is the opinion Of the mine Of
fcials and others familiar with min
ing that these seven men had not
penetrated the mine as far az had
the majority of the day shift when
the explosion occurred and that they
headed for and reached the main en-
try before the heavy cave-in that
now blockades the entrance more
than a few hundred feet beyond the
main opening of Mine No. 6.
AS to the miners referred to by the
rescued men as having been alive
when last seen, it is believed that
they were caught back of a heavy
| cave-in Of coal and mine roof and
that they could not have survived
more than a few minutes in the dead
~ gases with which the entry filled
as <soon as the ventilating system
was interrupted. There is more hope
for those in more remote sections
of the mine, as they may have reach,
ed workings where fresh air is sup
piled by other openings But at bas
only the most slender hope is enter
tanned for the survival Of any one
Of the men until the debris can b,
cleared away and communication
with the outside re-established
The two mines regularly emplo,
1000 men, working in two shifts. 50t
during the day and 500 during thu
night, and the best information OBJ
tainable at this time is that $50 o
the day force had gone to work Fri
day morning and that all wer,
caught. 1t was shortly after II
O'Clock when the explosion occurred
The most conservative estimate
place the number of victims at 3Ot
or more.
There is much speculation as t,
the cause Of the explosion, but th
most generally accepted theory i
that it resulted from black damn
1t is believed that a miner attempte,
to set off blast which blew out ant
igmted an accumulation Of thi
deadly gas and that this in turl
lgnlted the coal dust, a highly in
damable substance found in create
or less quantity in all West Virgini
mines. However, all explanations O
the cause up to this time are neces
sarlly speculative.
| The explosion affected both mine
and SO far as is known appears t
have done about as much damac
in one as in the other. 1t has no
been established in which mine
originated. Evidencing the terrif
force Of the conclusion, props i
the entry Of No. 6 mine supportin
the roof were not only shattered an
torn from their positions, but wer
blown out of the entry and to tn
opposite side of the river. Othe
evidence of the awfnl force is show
in every section of the mines tina
has been reached by the rescurer
Huge quantities of coal and roc
have been loosened and hurled int
every opening and all of the under
ground structure is wrecked beyon
semblance Of its original shape.
| The entry of No. mine, 800 fec
from the mouth is piled high wit
the wreckage of two strings of cal
and two electric motors. Some c
the rescurers have climbed over TIL
and found dead bodies beyond, bt
have made no attempt to remoy
| thew, -