The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-17
TO SIXTY
MINERS KILLED
Terrific Explosion in Shaft No.
| of YoIande Coal & Coke
Company in Alabama.
BODIES BADLY MUTlLATED
TWELVE WHITE AND SEVEN
CoLORED IDENTIFIED.
BODIES BADLY MUTILATED


\ Birmingham, Ala, Dec. ia mes =
! sage from Yolande at midnight says =
\ thirty-five bodies have been taken :
y from the mines and that the rescu-
+ ers believe between thirty-five and =
; forty are still in the lower en- =
= frances.
+%%+++4&&&++&&++++*+++**+<
YoIande, Ala. Dec ia disastrous ex-
plosion. took place in mine No. l OF the
Yolande Coal & Coke company at 1O:25
oclock this morning. 1t IS Impossible
TO tell at this hour how many are dead
result of the explosion, the estimates
varying all the way from forty to sixty.
The work OF rescue mas been extremely
slow because of the debris in the mines
and the large crowd of women, children
and sightseerS at the opening. The eX-
plosiOn is now known to have occurred
in either the fifth or sixth right entrance.
All of the bodies have been recovered
from these entries and some of them were
so horribly mutilated that Identification
Is almost impossible The bodies of
twelve white and seven colored men have
been identified
Due to WINDY" Shots.
According to Superintendent T. c.
Huckabee, the explosion was undoubtedly
due to windy shots. Mr.. Huckabee had
just made a tour Of inspection and con-
graduated some of the men on the con-
dition of their rooms. A few minutes aft
ct reaching the top he saddled his horse
and was about to go for a days hunt
when the explosion occurred. Parties of
miners from Alternate, Searles, Davis
Creek and BroOkWOOd are here ready to
help in the recovery Of those who are
still entOmbed 1t will be noon tomorrow
before all of the dead are recovered.
There is little evidence of the disaster to
be seen from the outside at a late hour
tonight.
Under the supervision Of Chief Mine In
spectOr J. NJ. Gray and his assistant,
James HiIlhOuse, forces are at work
clearing away the wreckage.
Explosion Was Terrific.
The mines go down something like 100
feet There was a terrific explosion, the
force of which was seen outside, dust and
timber being blown out in great quau-
titles, destroying small buildings nearby
and also landing on the station some dis
lance away. There was terrific heat i'm
mediately after the explosion.
Officials of the company on the scene
Immediately took steps to start rescue
party to get to the men on the inside.
The fans were started, and other meth
DDS taken to eliminate the bad air. With
of the mine, and their description Of the
inside was heartrending. Several of these
men were badly burned. Two hours after
the explosion II was sill impossible to
venture even near the mouth of the mine
so hot was the air that was rushing out
SECOND Horror IN Mine.
The Yolande mines are but a few miles
from Virginia City, where a similar eX-
plosion occurred about two years ago I12
men being killed at that time. YOlande
is thirty-five miles south of Birmingham
on the Birmingham Mineral railroad. The
Yoande Coal & Coke company is headed
by DR.. G. B. Grove of Birmingham. Be
tween 125 and 80 men are given employ
ment in the No. ! 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
Moseley collieries Of the Birmingham dis
triCt. NOn-union men were worked ex-
clusively. but everything possible had
been done 10 insure the contentment of
employees with their conditions. The vii
lage is located on a beautiful hill and
the houses are all painted white. with
green trimmings, giving it an air of pic
turesqueness and healthfulness unusual
in mining quarters.