Milford chronicle., 1907-12-13
HUNDREDS DEAD IN
NINE EXPLOSION
Awful Disaster in Two COllieries at
MonOngah, W. Va
TAKING OUT THE BODIES

Monongah, W. Va, Dec 1O.-A total
Of 141 bodies has been brought from
the two wrecked mines at Nor ~lgaA.
Rescue work while slow is plos SssinS
smoothly and as rapidly as due e
caution for the rescuers would pc. nIiL.
The fire which caused a suspension of
rescue work in mine No. was eX-
tinguished.
Scenes of touching sadness were
caused by the burial of the recovered
dead and the pitiful actions of rela-
tives of the entombed victims.
The company issued a statement in
which the claim is made that later de-
velopments lead the officials to believe
there were only 260 men in the mine
when the explosion occurred. The
statement, however, is believed to be
purely conjecture and no one who s
familiar with conditions here takes it
seriously. 1t is insisted by miners Of
the vicinity that 406 men were checked
of as entering the two mines last Fri
day morning and in addition to that
number there were many having duties
in the mine who are not under the
check system.
Five men lowering between life and
death from awful bruises sustained
and the deadly gases inhaled are in a
temporary hospital.
The explosion occurred shortly at-
ter the men had gone to work in the
two mines affected. These mines are
Nos. and s of the Consolidation Coal
company 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 a great steel tipple and
bridge.
There is much speculation as to
the cause of the explosion, but the
most generally accepted theory is
that it resulted from black damp. 1t
\ is believed that miner attempted to
bset off a blast which blew out and ig-
,nited an accumulation of this deadly
eas, and that this in turn ignited the
oal dust, a highly in1ammable sub
lance found in greater or less guam
ty in ali the West Virginia mines.
tAlong the hills, far back from the
hin opening of mine No. 8, there are
humber of openings into the mine,
4 to these hundreds of relatives and
s3&N Nnds of the entOmbed men franti-
~ ~ rushed in the vain hope that their
\ IL i ones might find escape through
channels or that they might be
readily reached and released. So
IS known, however, not a single
man escaped this way and the would
be rescuers are helpless at these points,
for out of each entry there is pouring
a volume of poisonous gas which no
human being can face for more than
few minutes at a time.
The condition of the bodies thus far
recovered is horrible. Many are dis
membered, some are fearfully crush
ed and the rest are blackened and |
burned beyond recognition. The body |
Of J. NJ. McGraw, pit boss. and one |
of the best known mining men in /
West Virginia, was recovered in mine |
No 8. It was headless and otherwise /
disfigured, identification having been I
made by the clothing and the shoes I
he wore.
A score or more OF men Vi Lue ISo- .
cuing parties are in a critical condi- .
tion from inhaling poisonous gas. Sew
eral of them are expected to die. One
of these men, John Gabbert, was car
ried from the mine almost a raving
maniac His lungs were filled with
gas, which produced a condition SINH
lar to one insane, and the services of
four doctors were necessary to hold
him while doctors attended him.
There were many instances of quiet
heroism shown by the men who have
gone into the mines to rescue the bod
.ics of their fellow-workmen.
The mines are owned and operated
by the Consolidated Coal company of
Baltimore. General offices are located
in Baltimore. and the operating offices
are in Fairmount. w Va. The company
is said to be one of the largest oper-
ating in the bituminous coal industry
in the United States. 1t is capitalized at
$40. 900. 900, and has in operation about
100 producing plants Its largest mines
are located in Fairmount and Clarks-
burg. W. Va; Somerset, Pa, and at
Cumberland, Md.