The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-12-12
Many Victims Entombed By
Avid Explosion
MINERS BURIED BY THE DEBRIS
Most Disastrious Mine Explosion in
History of America Occurs a. Mon
ogah, W. va-Three charred and
Blackened Bodies and -Four Men
lowering Between Life and Death
Haye Bscn Rescued From Nine.

= MOIOuSdu, W. f03 OPOSAo1
eharred and blackened bodies lying IN
the ~improrised morgue prepared near
the entrance to the mine, four men
lowering between life and death from
the awful bruises sustained and the
deadly gases inhaled In a temporary
hospital into which one Of the COM
PAM buildings has been transformed,
aud 374 men imprisoned by tons Of
coal, rock and mine debris IN the
depth of the hills surrounding this
mining town, with the chances all
against a single one Of them being
alive is the most accurate summary
~obtainable Of the result of a mine ex-
plosion Friday, which in all proba-
bihty was attended by greater loss
Of life than any former disaster In
The history Of the bituminous coal
mining industry of America.
The explosion occurred shortly af-
ter 10 O'Clock, after the full force
OF $50 men had gone to work in the
two mines affected. These mines are
Nos. 6 ard 8, of the Consolidated
Coal Company, located on opposite
sides of the West Fork river, at this
place, but merged in their UNDER
ground workings by a heading and on
the surface by a great steel tpple
and bridge.
Three Bodies Found.
The finding of the three corpses
and the four badly injured men is
the only reward for strenuous and I'M
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 thai
Immediately back of them when they
began their frantic struggle for lib
erty there was a large number OF
men engaged in a similar struggle,
while still further back in the work
ings there was a large number, of
whom they knew nothing.
1t is the opinion of the mine of
icials 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. Is.
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
caveSn Of coal and mine roof and
that they could not have survived
more than a few minutes IN the dead
ly gases with which the entry flied
as soon as 6e v@tilating system
was interrupted. There is more hope
for those in more remote sections
of the mine, rs they may have reach
ed workings where Fresh air is sup
piled by other opeMAn@. But at best
only the most slender hope is enter
tanned for the survival of any one
Of the men until the debris can be
cleared away and Communication
with the outside re-estabhshed.
The two mines regularly employ
1000 men, working in two shifts, 500
during the day and 500 during the
night, and the best information OBJ
tainable at this time is that $50 OF
the day force had gone to work Fri
day morning and that all were
caught. It was shortly after 10
O'Clock when the explosion occurred
The most conservative estimates
place the number of victims at 300
or moro.
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-a miner attempted
to set off a blast which blew out and
lgnited an accumulation of this
deadly gas and that this In turn
ignited the coal dust, a highly in.
hamable substance found in greater
or less quantity In all West Virginia
mines. However, all explanations OF
the cause up to this time are neces.
sarily speculative.
The explosion affected both mines
and so far as is known appears II
have done about as much damage
in one as in the other. It has moi
been established in which mine il
originated. Evidencing the terrific
force of the conclusion, props il
the entry of No. 6 mine supporting
the roof were not only shattered and
torn from their positions, but were
blown out Of the entry and to the
opposite side OF the river. othe,
evidence Of the awful force is shown
in every section Of the mines thai
has been reached by the ~rescurers
Huge quantities of coal and rocl
have been loosened and hurled int
every opening and all of the under
ground structure is wrecked beyond
~semblance of its original shane