The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-12-11
MANY MEN DIE
In Fearful Disaster in a West
virginian Coal Mine.
FOUR HUNDRED DEAD

. FOUR HUNDRED DEAD
The Catastrophe Was the Result of
S Fearful Gas Explosion, N'hicl
Buried the Unfortunate Men Be
meath Tons of Coal, Rock AMI
Other Debris.-Only -Four OF ths
Day Workers Alive.
4 Three charred and blackened bod
: les lying in the improyised morgue
: prepared near the entrance to the
mine, four men towering between
life and death from the awful bruises
sustained and the deadly gases inhal-
ed in temporary hospital into one
of the companies buildings has been
transformed, and $50 men innprison-
ed by tons of coal, rock and debris in
the depths of the hills surrounding
the mining town Of Monogah, W. Va,
with the chances all against a single
one of them being alive. is the most
accurate summary obtainable of the
result Of mine explosino Friday,
which in all probability was attend
ed by greater loss of life than any
disaster in the history Of the bitumi-
nous coal mining industry Of Amer
ica
The explosion occurred shortly af-
ter ten o'clock Friday. The full force
of $50 men had gone to work in the
mines affected. These mines are
Nos. and s, of the Consolidated
Coal Company, located on opposite
sides of the West Fork Riverat Mono
gal, but merged in their underground
workings by heading, and on the
surface by a great steel tipple and
bridge. The finding of the three
corpses and the four badly injured
men it the only reward for siren
uous and interrupted work on the part
Of the large rescuing forces that i'm
tnediately set to work at every pos
sible point.
The four living men are unable to
give any details in regard to the
disaster or even explain how they
reached the surface. They state that
Immediately back Of them. when they
began the frantics trugglef or liber-
ty there was large number Of men
engaged in similar struggle. while
still further back in the workings
there was a large number of whom
they knew nothing.
It is the opinion Of the mine OIL
cials and others familiar with min
ing that the sever men had not pen
etrated as far as had the majority Of
the day shift when the explosion oc-
cured, and that they headed for and
reached the main entry before the
heavy caye-in that now blocks the
entrance more than a hundred feet
beyond the main opening Of the mine
No. 6.
AS to the miners referred to by
the rescued men as having been alive
when last seen, it is believed that
thy were caught back Of a heavy
caye-in of coal and mine roof, and
that they could not have survived
more than a few minutes in the
deadly gases with which the entry
filed as soon as the ventilating sys-
TEN was interrupted. There is more
hope for those in more remote sec
tions Of the mine as they may have
reachedw orkings where fresh air is
supplied by other openings.
Evidencing the terrific force of the
explosion, props in the entry Of NO.
mine supporting the roof were not
only shattered and torn from their
position, but were blown out Of the
entry andt the opposite side OF
the river.
Other evidence of the force is
shown in every section Of the mines
that has been reached by the res
cuers. Huge quantities Of coal and
rock have been loosened and hurled
into every opening, and all the un-
derground structure is wrecked be-
yond semblance of its original shape
The entry of No. s mine, 800 feet
from the mouth, is piled high with
the wreckage of two strings of cars
and two electric motors. Some Of the
rescuers have climbed ever this and
found dead bodies beyond, but have
made no attempt to remove them to
the surface, partly because it would
be almost impossible to carry the
bodies over the debris, but more par
ticularly because they do not want
to lose any time in reaching otner
sections of the mine, where 1t IS
nossihle men still living may be I'M
prisoned.
! The cars are being righted as fast
as possible and removed from the
entry together with all other oo-
structions. All Of the heading lead
ing off from the main entry are be-
ing cut off by canvass and oarrlcaoeo
as fast as they are removed by the
relief workers, so that the innermosl
workings Of the mine may be given
the benefit of the ventilating system
TO sustain any that may be yet liVlns
land make possible an early eSplofa-
ton of these workings.
Wives and mothers and sweet,
hearts. together with children ana