The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-11
MANY Men Die
In Fearful Disaster In a West
Vlrginian Coal Mine.
FOUR HUNDRED DEAD

meath Tons of Coal, Rock an
Other Debris.-Only Four Of th
Day Workers Alive.
Three charred and blackened bod
les lying in the improvised morgu
prepared near the entrance to tn
mine, four men towering between
life and death from the awful bruise
sustained and the deadly gases inhal
ed in temporary hospital into on,
Of the companies buildings has beel
TRANSFORMED, and 369 men imprison
ed by tons Of coal, rock and debris IL
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 a mine exp1osino 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. 6 and S, Of the Consolidated
Coal Company, located on opposite
sides of the West Fork Rivera Mono
gal, but merged in their underground
workings by a 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 stren-
uous and interrupted work on the part
Of the large rescuing forces that i'm
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
back of them when they
began the frantics trugglef or ltber-
ty there was a large number Of men
engaged in a similar struggle, while
still further back in the workings
there was a large number of whom
they knew nothing.
1t is the opinion Of the mine off,
cials and others familiar with min
ing that the seven 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 cave-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
cave-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
filled as soon as the ventilating sys-
tenn 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.
6 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 it's original shape
The entry of No. 6 mine, 800 fee
from the mouth, is piled high will
the wreckage of two strings Of car!
and two electric motors. Some Of the
rescuers have climbed over this anc
found dead bodies beyond, but have
made no attempt to remove them tt
the surface, partly because 1t Woule
be almost impossible to carry the
bodies over the debris, but more par
ticularly because they do not wan
to lose any time in reaching othel
sections of the mine, where 1t Il
possible men still living may be i'm
prisoned.
The cars are being righted as fas
as possible and removed from thu
entry together with all other OBJ
structions. All Of the heading lead
ing off from the main entry are be
| ing cut off by canvass and barricadet
as fast as they are removed by tn
relief workers, 80 that the innermos
| workings Of the mine may be givel
the benefit of the ventilating system
to sustain any that may be yet living
and make possible an early eXplora
tion of these workings.
Wives and mothers and sweet
hearts, together with children AM
members of the stronger sex, NOV
from place to place. vainly seeking
information and making no attemp
to conceal the grief that overWhelm