The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-12-08
DISASTER IS DREADFUL.
Double Mine Accident Truly a
Terrible Affair.
DEATH LIST LENGTHY ONE
Explosion of Black Damp In Under
Ground Workings at Monongah In
West Virginia Was One of the Worst
on Record.

Monongah. w. Va Dec, THAT not
less than 400 miners were killed by
an explosion Of black damp. known to
| scientists rs methane. in mines No
and No. g Of the Consolidated Coal
| company of Baltimore mt this place.
was considered Saturday morning by
those who took the most hopeful and
most conservative view of the disas-
ter
OF these victims six dead bodies had
been taken from mine No ut mid
night Friday night and siNty-five others
Were piled mp in the entry awaiting
completion Of facilities for bringing
them to the surface.
From mine No. 3. ut the same hour,
fourteen bodies had been recovered
up to that time, and a number of 9th
ers were ready to he brought out as
soon as arrangement could be made to
| receive them
Five re3Cuing parties. with ten men
In each party. are working at different
parts of the two mines to the end
that every part of the workings may
be reached in the shortest possible
time.
Six charred and blackcned bodies
lying in the improvsed morgue pre-
pared near the entrance to the mine.
five In a Temporary hospital. lowering
between life and death from the awful
bruises sustained and the deadly gases
inhaled. and 1863 men imprisoned by
! fnpc nf rnn1 rneF nj dol Ia,
the depths of the hills surrounding
this mining town. with the chances all
against single one of them being
alive was the most accurate summary
obtainable early Saturday of the re.
suits of a mine explosion which. in
all probability. was attended by great
err loss of life than any former disaster
in the history of the coal mining indus
try In America.
The explosion occurred shortly after
the full force had gone to work in
the two mines affected. These mnea
are Nos. 6 and of the Consolidated
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 thu
surface by great steel tipple and
bridge
The five dying men are unable to
give any detailed report of the disaster
or to even explain how they reached
he surface. They state that imme-
dlately back of them when they began
their frantic struggle for liberty were
a large number of men engaged in a
similar struggle. while still further
back were a still larger number.
The entry of No mine 300 feet
age Of two strings of cars and two
electric motors.
The American miners of the town
have been placed in charge of the re-
lief work. but Italians and other for
eikners are working under them most
faithfully. 1t Is impossible for man
to remain long In the depths of the
mine, and the rescue forces are divid-
ed In relays with frequent reliefs.
This place is a mining town in Ma
ri0n county, about six miles southwest
of Tairmount. II has a population of
about 5000.
Until about ten years ago the mines
were operated almost exclusively by
Americans, but during the general
strike of miners in the Pennsylvania
and Ohio fields many Of the West Vir.
ginia miners went out in sympathy.
At that time the mine owners brought
In large numbers of foreigners to take
the places of strikers. and they are
now in the majority.
The explosion affected both mines,
and so far as Is known it has not been
established in which mine it original
ed. Evidencing the terrible force Of
the concussion, props in the entrance
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
Other evidence of the awful force is
shown in every section of the mines
reached by the rescuers. Huge guam
titles of coal and rock were loosened
and hurled into every opening. ard
all of the underground structures are
wrecked beyond semblance of It's orig.
inal shape