Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-12-13
THE TIME HORROR
NUMBER OF SUPPOSED DEAD MORE
THAN Four HUNDRED


The lives of more than 400 men
and boys snuffed out and the wreck
ing of two of the finest coal mines
in the United States was the ex-
tent of the most appalling mine
disaster in the history of the-coun-
try, which occurred at Mopo1gah.
| w. Va, six miles south OF Fair
mont, Friday morning at lO:2O
o'clock. Saturday morning hun
dreds of men we're toiling IN their
efforts to clear the way to remove
the bodies Of the dead to the
morgue,.
1t is not believed that of the 425
men who went to work Friday
morning inside the Inflated mines
that one of them will live to relate
his experience.
Fairmont was not prepared to
meet the shock which the news of
the explosion caused y
The mines wrecked are Nos 8
and 8, and the cause of the explo-
sion, which was felt fer many miles
around, will probably never be
known. An official investigation
by the coroner was held at Fair
mont Monday.
A dozen physicians stood about
the openings of the two mines, but
their services were but slightly
needed. Those who went to their
work undermining of the calamity
awaiting them have no need for
physicians. When the shock came
they died suddenly. 1t is not be-
lieved there was any suffering
lin that pit Of horror. The end
came in an instant and out of the
400 few knew what had happened.
Some men died without changing
their positions. One was seated
upon bench in the shanty at the
foot of No. 6 slope. His dead
body was found sitting upright in
the same attitude. TO others the
death was more horrible. One
man was blown almost to pieces.
but in the pocket of his vest his
watch was still ticking. -Four men
near an airhole in No. s did not
hear the explosion, but feeling tie
supply of oxygen giving out rush
ed toward the open air. The body
of one was found lying face down.
ward in a pool of water, and seated
astride his back was the senseless
body of his brother. He was carri-
ed tenderly out. but succumbed be-
fore the hospital was reached.
All day long frantic women
grouped about the opening of the
mines and their shrieks of agony
were enough to move the hardest
heart to pity. One woman, an
Italian, whose husband, son and
brother were among the doomed,
tore out her hair and with her
nails cut gashes in her face. Her
| friends tried to quiet her, but in
vain. and she was finally carried
home.
All day long until darkness set
in these grief stricken mothers,
wives, sisters, sweethearts waited
and watched and wept. Some
prayed, some sang and some in the
very beighth of their sorrow be-
came hysterical and laughed.
The worst of the explosion &C.
Cured in the No. s mine and so
great was it's force that the con
crete roof of the engine house was
blown in fragments and one piece,
weighing many hundreds of
pounds, was blown onto the hill
side across the river 500 yards
away. Both boiler and engine
house and fan and none of those
who worked about these properties
escaped.
The news of the disaster spread
quickly End in less than one hour
special trolley car bearing officials
of the company had arrived.
a general call was then issued
for hysicians and thirty minutes
later a car bearing the doctors, 9TH
Ell officials and few newspaper
men was speeding to the scene. 1t
did not take long to determine
chat it would require hours of hard
Tabor to restore conditions so that
an entrance to the mine could be
made.
A temporary fan was installed at
No. s and was put in operation by
the early afternoon. The fan at
No. 6 was not greatly damaged
and 1t was started in short time.
Material was then gotten and final;
ly squads of men were sent into
the mine to follow the air and
brattice up the openings. 1t re-
quired brave men to face the lurk-
ing dangers and enter the pits <of
the mines, but scores volunteered
and there were more present than
were needed The first parties
could make but little Roadway and
some of the heroes were carried out
half senseless from breathing the
foul air.
Later. however, better progress
was made and by midnight the