The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-12-13
HUNDREDS OF MEN
BURIED IN Mine
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION OCCURS
IN TWO SHAFTS NEAR
MoNoNGAH, w. VA.
Victims Probably Number Nearly 400
Disaster Worst in History of
Bituminous Coal FieIds-ResuIt Of
Black Damp and Dust.

Monongah, WV, Dec. six charred
and blacksned bodies lying in the i'm
provised morgue prepared near the
entrance to the mine, five men hover
ing between life and death from the
awful bruises sustained and the dead
ly gases inhaled. in temporary hos
pital into which one of the company
buildings has been transformed, and
369 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 single
one of them being alive, is the most
accurate summary obtainable of the
results of a mine explosion Friday
which in all probability was attended
by greater loss of life than any former
disaster in the history of the bitumin-
GUS coal mining industry of America.
Nearly 400 in Mines.
The explosion occurred shortly after
ten o'clock, after the full force of $50
men had gone to work in the two
mines affected. These mines are Nos.
6 and Of the West Fork river, at this
place, but merged in their underground
workings by a heading and on the sur
face by great steel tipplesand bridge.
The finding of the corpses and the
badly injured men is the only reward
for strenuous and uninterrupted work
on the part of large rescuing forces
that Immediately set to work at every
possible point.
The five living men are unable to
give any detailed report of the disas-
ter or to even explain how they
reached the surface. They state that
Immediately back of them when they
began their frantic struggle for lib
erty there was large number of men
engaged in a similar struggle, while
still further back in the workings
there was larger number of whom
they know nothing.
Black Damp Is Blamed.
There is much speculation as to the
cause of the explosion, but the most
generally accepted theory is that it
resulted from black damp, scientifcal
ly known as methane. 1t is believed
that miner attempted to set off a
blast, which blew out and ignited an
accumulation of this deadly gas, and
that this in turn ignited the coal dust,
highly inflammable substance found
in greater or less quantity in all West
Virginia mines. However, all explana-
tons of the cause up to this time are
necessarily speculative. Only thor
ough investigation after the mine is
reopened will disclose the cause if it
is ever ascertained.
Monongah is a mining town in
Marion county, w. Va, about six miles
southwest of Fairmont. 1t has popu-
lation of about 5000, most Of whom
are foreigners, although there is
larger proportion of American miners
in this district than in most Of the
other bituminous fields.
Fifty-Three Bodies RECOVERED.
Monongah, w. Va, Dec. 9.-But So
bodies had been recovered from mines
Nos. 6 and 8 Of the Fairmont Coal
company when darkness closed over
the town of Monongah Sunday night.
rIIy-S SIX hours Hdu eidpseu SLICE
the awful explosion and majority of
the bodies brought to the surface were
in a terrible condition, necessitating
almost immediate burial.
1t is now believed that the number
of dead will not be over 400. A
thorough investigation was made by
the company Sunday and it was dis
covered that many miners believed to
have been entombed escaped because
they had not gone to work Friday
after Thursdays holiday.