The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-20
NINE EXPLOSION
EN- D NJ BS 200
MEN IN DEPTHS
All Believed to Be Dead
From Awful Force
of Blast
MANY ARE AMERICANS
Greeks Saved by Church
Holiday, Which Most
Observed
RESCUE WORK IS ON
Fall of Tunnel Roof Bottles
Men in Deadly Fire
Damp

BA0ODo Id.s D6C. 1S--fAu
explosion of gas in the Darr mine of the
Pittsburg coal company today en-
tombed between 200 and ESQ miners.
and there is scarcely a ray of hope
that one of them will be taken from
the mine alive. Partially wrecked
buildings in the vicinity of the mine
and the condition of the few bodies
found early In the rescue work indi-
cate an explosion of such terrific force
that It seems impossible that any one
could have survived it. All of the 13
bodies taken out up to this time are
terribly mutilated and three of them
are headless.
This is the third mine disaster since
the first OF the month in the veins of
bituminous coal underlying western
Pennsylvania and West Virginia. for
the Naomi mine near Fayette City and
the two mines at Monongah. w. Va, in
which the earlier explosions happened,
are in the same belt as the local work
ings. Today's catastrophe swells the
number of victims of mine gas for the
II dds " DCNWbtl OoU anu OuV.
SAINTS DAY SAVES MANY
That today's disaster does not equal
or even surpass in loss of life and at
tendant horrors the one in West vir-
ginia is due to the devotion to church
duties of a considerable number of the
miners. In observance of the church
festival many of the 400 or more men
regularly employed at the mine did not
go to work this morning. Those who
escaped through this reason were
members of the Greek Catholic church,
who suspended work to celebrate st.
Nicholas day
AS was the case at Monongah, the ex-
plosion followed a brief shutdown, the
Darr mine having been closed Tuesday
and Wednesday 1t was 1870 o'clock,
when the tenth trip of loaded cars had
been brought out to the tippie, thar
there came an awful rumbling sound,
followed Immediately by loud report
and a concussion that shook rearby
buildings and was felt several miles
away At the same time there came
out of the mouth of the mine an i'm
mense cloud of dense smoke and lust
that hoated across the Youghiogheny
river.
Every one in the vicinity knew what
had happened and all started for the
mouth of the mine. The river separ-
ated the mine and the homes of many
OF the miners, so that only a portion
of those who set out TOR the scene were
able to reach it, as facilities for cross
ing the stream We're scant To those
who could not cross. the smoke and
dust pouring from the mines mouth
told a story of seething flames back in
the workings. and from this source
came reports that were persistent un-
til late in the day that the mine was
burning.
NO FIRE IN NINE
The ventilating fans were kept in
operation almost without interruption,
stood the force of the explosion, and
the rescuers have found no fire al any
place in the mine as yet Only one man
who went to work this morning es-
capped. Joseph Mapleton. pumper,
emerged from one of the side entrances
shortly after the explosion. He had
left that part of the mine whore most
of the men were working and was on
the way to the engine room for oil.
4 was in entry No. a. said he,
when ] heard an awful rumbling 1
started toward the entry, but the next
instant I was blinded and for little
time I did not know anything Then
got to the side entry and worked
my way out
William Kelvington, superintendent
of the mine. was not in the mine when
the explosion occurred and he quickly
organized rescuing parties. starting
one force of % men. with reliefs at
short intervals, in the main entry and
a similar force at side entry 1t is
hoped TO reach the greater part of the
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