The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-07
Immediately After the Explosion, Physicians and Special Cars Were Dispatched to the Scene From Nearby Towns--The Mine is Too Full of Gas and Smoke Yet for the Rescuers to Co Very Far In.

Monongahela. w. Va, Dec. 6.-Three She improvised morgue prepared near the entrance to the mine, four men lowering between life and death from the awful bruises sustained and the deadly gases inhaled. in q temporary hospital into which ono of the company building has been transformed and 4sS 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 obtalnable tonight of the result of a mine explosion today which in all probability was attended by greater loss of life than any for mer disaster in the history of the bituminous coal mining industry of America.
 The explosion occurred shortly after 10 o'clock today. after the full force of 500 men had gone to work in the two mines affected. These mines are Nos. and of the Concentrated Coal Com pany, located on opposite sides of the West Fork River at this place, but merged in their underground workings ey a heading and on the surface by great sleei tipple. and bridge.
 The findlng or the three corpses and he four badly injured men is the. only reward for strenuous and uninterrupt- sd work on the part of the large res- euing forces that immediately set to work at every possible point.
 miners Franrsc slruggle.
 The four nving men are unable, to give any detailed report of the disaster or to even explain how they reached the surface. They state that imne- diately back of them when they began their frantic struggle for liberty, there was large number of men engaged m q similar struggle, while sLill fur- ther pack in the workings there was large number. of Whom they knew nothing. It is the opinion of the mine ofi- cials and others familiar with mining, that these seven men nad not pene- trated the mine as far as had the ma jorIty of the day snift when the ex> ploslon occurred, and that they headed for and reached ere main entry before the heavy cave Tn that now blockades < the entrance more than a few hundred feet beyond the main opening of mine No. 6.
 As to the miners referred to by the rescued men as having been alive when last seen, it Is beiIeved that they were caught back of neayy cave-in ol coal and mine roof ana that they could nor have survived more than 8 fem minutes in the deadly gases MlLn whieh the entry hiled as soon as the venti- lating system was interrupted. There is more nope for those in more remote sections or the mine, as Iney may nave reached workings wnere fresh afr IS supplied by other openings. But at best only the most sIenuer nope Is en- tertained for the survival or any one of the men in the mine until the deuris can pc cIeared away and communication with the outside re-esIauilsned.
 The two mines reguIariy employ I,- 00U men, working In two snIIts: 5VU during the night and the pest inform alton opLaInauIe at this time is that the entire day force had gone to work InIs morning ana that aIi were caught. 1t was shortly after 10 o'cIock when the explosion occurred ana at that hour even tne latest or the struggling force is customartly aJ work, accordlng to mine oInclais be- yond these ngures the company oIn- ciaIs do not attempt 10 glve estimates. The general opinion is that the num- Der or dead ana imprisoned will reacn 500. A few persons believe that mum Der will be exceeded, claiming that more than half Of the total torce worked during the day, while on the other hand, some think the number will be smaller. The most conservative estimate places the number or victims at 300 or more.
 Black Damp Theory.
 There is much speculation as to the cause of the explosion, but the most generally accepted theory is that 1t resulted from black damp. It is be- lieved that a miner attempted to set off a blast, which blew out and ignit- ed an accumulation of this deadly gas and that this in turn ignited the coal dust. a highly infammable substance found in greater or less quantities in all West Virginia mines. However all explanations of the cause up to this time are necessarily speculative,
 The explosion affected both mines and so far as Is now known, appears to have done about as much damage in one as in the other. It has not been established in which mine ii orig mated. Evidencing the terrific force of the concussion, props in the entry oi Number mine, supporting the roof were not only shattered and torn from their position, but were blown out o1 the entry and to the opposite side oi the river.
 Other evidence of the awful force is shown in every section of the mines that has been reached by rescuers Huge quantities of coal and rock have been losened and hurled into every opening and all ot the underground structure Is wrecked beyong semblanct of its original shape
 The entry of No. mine, 300 feet from the mouth, is piled high with the wreckage of two strings of cars and two electric motors. Some of the res cuers have climbed over this and found dead bodies beyond, but have made no attempt to remove them tC the surface, partly because 1t would he almost impossible to carry the bod les over the debris, but more particu- larly because they do not want to lose any time in reaching other sections oi the mine where 1t is possible that men stlll living may be imprisoned. The cars are being righted as fast as pos sible and removed from the entry, to- gether with all other Instructions.
 BarrIcRding the Headings.
 All of the headings leading off from the main entry are being cut off by canvas and barricaded as fast as they taF are af