Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-01-02
A MINE HORROR.
Over Two Hundred Men Sent to
Their Doom.
ONLY ONE ESCAPED.

Terrible Explosion i'm Darr Coal Mine
at Jacobs Creek Near Pittsburp.
A Celebration in the Greek Church
Saved Scores Who Would Have
Been in the Mine If They Had Not
Been at Church.
An explosion Of gas in the Darr
nine of the Pittsburg Coal Company.
located at Jacobs Creek, Va, Thurs
day entombed between 200 and $50
miners, and there is scarcely a ray
OF hope that a single one of them
Will be taken from the mines alive.
Partially wrecked buildings in the
vicinity of the mine and the condi-
ton of the few bodies found early
In the rescue work indicate an explo-
sion OF such terrific force that 1t
seems impossible that any one could
have survived 1t.
This is the third mine disaster
since the first of the month in the
viens of the bituminous coal under
lying Western Pennsylvania and
West Virginia for the Naomi mine,
near Fayette City, and the two mines
at Monongah, West Virginia, in
which the earlier explosion happen
ed, are in the same belt as the local
workings. Thursdays catastrophe
sweels the number o ( victims of
deadly mine gas for the nineteen
days of December to between $50 to
600
That this disaster does not equal
or even surpass in loss of life and
attendant horrors the one in West
Virginia is due to the devotion to
church duties of a considerable num-
Der of the miners. In observance of
the church festival many of the four
hundred or more men regularly en-
ployed at the mine did not go to
work that morning. Those who es-
capped through this reason are men,
bers of the Greek church and they
suspended work to celebrate st.
Nicholas Day.
AS was the case at Monongah. the
explosion followed a brief shut down
the Darr mine having been closed
Tuesday and Wednesday before the
explosion. 1t was 80 o'clock when
the tenth trip of loaded cars had
been brought out to the tippie and
there came an awful rumbling sound
followed Immediately by a loud re-
port and a concussion that shook
aearby buildings and was felt with
in radius of several miles. At the
same time there came out of the
mouth of the mine an immense
loud of dense smoke and dust that
foated across the Youghiogheny
River.
Intutively every one in the vicin-
ity knew what had happened and all
'harted for the one place the mouth
IF the mine. The river separates
the mine and the homes OF many of
the miners, SO that only a portion
IF those whi started for the scene
we're able to reach it, there being
scant facilities for crossing the
stream. To those who could not
ross the water the smoke and dust
pouring in from the mines mouth
old a story OF seething flames back
in the workings and from this source
;ame reports that were persistent
Until late in the day that the mine
was burning.
The ventilating fans were kept In
,perating almost without Interrupt
ion, however, the power plant hav-
| ng withstood the force of the ex-
llosion. and the rescurers have
ound no fire at any place in the
nine. AS far as Is known only one
nan who went to work Thursday
morning escaped. Joseph Mapleton,
, pumper, emerged from one of the
iide entries shortly after the eXplo-
IN. He had left the part of the
nine where most of the men were
working and was on his way to the
,ngine room for oil.
IT was near entry 21," said he
when / heard an awful rumbling.
,tarted towards the entry, but the
lext instant I was blinded and for a
title time l did not know anything
Then | got to the side entry and
worked my way out" Maple ton
vas somewhat cut and bruised. but
later returned to the mine and joined
the rescuing parties.
William Kelvingston, superinten'
dent of the mine was not in the mine
when the accident occurred and re
quickly organized rescuing parties
starting one force of twenty-five mer
with reliefs at short intervals in the
main entry and similar force at {
side entry 1t is hoped to reach the
greater part of the victims through
the latter.
J So far little trouble has been en-
, countered on account of the gas o
lack of air by the rescuers. Will,
the officials and the rescuers hav'
only the faintest hope that any of tn
men may be living, all work is be
ing carried on upon the theory tha
some may have found places of safe
! ty and every point of the working
I will be explored.
The main Office Of the company
{ in Pittsburg and Immediately upoI
5 the receipt of news of the explosion
e the officials hurried to the mine an