Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-12-02
DEATHS in A Mine
Frightfui Explosion Leaves a
Mass Of Mangled Bodies
THE WORK OF RESCUE DIFFICULT
Mine Inspected by State Official
Shortly Before Catastrophe and
Pronounced safe-Modern Devices
Used for Protection.

L I. Is. y
Pittsburg, Specialize last ray
of hope for the rescue of any one of
the 125 sorfmore miners who were en-
tombed BY an explosion at the Mar
lama mines Of the lPittsburg- Buffalo
! lCoal company shortly before noon
Saturday was dispelled when the first
rescuing party reached the workings
and found the dead bodies scattered
about the floor Of the mine.
Few if5any Of the bodies are mutt
lated and the men were undoubtedly
smothered by the deadly vapors which
followed the explosion. The bodies
have not yet been counted, but it is
known that there are at least 125
and the number may be larger. All
but two of the bodies in the mine,
t is said, are those of foreigners.
No effort has yet been made to re-
move the bodies from the mine. In
stead the arescurers and the mining
experts are making a complete explo-
ration Of alleof the workings to see if
they are now safe. This work is ex-
3ected to occupy several hours.
Pittsburg, Pa, Special-On the
ave of the convention of the Ameri-
can congress, which assemblies here
aext, week-to consider mining prob
lens in the various States in general
and particularly to discuss mine dis
asters and provide means for their
prevention, there occurred shortly be-
fore noon Saturday an explosion in
The Mariana mine Of the Pittsburg-
Buffalo Coal company which entomb-
ed and almost beyond doubt killed all
Of the men employed in the mine at
the time, the number being variously
estimated at from 125 to 300.. The
uncertirty as to the exact number
hat prevailed athroughout the after
noon coninued when darkness envel-
oped the new mining town from
which the owners had expected so
much in the way Of safety and COM
fort of the Smen through the extra
ordinary study and expense that had
been devoted to this feature of the
development of the new coal field.
President John II. Jones of the COM
pany said that the number of en-
tombed men would not exceed 125,
but neither he nor any other officer
of the company has been able ND to
this time to locate the books which
contain the names or numbers Of en-
ployes and show those in the work.
ings at the time of the explosion.
The workings in which Saturdays
catastrophe. happened are known as
The Rachel and Agnes mines, in real
ity a double mine with underground
connections.h Construction, work was
practically finished, and Deputy State
Mine Inspector Henry Louttit a few
minutes before the explosion had
completed a two days. inspection
which had revealed no cause for ap-
prehension. He and General Man
ager Kerr of the company came to
the surface in the cage operated in
one Of the shafts "a few minutes be-
fore IL O'Clock. Mine Foreman Hen
ry Thompson and two miners entered
the cage, and it was started towards
the bottom of the 500-foot shaft.
There. was an ominous rumbling.
then a trembling Of the ground round
about the mouth of the shaft as from
an earthquake and an instant later
there was a terrible report and the
cage was hurled up the shaft and
through the roof Of the shaft house
the mine formean and the two men
still in it. The bodies Of the men
were hurled through the top of the
building and far beyond it. Thomp-
son was dead when picked up, while
the others, although mortally injured,
were hurried to hospital
Shattered portions of the woodwork
about the mouth Of the shaft were
blown into Ten Mile Creek, 1000 feet
from the. shaft. Portions of at least
two other bodies were blown from
the shaft and were found in the field
nearby. The ventilating fans were
put out Of commission by the explo-
sion, and for several hours no air
could be forced into the mine. I'm
mediately following the explosion
dense volume Of smoke ISSUED from
the shafts but5ceaseda short time af-
terwards.
Rescue work was Immediately start
ed but it was impossible to gain en-
trance to the mine for a long time.
The opening up of the shaft was the
only solution and for this task there
were volunteers in numbers.
Relief parties on special trains
from the city including the chief Of
icers Of the company and minig ex-
perts from the United State. labora-
tory and testing station, recently es-
tablished here, who took with them
all Of the latest appliances and de-
vices for rescus work.
Several experienced miners, de-
scended the steps inside the shaftand
succeeded in reaching the bottom.
Here they found further progress
barred because the lateral heading
from the bottom of the shaft into
the mine proper was choked with
muck and debris. The largest pos
sible force was at once put to work
10 open this passage.
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