Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1908-04-04
KILLS 70
COAL MINE HORROR NEAR
HANNA, WYOMING.
Two Explosions Occur in Mine No.
Owned by Union Pacific Coal Com
pany p Superintendent and Three
Shift Bosses Among kiIIed-Wides
Excitement PrevaiIs-Rescues Slow.

Cheyenne, Wyo., March 3O.-Be-
tween SO and 20 men lost their lives
in two explosions in coal mine No. l.
owned by the Union Pacific Coal com
pany, at Hanna, Saturday. The ex-
plosiOns were caused by gas and coal
dust and each was followed by fire.
The first occurred at o'clock, when
Is mine workers, including a superin-
tendent and three bosses, were killed
The second explosion occurred few
hours later, snuffling out the lives of
from 40 to 90 members of a rescue
party, including State Mine Inspector
ID. M. Elias. The names of the men
killed in the first explosion were as
certained from the company's books.
out those of the rescuers were not
known, as no record was kept of those
who volunteered for this dangerous
work
The widest excitement prevailed to-
day in Hanna and at the mine, where
hundreds are congregated, including
widows, children and other relatives
of the victims. Many women are run
ming about. wringing their hands and
crying, while many little children, sep
arated from their mothers in the semi
panic that prevails are sobbing and
trembling in fear of another explosion
and appeals were made to all sur
rounding towns for assistance. One
train is being rushed west from Omaha
carrying officials of the Union Pacific
railroad and the Union Pacific Coal
company.
Rescue Work Hazardous
The regular force of men employed
at Mines No. and was pressed into
rescue work, which has been extreme
ly difficult and hazardous. The bodies
of four of the Is men who lost their
lives in the first explosion, were locat-
ed but owing to the ever increasing
volume of gas, which threatened to
explode at any moment, no effort was
/ made to remove them to the surface.
Superintendent Briggs, with a team
of picked men, the best and most ex-
perienced hands in the camp, went into
to mine to fight the fire, but at 2
o'clock the flames had become beyond
their control, and at o'clock con-
nected with the walls of gas and a
tins are all below the tenth level, and
it is likely that the flames have SON
sumed the corpses.
Particulars of Explosions.
A Republican special from Hanna,
Wyo., says that a carefully prepared
list of the missing as result of the
two explosions yesterday in mine No.
l of the Union Pacific Coal company,
contains SO names, and of this number
five dead bodies have been recovered.
Before further attempt at rescuing the
dead can be made the fire in the 10th
level, which was the direct cause of
the two explosions, must be extinguish-
ed.
1t was while Superintendent Briggs
and II companions were fighting the
FIRE at the 10th level yesterday after
noon that the first explosion of gas oc-
CURED. But one man is known to have
escaped death who was with this par
| ty. This was Charles Harris, colored.
That none hesitated in responding
TO the call for volunteers in the rescue
of their fellow workers after the first
explosion is shown by the fact that
not working official of the three
mines of the Union Pacific Coal com
rany in this camp is left. They went
into the mine to aid their stricken
friends, when the second explosion
transformed mine No. 1 into a
shamble.
A further evidence that the leaders
of the men of the camp were loyal is
shown by the fact that several officials
of the local lodge of United Mine
Workers or America are missing. sup
posedly dead in the mine.
Today's disaster brings the number
of victims in mine No. ] during the 20
years of its operation to the neighbor.
hood of 800. The greatest previous
loss of life occurred on June 30, 1908
when 169 men fell victims to deadly
gas.