The San Francisco call., 1909-12-24
EIGHT KILLED
BY EXPLOSION
IN COAL MINE
Open Lamps of Engineers Party
Cause Disaster at Illinois
Mining Town
ResCuers, Needless of Black
Damp, Aid 400 Imperiled
Miners to Escape

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 23.-Eight men were
killed and the lives of 400 others were
imperialed by an explosion of gas in
mine A of the Chicago and Carterville
coal company at Herrin, ILL.,, late to-
day. Open lamps used by the mine
engineer and his assistants caused the
disaster, according to long distance
telephone message from the mine Of
fee to the Associated Press. There
were three men and a boy in this party.
All lost their lives.
Prompt action by the management
resulted in the safe exit of the hun
dreds of men at work below ground.
Within five minutes of the first reports
of the explosion miners in the imme-
diate vicinity of the accident were
started toward the surface and on the
return trips of the ca ges rescuers were
west, where the catastrophe took place.
Among the dead were:
W. T. PIERCE, mine engineer.
EUGENE BARRETT, assistant engineer.
THOMAS WILLIAMS, assistant manager.
Thomas Guinney, superintendent of
the mine. and Robert Huston. manager,
headed the first relay of rescuers.
Brave Black Damp
Despite the black damp that flowed
into the chambers adjoining those i'll
which Pierce and his party were killed,
these men plunged into the workings.
Three bodies blocked their path.
Hasty examination showed that the
men were alive and they were rushed
to the surface. One was A J. Huston,
brother of the manager. The others,
Charles Klein and Albert Shelton, were
with Huston. revived. and all are ex-
pected to recover from the effects of
the gas.
The rescuers next found the bodies
of Snyder. Greece and Romeo. miners.
None of these men had been burned.
the condition of the corpses testifYing
to the force of the conclusions. The
body of Harbor, miner. was badly
burned, the features being scorched
almost beyond recognition.
Efforts of the rescuers to penetrate
deeper into the workings We're repulsed
by increasing after damp. The venti-
lating apparatus of the mine had not
been damaged, but it could not cope
successfully with the gases and GUM
ney and Huston and their helpers were
forced to retreat, leaving the bodies
of Pierce and his companions.
Fire also began to gain headway
and it is not expected that the bodies
can be recovered before tomorrow. To-
night all efforts are being directed
toward fighting the flames. Conditions
are such that it is hoped they will be
confined to the two entries affected
by the. explosion.
Joy Replaces Anguish
News of the disaster spread through
Herrin and there was rush of women
and children TO the shaft house; but
as the cage emptied load after load
of rescued miners. sobs of anguish
gave way to cries of joy. These in
turn were soon hushed to murmurs of
sympathy as the bodies of the dead
were brought to the surface.
Immediately after the explosion
State Mine Inspector Little of Carbon
dale was notified. He arrived a few
hours later and is overseeing the work
of the fire fighters.
The damage to the mine can not yet
be accurately estimated. The colliery
is one of the oldest in this section and
has had few accidents. The mine is
under the active management of J. B.
Peters Of Carbondale, vice president of
the Chicago and Carterville coal com
pany. The president of the concern is
J. L. Bease of Chicago.
Mine officials tonight were unable to
account for the seeming lack of eau
tion in using unprotected lamps. They
point out. however, that gas was not
known to exist in the west entries,
and it is believed that the engineers
party stumbled into recently formed
pocket.