Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-12-24
Disaster in Central Illinois Due
to Carrying Open Lamps Into
Gas Laden Depths by Fool
hardy Workers.
RESCUE PARTY BRAVES
DEATH TO SAVE COMRADES
Prompt Action by MANAGEMENT
AvertS What Might Easily
Have Been Repetition Of
Cherry Catastrophe.

tBy Morning 10, nal Special Leased WireJ
St Louis, Dec 23-Eight men We're
killed and the lives of 400 others i'm
periled by an explosion of gas in Mine
A, of the Chicago and Cartervile Coal
company at Herrin, Ills, late today.
Open lamps carried by the mine en-
gineers and assistants caused the dis
aster, according TO a long distance
telephone message from the mine Of
flee to the Associate Press. There
were three men and a boy in this par
y and all lost their lives.
Prompt action by the management
resulted in the safe exit of the hun
dreds who We're at work below
ground
Within five minutes of the first re-
ports of the explosion all the miners
in the immediate vicinity were started
toward the surface and on the return
trips of the cages, rescuers were low
cred to entries numbers I and west
where the catastrophe took place.
Among the dead were w. 7. Pierce,
mine engineer; Eugene Barrett as
sistant engineer, and Thomas Will
lams, assistant manager
Robert Huston. mana ger headed the
first relay of rescuers
Despite the black damp that flowed
into the chambers adjoining those in
which Pierce and 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 Clem and Albert Shelton We're
with Huston were revived and all are
expected to recover from effects of
the gas
The rescuers next found the bodies
Of Snyder, Greece and Romeo miners.
None of these had been burned, the
coalition of the corpses testifying to
the force of the concussion. The body
Of HarbOr, miner, was badly burned
the features being scorched almost
beyond recognition.
The valiant efforts of the rescuers
to penetrate more deeply into the
workings were repulsed by increas-
ing banks of after damp. The ventil-
atong 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 forcerd 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.
Tonight all efforts are being directed
toward fighting the flames.
Conditions are such that it is hoped
'hey will be confined to the two en-
tries affected
News oS the disaster spread through
Herrin and there vas a rush of hys-
terical women and crying children to
the shaft house.
But as the cage emptied load cfter
load of rescued miners, sobs of an
guish gave way to crys of joy. These
IN turn We're soon hushed to murmurs
oil sympathy as the bodies of the dead
were brought to the surface.
Immediately after the explosion
STATE Mine Inspector Little of Car
oondale was notified He arrived
lew hours later and is overseeing the
work OF the fire fighters.
The damage to the mine cannot yet
accurately be estimated
The colliery is one of the oldest in
'nis section and few accidents have
occurred in it, 1t is located on the
boundary of the corporate limits of
herrin. The mine is under the active
management of j. B. Peters, of Car
oondale, who is vice president of the
ohlcago and Cayterville Coal COM
pany The president of the concern
). L. Bease. of Chicago.
Mine officials tonight were unable
account for the seeming lack OF
dulon in using unprotected lamps
,Suay. They point out. however. that
.'e gas was not known to exist in the
est entries and IL is believed that
me engineers partly stumbled into a
recently formed pocket