The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-02-01
Forty TWO Dead Bodies Have Already
Been Taken Out and az Many
More Are Thought 90 be
in Shaft.
CAUSED BY EXPLOSION
Over One Hundred Men In the Mine
When There Was Explosion and
Destruction to Those Who
Were Inside.


PRiMERo, Colo, Feb. H. Seventeen
more bodies were recovered from the
Primero coal mine today, making the /
total number Of known dead forty-two.
Seventy miners are still unaccount-
ed for and are either dead er en-
tombed alive.
One hundred AMI ten men we're in
the mine when the explosion occurred
The mine consists of four tunnels, +
bored into the sides Of mountain. |
The main tunnel was extensively ex-
plored early today and from it all Of
Z the bodies recovered were taken.
Three tunnels remain unexplored anc
the missing men are In them.
Among the seriously injured who
have been taken from the mine is
Will Alexander. an American miner.
Alexander was entering the mine tun-
mel just as the disaster occurred aad
was hurled 100 feet in the air by the
explosion. His face and hands were
horribly burned, but he is still alive.
Dianado Virgin, the first living MAJ
taken from the tunnel. is sinking ra j.
jdiy anu Will AIC HUH lis
injuries. He is unco lscious and has
not spoken sine he gave out his first
statement.
A special train, bearing doctors and
nurses, was made up at Trinidad and
sent to the scene. It, was not until
after the arrival of the men with.
oxygen helmets that an entrance was
forced through the first cave-in in the
main tunnel
One man only is known to have es-
capped from the tunnel and there is
practically no hone that any others
will be found alive
Reports of the number of men in the
tunnel vary from seventynine to 110,
and because of the mutilated condi-
tion OF many of the bodies, it is prob
able that the exact number of victims
will never be known.
Discovery of an open shaft In the
tunnel has led to the conviction that
the explosion was caused by gas It
was thought for a time that giant
powder was responsible.
The First Reports
TRINIDAD, Colo. Feb. 1.-Between
seventy-fiye and 100 persons are b.
lieved to be dead as a result of
explosion in coal mine at Prir
belonging to the Colorado Fuel a ii
Iron company.
The explosion occurred yesterday
afternoon, and Immediately following
~ .,JJ Al. -
graph wires between this city and
Primero, twenty-five miles northwest
of here. We're cut out, save one be
longing to the company.
Eight bodies have been recovered
and rescue parties are making desper
ate efforts 10 reach the interior work
ings, cut off from the outside by tht
caving OF the main shaft.
Three men We're killed at the moutl
of the mine slope by the force OF tn,
explosion.
Both fans with which the mine i
equipped were shattered and it wa
impossible to enter the mine u-til the
We're repaired.
AS soon as the fans were repaired
Gen. Supt. j r. Thompson and a res
cue party entered by the main al
shaft but were unable to reach th
main shaft, which is blocked 7 h
party returned to the surface afte
securing five bodies, which We're badl
burned
party equipped with oxygen he
NETS replaced this party, the working
were reached through the airshaft an
are now being searched for NOR
bodies.
Miners were rushed to Primer
from Trinidad. Segundo, Starkvill'
Sopris and Cokeyille. and are laborin
franctically to clear the main shat
relieving each other every few mil
utes. 1t is impossible to determin
how far the main shaft has caved, ar
il may be days before the shaft
cleared and the total death lis
known.
There is little hope that any OF tn
men in the mine are alive. The con
pany clerk reports that seventy mir
safety lamps are missing, and it
sure that that number of men are el
tombed Many OF the miners. hoy
ever, say that 150 men are missing.