The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1910-11-30
EntOmbed Crowd of Men
: Working Therein.
CAUSED TERRIFIC UPHEAVAL
Victims Taken from Mine
All Instantly Xii ed, Hard
ly Recognizable.
CAUSE WAS A "WINDY SHOT"

Providence, KY, Nov. 25.-Eleven
miners were entombed by an explos-
ion in mine No. of the Providence
Coal Mining Company's workings
this afternoon, following a gas ex-
plosion, and all are thought to be
dead. The mine is a new one and
the shaft was only 102 feet deep, but
the force of the explosion was so
/ great as to nTake II almost certain.
that the men were killed outright.
Great masses of stone, slate and tim
Der were hurled far from the mouth
Of the shaft and mule from the.
lower level was blown several hun
bred feet from the shaft mouth.
The men known to be in the
wrecked mine are
Wesley Fugate, white; Ed.
Vaughn, white. The following were
negroes: Charles Shackleford, Will
lis Rascoe, John Voolfolk, George
John son, Bowley Johnson, Cal North
fleet, Louis Lyon, Hope Shelton, Ed
! Butler.
The explosion occurred at 4
O'Clock this afternoon, just at shot
firing time. Twenty men had been
at work on the day shift, but nine of
them left before the firing began. II
is supposed that the shots opened q
big pocket of gas or else ignited an
accumulation of gas in the entries
The shaft was completely choked by
the explosion. co..
The mine is one of several owned
by the Providence Mining Company,
of which w. ]. Nisbet is president
and general manager. Former At
torney General Clifton ]. Pratt is
large stakeholder.
]. Y. Williams and A. A. Samms
Government experts, are in charge of
the mine rescue train dispatched
from Linton, Ind.
Mutilated Bodies Recovered.
Providence, KY, Nov. 26.-At
1880 o'clock this afternoon the last
body was taken from the wrecked
shaft of Mine No. 3, of the Provi-
dence Mining Company, which was
devastated by an explosion at
o'clock yesterday afternoon. In all
ten victims have been taken from
the mine-all that were at work in
he shaft at the time. 1t is believed
that all were instantly killed.
The first body was brought to the
surface shortly after o'clock this
morning and the other victims were
brought up at intervals, eight ne
groes and two white men. Many of
he men had families, and the scenes
about the mouth of the shaft when
he blackened and twisted bodies
were brought to the surface We're
! heartrending.
Immediately after the shock, the
miners at the shaft head attempted
10 rescue their fellow laborers. The
nine was found to be filled with
black damp, however, and the men
we're forced to leave the miners in
the workings to their fate.
Cause of Accident.
State Mine Inspector Samms, of
Indiana, gave the following explana-
ton of the accident:
at was just at shot-hring time
when the accident took place. From
the condition OF the mine | believe
that it proved to be a windy shot
That is, the shot took an upward
course rather than spending its force
in the ground. 1t was what might be
called a fare back The mine i'm
mediately was filled with black damp
and deadly gases, and those miners
who were not killed by the shock
must have expired instantly from
the deadly gas. That 1t was hardly
an explosion of a pocket of gas in
one of the entries, is shown by the
fact that the men were by no mems
entombed with wreckage. The in
terror of the mine was but little
wrecked"