Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-04
70 OF 149 MINERS
TRAPPED IN SHAFT
LOSE THEIR LIVES
Bodies Are Found in Heaps
Where They Had Fallen in
Struggle to Escape From
Primer0 Mine


! PRIMERO, Col, Feb. 1.-Fighting mac
| ~ to escape through the narrow. partly
choked air shaft. trampling over their
fallen comrades in their struggle for life,
more than half of the 149 miners en-
| ployed in the Primero mine of the Colo
rado Fuel and Iron company, wrecked
by an explosion yesterday afternoon.
were overcome by gas and fire. Their
bodies were found i'm heaps along the
bottom of the air shaft. where they had
| fallen in the desperate struggle.
| One hundred and forty-nine men are
! known to have been in the mine when the
explosion occurred 1t is stated that 10
are dead. One has been rescued allve put
dangerously injured.
Their bodies are torn and charred al
most beyond recognition. and it has been
| impossible to identify the dead. Early
this morning "a bodies had been brought
| to the surface and rescue parties equipped
with oxygen helmets were still searching
the ruined workings.
SHAFT CRUMPLES.
! The explosion occurred at 4:30 O'Clock
With a roar and a belch of flame the
main shaft crumpled in, blocking the en-
trance to the mine. Both fans with
which the property is equipped were
shattered and it was not until three hours
later that the fans were repaired and a
rescue party, headed by General Superln-
tendent J.. F. Thompson, was able to de-
sCend the air shaft They discovered
three bodies before they were forced to
return to the surface. Five men, one or
them 100 yards away. were killed at the
entrance to the main shaft by the con-
/ cussion.
! Rescue parties were hurried to Primero
| from Trinidad, Segundo. Starkville. So
pris and Cokevile, and worked desper-
ately to open the main shaft. 1t soon
| became evident however, that the smart
was hopelessly caved, and another rescue
party descended the air shaft. Shortly be-
fore O'Clock this morning Superintend-
| ent Thompson, who was directing the
rescue work, was overcome by gas ana
taken to the surface. He soon recovered
an6 again went below.
| Dio Nardino, the one man rescued allve,
was found beneath mass of earth and
| timbers He declared that he c,awieo
over scores of bodies after explosion ana
saw no one who was not injured.
| The rescuers say that the whole mine Is
wrecked and it is almost impossible that
any of the entombed miners are still
| alive The fire which followed the eXplo-
sion was confined closely to the workings
near the main shaft and soon burned IT,
| self out
BEGGING TO RESCUE.
| SUPERINTENDENT Thompson was REIN
forced by every superintendent and ex-
| merit within reach of the mine, and hum
dreds of miners stood about the shaft
| lapt night begging for chance to join
one of the rescue parties.
! With the Cherry, ILL.,, disaster fresh
| in their minds. frantic women and chill
dren surged against the ropes drawn to
| keep them away from the SHAFT ana
| begged the rescuers to bring back their
| husbands and fathers Some of the
women attempted to join the workers be-
| low and had to be restrained by force.
| AS each body was brought to the surface
] the women gathered about it with shrieks
| and prayers, but the bodies were so
] charred and disfigured that they could
not be identified.
| Until the workings can be opened the
! cause of the explosion will remain I'M
! known. The officials of the company de-
clare that safety lamps were used in
every portion of the mine and that every
precaution was taken to prevent acct
| dent.
| Coroner J. H. Guilfoil has taken charge
| of the bodies and has ordered so collins
| from Denver.
% VICTIMS FOUND.
Twenty-eight victims of yesterdays ex-
plosion had been brought to the surface
| early today and it is believed so are still
| inside.
| Rescuers worked all night and at day.
| light a fresh supply went in. Men had
| penetrated as far as the entry AS and
| began working on A-9. The first rescue
party to enter the slope proceeded to
| the seventh entry, then turned and made
its way across the main slope. Some fire
was found in the cross-cut and extin-
| guished Near the west end of the
| eighth entry a pile of dead mules was
! encountered A little beyond were found
! the bodies of II men.
| Turning back toward the main slope on
entry 8, the rescuers penetrated until a
! big cave-iH was encountered near the
| opening of the main slope.
Here in the midst of the pile of dead
mules and the bodies of his dead COM
/ panions the rescuers found Donacion
Vergen, whose survival is the miracle of
| the disaster. He was found by j. P.
| Manley, who was startled to see Vergen
open his eyes, and in pleading tones say:
| please may 1 go home now?"
! Vergen walked unassisted to the air
| shaft, where he was carried out.
| After finding a man alive, the work of
rescue was resumed with renewed ac-
| tivity but the hope of finding any more
alive vanished as time wore on. Most
of the victims are believed to be in entries
9, TO- II and II. 1t may be days before
! the rescuers reach them. The machine
shops were converted into a morgue, but
the bodies will be sent to Trinidad today.
! Supplies are being rushed from all the
/ surrounding camps. Sheriff j. S. Girls
! ham, of Las Animas county, and Sheriff
| Farr, of Huerfano, sent armed deputies
! to assist.
Work nf Ejndinn RndieS