Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-04
IS MINERS KILLED
IN KENTUCKY BLAST;
80 VICTIMS FOUND
Burned and MutiIated Bodies
Are Removed From Inflated
BrOWder Mine Near BRAKES
rO--SeveraI Are Missing
RESCUE GANGS WORK
ALL NIGHT IN SHAFT

ALL NlGHI TN SHAF ]
DRAKEsBORo. Feb. 2.-Thirty-three
miners are known TO have been killed,
two are missing and Is more or less in
jured as a result of the explosion in the
Browder coal mine near here yesterday.
There were 100 men in the two wings of
the mine at the time of the explosion, but
50 in the west wing were uninjured and
easily escaped.
Those in the east wing. however, felt
the full force of the explosion and it is
believed that by night the list of dead
will total 80. One or two of the injured
are in critical condition. The dead min
ers were nearly all residents of this inn
mediate section. about half being whites
and the remainder negroes. There were
no foreigners employed at the mine.
MINES CLOSE DOWN.
AS a result of the disaster all of the
mines in the vicinity closed down today
the men offering their services in rescue
work.
The town of Browder is a place of a
few hundred inhabitants on the Louisville
and Nashville railroad, about eight miles
from Drakesboro.
The bodies of 33 have been recovered
Five or six are injured
LIST OF DEAD.
The following have been identified:
JUDGE MATT ALLEN. police judge
of Drakesboro. aged so; leaves wife and
six children.
ARTHUR RICHARDSON, blacksmith,
aged AZ; married.
PETE KELLEY. mine boss; married.
BES LESLIE, track layer; married.
ALEXANDER WILLIAMS. aged "a;
married.
MAX ENGLISH, aged %.
RAY BENNETT.
RAY MARTIN.
ESTILL CORNETT. aged 81.
EUGENE CoRNETT. aged 90.
MATT LLOYD.
WILL RENO. a negro.
Several other negroes were also ident-
flied.
Pete Kelley. the mine foreman, is
missing and it is not known whether s-e
is still in the mine. One other man is
missing. but his name is not known.
GAS HAD ACCUMULATED.
The explosion is supposed to have
been caused by one of the miners going
into an unused room, where gas had
| accumulated. His miners lamp is be-
lieved to have set fire to this gas, caus-
| ing an explosion of such force as to
cause the immediate death of all who
were working in the eastern wing of
/ the mine.
The news of the explosion spread
| rapidly and in few moments the peo-
pie of the little mining town were crowd
| ing around the shaft wildly. Women
/ and children, almost crazed with grief,
/ pleaded with those in charge of the
mine for news of their loved ones, and
| il was almost impossible 10 keep the
mouth of the shaft clear. Fortunately,
the fire, which was started by the ex-
! plosion, died out quickly and the fans
| were at once set in motion. A few mo-
| ments after the disaster relief party,
| headed by Andrew Hogg. vice president
and general manager of the Elk Valley
| Coal company, and composed of the men
vino had escaped from the mine as we'll
as numbers of miners from other work
ings, entered the wrecked shaft.
| SMOTHERED TO DEATH
| The rescue party found a scene of de-
struction that left no doubt as to the
! fate of the men. The first bodies re-
covered were in fairly good condition,
the men having been smothered to
| death and not mangled by the explosion,
but as the party pushed on they found
bodies so mutilated that they were UNI
recognizable. Cars and debris of all
description had been tossed about the
| nlosion. Will Reno, who was In charge
| mine by the terrible force OF the ex-
| 90 the cage. was found dead at the bot
! g., Of the shaft. 1t is not known
,'.t,a+her he was killed trying to reach
| - oaee and take the miners to SAFETY
| nr whether he was blown there py the
| force of the explosion -, ~,.h+
~ - .ascuers worked steadily all night,
coaaral Manager Hogg only coming up
| 81 intervals to get some air, athough the
other men worked in shl1ts'
AS each body was brought up the
o,ovvd s,Iraed irresponsibly forward to see
" ~, Of their loved ones had been res.
n,,od Most of the victims were married
| ,,eor with families The crowd remained
/ about the mine all night
! pete killy, the mine foreman, has been
| in mine accidents before. He had ire
| ouentlv told his wife that should an eX-
! nlosion ever occur in the mine In which
/ he working he would make his escape IN
some manner either by rushing to the
/ airshaft or to some safe part of the mine.
| The members of his family are hopeful
! that he has escaped the fate of his fell
low workers. The mine officials, however,
| are not so optimistic. The machinery of
| the mine was not much injured and the
/ fans worked after the explosion. Each
shift that went into mine had more vol
/ unteers than could be used.
| The Browder mines, together with three
| other mines i'm the vicinity have recently
i changed hands, having been purchased by
| a syndicate composed of Tennessee and
| West Virginia capitalists.
Ex-Gov. Bennett Mcmillan, of Tennes-
see is a stakeholder in the company which
is known as the Elk Valley Coal Mining
| company.
| Early today % bodies had been recover
, ed most of them unidentified.
| OF the 100 men in the mine when the
/ disaster took place. it is now almost GER
tain that third have persisted.
Expectation Confirmed