The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-10-10
VERMONT GAINS
12,315 PEOPLE
BYU.S. CENSUS
WORKING DESPERATELY
TO RESCUE MINERS
There Are Several Score Imprisoned In
Hole at Starkville, Colo, and
the Rescue Work Is Hard.

Starkyille, Colo, Oct -Entombed
by an explosion in the Starkvlle mine
OF the Colorado Fuel & Iron company,
at least 81 men are the objects Of heroic
efforts Of rescuers, who worked through
out yesterday, trying to penetrate the
black depths OF the mine. The presence
cf black damp made the work extremely
hazardous and repeatedly members OF
parties were overcome.
Late yesterday afternoon those super
intending the work Of rescue decided
that none should enter the mine until a
portable fan was installed and rescue
work was called of for the time being
The fan reached the portal Of the mine
at four o'clock and was mounted upon an
electric motor ear and gradually pusned
forward into the new stops, working as
it went, driving the gas ahead and as
was hoped, to air shafts thousands of feet
inside the mine, where ii might escape
into the open air
A feature of the rescue work was the
devotion to duty Of James Wilson, sup
erintendent of the Starkville mine, who
left a sick bed to lead the men who
volunteered to face the deadly black
damp, Superintendent Wilson finally
slccumbed to the exertion and gases and
was forced to give up and take to his
he'd again,
According to a statement given out by
the coroner. there are known to be in
the mine, % Poles, three Russians, 10
Americans, four Mexicans and one Ser.
Wan. While this list totals only As, the
coroner is positive there are 50 men in
side the mine. There are some who ex-
press the belief that the coroner's esti-
mate is too conservative. They believe
there are nearer so than so men in the
mine.
In addition to efforts to enter the
mine by the east or new stope, expert.
eneed miners were sent into the Engle.
Vile mine, which adjoins the Starkvillo
property, to dig through the walls built
20 separate the mines when the workings
ran together several months ago.
The explosion practically destroyed the
east or new stope Of the Starkville mine.
It's origin is a mystery. The mine has
been classed as non-gaseous and safety
lamps were not believed to be necessary.
IL is also a pick mine, no shot firing
being allowed.
The Starkville mine is one of the old
est Of the Colorado Fuel 4 Iron com.
pany's properties IN the southern Col.
orado fields. The old entry or main
stope pierees the hill at point mile
and half northeast Of the tipple and
camp. The stope then penetrates the
coal deposit for distance OF nearly five
miles, the entry for nearly half the dis
tance being bordered by old or abandoned
workings, Along the innermost reaches
there are a number Of cross cuts where
pillar work was being DONE
About three hundred yards south Of
the old portal, the second entry OF new
Slope, enters the Hill and runs back al.
most parallel to the old stope, which is
now used as the main haulageway
About mile from the portal of the en-
try, crosscut connects it with the old
entry. Five thousand feet beyond this
cross cut along the new entry was 10.
Gated the big fan, the chief reliance for
mine ventilation which was put out of
commission by the explosion.
As nearly as can be determined at this
time, the explosion originated in one OF
the entries three or four miles from the
portal and at point between the old
and new Slopes. The force of the shock
followed the old stope or main haulage-
way, hurting timbers from the old por.
tai for more than 200 wards. So severe
was the shock that the old stope was
completely filled with cate-in for more
than mile into the depths, blocking
tho way of rescue parties at the first
cross cut from the new stope This june
ture is about a mile and half from the
new portal and is the farthest point
reached by rescuers.