The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-11
DEALT DEATH
And Destruction to Hundreds Of Miners
Down IN the Nine
WITHOUT ANY WARNING

Nearly Two Hundred Workers Are
| Buried Alive in an Alabama Mine.
There Is Very Little Hope that
| Any Of the Unfortunate People
Escaped Death and Are Alive.
Forty-fve white men, and between
1870 and 145 negroes. are entomb-
ed in No. No. coal mine at Pa!os.
Ala. as result Of al explosion oc-
curing Thursday afternoon al 1880
o'clock. Palos is forty miles ives. OF
Birnlngham. and the mines are
owned by the Paios Coal and Coke
Company, controlled by DTennen
Brothers. Of Birmingham.
State Mine Inspector James Hill
house. who is on tae scene thinks
all OF the men in the mine are dead.
Two bodies were found early Thurs
day night. bat 1: Is expected that
few Of them can be recovered before
morning.
The flames reachiag from the ex-
plosion shot into the air from the
mouth Of the slope for two hundred
feet, and the shock was felt foc miles
around. Timbers from the slope
were hurled several hundred feet
from the mines mouth, and rocks
from the roof OF the slope caved in
and made access to the mouth very
difficult The fan machinery was
badly damaged, aut air is being
pumped into the mine IN the hope
that some OF the men are still
alive.
Local rescuers at Pa!cs began at
once to do what they could. but re-
lief work was not started in earnest
until the special train from Birm-
ingham arrived in Palos, shortly
after four O'Clock. This special train
carried State Mine Inspector James
Hinhouse. J. J. Rutledge. Govern
ment expert, In charge Of the geolo-
sieal station at Knoxville, Tenn,
who happened to be in the district
Investigating the recent disaster at
Muiga; eight physicians and sur
geons. four undertakers and a num-
Der OF special helpers.
The hospital relief car Of the TeH-
nessee Coal. Iron and Railroad Com
pany. was also taken. This car con-
tanned helmets and all Of the other
necessary paraphernalia for entering
gaseous mines.
The first rescuers who went into
the mine after the explosion. were
overcome by are-damp and lad 10
be carried out. Mr. Rutlege was
among the frst 10 enter. and after
working his way 1.400 feet down the
slope, found a second right entry
cave-in. The two bodies recovered
were in the main slope.
James Gousby: mail carrier. vas
killed thirty feet from the mouth OF
the slope. and his body was hurled
thirty feet. It was judged from this
that the force OF the explosion was
such that none OF the men on the
inner side could possibly be alive.
There are a number OF mining
camps within two or three miles OF
the Palos mine. and within short
time after the explosion great
crown had gathered about the ILL
fa;ed slope.
Hundreds OF women and children
were around the mine. wringins
their hands and crying piteous!y.
The Palos mines have been work.
ed for g number OF years. and the
entries were extensive. The only
tope tha, some OF sAe pen have es-
capped and are still alive lies in the
possibility tha. they were far enough.
away from the explosion to have
missed its force It is thought that
the explosion was caused by the ac-
emulation Of gas in some OF the old
abandoned entries, which are rarely
visited.
The Palos Coal and Coke Com
pany is owned entirely By the Dren-
nens. OF Birmingham. The mines
have a capacity OF over 600 tons
and have done an enormous ousi-
ness for the past two or three years.
working night and day. The COM
pany was one OF the few in the dis
trict which has always signed up
with the miners unicn. and they
have always worked union miners
only.
The mines are IN what IS known
as the Warrior basin. and are with
in two miles Of Flat Top and the
Bessie mines. TWO OF the largest and
most valuable mines in tie district
The disaster is regarded as espe-
cially distressing as coming so soon
after the Mulga explosion. Thursday
Apri! q. in which IL men lost their
lives. The Red Cross and other re-
lief work for the widows and or
phans at IMuiga has not yet been
completed. Two Government ex-
perts, J. J. RutleGse and George F.
Rice, have been in the district since
the Mulga explosion. Investigating
its cause and both OF them have
eon, out to PaloS.