Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-01
OVER 100 MEN
MEET DEATH IN
MINE EXPLOSION
Colliery at Primero, Colo
rado, Scene of Appall-
ing Accident
MAIN SHAFT BLOCKED
Bodies Taken Out DiSfig-
ured Beyond All
Recognition
TAssncIated Press1

DRIMERo, coIoy Feb. t:-seventy'
nine bodies of the victims of yes
Il terday afternoons explosion n
the Primero mine were found piled in
a mass at the foot of the airshaft short
Iy after midnight. When the explosion
occurred the men evidently made a
rush to escape through the arshaft and
were suffocated as they battIed with
each other for freedom.~
It has been shown by the timekeeP-
er's records that there were 14e men
in the mine at the time of the exPlo-
sion. None is thought to be alive.
The main shaft of the mine is COM
pletely wrecked.
PRIMERO, Colo, Jan. 31.-Over 100
men are believed to have been killed
by a terrific explosion in the Primero
mine of the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company at 4:30 this afternoon.
Fifteen bodies have been recovered
and rescue parties are making des-
perate efforts to reach the interior
workings, cut off from the outside by
the caving in of the main portal.
Three men were killed at the mouth
Of the main slope by the force of the
explosion.
Both fans with which the mine is
equipped were shattered and were not
repaired until 7:30. AS soon as the
fans were repaired General Superin-
tendent j. f. Thompson and a rescue
party entered by the main air shaft,
but were unable to reach the main
shaft, which is completely blocked.
The party returned to the surface
after securing five bodies, which were
badly burned.
A party equipped with oxygen he'll
NETS replaced them in the workings
reached through the air shaft and
are now searching for more bodies
Miners were rushed to Primero from
Trinidad, Segundo, Starkville, Sopris
and Cokeville, and are laboring frant-
ically to clear the main shaft, relieving
each other every few minutes. 1t is
impossible to determine how far the
main shaft has caved, and it may be
days before the shaft is cleared and
the total death list known.
Little Hope for Any
There is little, hope that any of the
men in the mine are alive. The COM
pany clerk reports that seventy-nine
safety lamps are missing and it Is sure
that that number of men are en-
tombed. Many of the miners, however,
state that $50 men are missing.
Most of the victims are SlavS and
Hungarians, although Electrician Will
Kelm is known to be among the miss
ing.
The camp is a scene of indescribable
horror tonight. While every able-bod-
led man is taking his turn with pick
and shovel to clear the shaft, women
and children have gathered about the
shaft weeping and calling loudly upon
their loved ones who have not been
found.
Experts from all the coal camps of
the state have gathered to assist Super
intendent Thompson. A. c. French,
superintendent of the Wooten mines,
and j. e. Minley, mine inspector, will
head another rescue party as soon as
the batteries for electric lights arrive
by special train.
Members of the rescue party say that
the effect of the explosion underground
is inGescribable. The bodies recovered
are horribly burned and unrecogniza-
BILE. One body was impaled on broken
timbers.
At 10 o'clock tonight fifteen bodies
had been recovered from one of the
main Slopes. The bodies were literally
blown to pieces and were unrecogniz-
able.
A special train carrying physicians
and Coroner Gilfoyle arrived at, 9:45
.. m.
Officials of the company state the
disaster is the worst in the history of
western coal mining. A similar eX-
plosion, in which twenty-four were
killed, occurred in the same mine Jan.
%, 1907. The bodies were not recoV-
cred in weeks,