Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-11-14
DURANGO MAN AMONG So
KILLED IN MINE DISASTER.

BILLY Lewis. the personal friend
OF nearly every man, woman and
child in La Plata county.
Billy" Lewis whose magnificent
voice has delighted Durango audiences
on scores of occasions.
The news of his untimely death
comes as sense of personal loss
to hundreds of people in the south.
west,
Wednesday his father, who resides
on Lightner creek, received a mes
sage from Denver that William Lewis,
who was superintendent OF the Della
qua mine of the Victor American
Fuel company which was wrecked by
an explosion Tuesday was one of tn
seventy miners trapped in the mine
and it was not known whether he
was dead or alive.
Early this morning the family re
ceived the news that he had persisted
in the terrible accident.
The broken-hearted father and
mother We're too overcome with eriei
to go to the scene of the disaster. VIM
Mason OF Hesperus, an uncle OF the
deceased. and Tom Mason, jr., cous.
in. left on the eastern for Delagua
and will return with the remains tn
later part of the week.
billy" Lewis has resided in oug
midst since his early childhood
For many years he was er
gagged in mining in Hesperus
Last winter. he was appointed deput,
mine inspector for the state of Colo
RADIO, a position he resigned to be
come superintendent of the Delagua
mine.
Only a month ago he narrowly es
| capped death in an accident simila
to the one which occurred TUESDAY
His friends said then Billy" Levi
proved that he had the prcyertisl
good luck But the Fates ordained
that he should not be spared bu
| shortly.
Just what arrangements will be
made for the last services in homo
of the deceased is not known, unit
advice is received from the relative
who went to Delagua this morning.
DELAGUA. Colo, Nov 1O-This
morning the death list reaches SO
Election day at Delagua cost ont
man his life and saved the life @,
another. NJ. Martin was killed at thc
entrance of the mine slope hy flyina
rocks. He was loafing around the
mine because the saloon where he was
employed was closed on account Of
election day. Domenico Chavez who
works in the fourth north entry stay
ed away from work yesterday to vote
One of the first signs of the explo
sion found by the rescue party was q
battered remnant of a silver watch.
The force OF the explosion had evi
IDENTIFY torn 1t from the owners pocket
for it was found four hundred feet
from body Not man OF fourteen
rescued through No. yesterday drop
ped his dinner bucket. Although many
were too weak to stand alone each
one held his dinner bucket gripped
lightly in his hands and some did not
even let go to shake hands with
friends.
The list of dead in the explosion OF
Tuesday now numbers fifty-one or two
with the missing estimated at from ten
to twenty. 1t will be days before def
mite information as to the number OF
victims will be known
In telegram received by Durango
friends this morning, IL is stated that
BILLY" Lewis entered the slope OF
the Delagua mine about ten minutes
before the explosion occurred. The
slope is twelve hundred feet long and
Is entirely caved in. 1t may be neces.
sary to tunnel through several hun.
bred feet of earth before the body is
reached
W. r. Mason and Thomas Mason
reached Delagua this morning. Mr..
Mason wired al noon that no trace of
the body had been found and he could
not give any particulars.
Notwithstanding the above our
telegraph today gives it. that the body