The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-21
Terrific Explosion Last Night is Supposed to Have Killed Every Man Below the Surface Flames
 Shot Hundred Feet Out of Shaft.
Rescue Parties Hampered by Fear That If the Shaft Were Uncovered Flames Would Break Out Anew
 Pathetic Scenes Among Loved Ones

1 The little mining camp presents a pa.
 thetic scene. The frantic wives and chil.
 dren of the entombed men are gathered
 about the shaft. Many big bonfres were
 started and the half-clothed and panic stricken women, who took no time to dress themselves fully when they heard of the catastrophe, lowered about them | to keep warm.
 NO. SHAFT ALSO BADLY
 WRECKED BY EXPLOSION | An effort was made to get into Nc.
 shaft through shaft No. 2. The two
 shafts are about 300 feet apart and when the rescuers tried to effect an entrance through No. shaft they again found evidences of the violence of the explosion. Discoveries here lead to the belief that no one in the mine has survived the violence of the explosion. An investigation at No. 9 shaft re- vealed the fact that it had been al- most as seriously affected by the ex- plosion as was No. 1. The shaft in this mine was sprung equally as bad | ly as was the case at No. 1 and the cage in the shaft could not be low cred. It Is also stated that a plank
 was thrown out of the opening of No. | { and was shot about 200 feet into the air It is also stated by people liv- ing near this shaft that flames burst
 out of No. 2 fully DO feet into the air.
 Fortunately there were no men work
 ing in No. shaft.
 | No. 1 and No. ? shafts are connected
 underground, but there is no doubt
 in the minds of those who have work ed about the Mulga mines that the ex- plosion occurred in No. l shaft. Inas- much IS the violence was so marked in No. shaft. which is 300 feet away
 from what is supposed to be the center of the explosion, practically all hope for the safety of anyone who was
 in the mine at the time of the awful
 catastrophe has been abandoned.
 HELMETED REsCUERs
 l ENTER WRECKED sHABI
 Early this morning A. Brown. F
 Brawlly and A. Birchot, three miners were lowered into the shaft of No. ]
 mine, descending in a bucket substi.
 tuted for the cage, which is wedged ir
 at the bottom of the shaft. However information from them was not avail able between the time they entered the
 shaft and the time the paper went to press.
 | The three men who first entered the
 mine are members of the First Aid to
 Ine Injured society, organized at Mulga only last Monday. Dr. Shields was at Mulga on Monday and organized the society, which was holding its first
 meeting last night when the explosion
 occurred. The members learned of the catastrophe and rushed from their
 meeting hall to No. 1 shaft. In the
 meantime the hospital car of the Ten
 nessee Coal Iron and Railroad com pany had arrived. The three men
 donned the helmets provided for the
 purpose and were lowered into the shaft.
 MULGA MINES LOCATED
 | SIX MILES FROM ENsLEY l Mulga mines are the property of the
 Birmingham Coal and Iron company, of | which James Bonnyman is general man. | ager. The mines are about six miles | northwest of Ensley and are compara- | lively new. There are two shafts and | the explosion of last night occurred at | No. l. When the mines were opened every device for the safety and conven- fence of the men was installed and it was believed that the mines were am ong the | best equipped in the district.
 | The Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic | railroad has spur track which runs to
 Mulga to handle the business. The same | interests which own the Atlanta, Bir-
 mingham and Atlantic own the Birming- l ham Coal and Iron company. Harry M.
 Atkinson of Atlanta is head of both.