Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-07
10 MEN KILLED BY
/. z EXPLOSIONS IN
WASHINGTONM|NE
Coal Diggers Entering and Leav-
ing Shaft Caught in Ter
rifle Gas Blasts
DEBRIS BLOWN OUT OF PIT
Heavy TimberS Hurled Half a
Mile and Residents Think
Earthquake Occurred
DEBRIS BLOWN OUT OF PIT
Associated Press)

N@ASSOSAdbSu EIebSJ
SEATTLE, Nov. 6.-Two explosions,
occurring within few minutes of
each other shortly before o'clock
this morning, resulted in the death of
| fifteen men in the Lawson mine at
Black Diamond, thirty miles south
east Of Seattle.
Three men, standing within 100 yards
of the mouth of the shaft, were struck
by timbers shot from the portal and
were badly injured.
The dead are:
JULIUS PUYSOW, married, one
child.
OSCAR BAEL, married. one child
CAESAR BAEL, single.
CYRIL MAES, single
FRANK GARDINI, single.
ISADORE GARDINI, single.
JOSEPH KUMERS, single.
MAETILI FANSTIRIA, married.
three children.
| FRED SETTI, married. one child.
DAVE LONDON, single.
c. BEAGI, wife in Italy,
pOMINI GREGORY, sicgle.
| ALBERT FONTANA, single.
FRANZ VERGAN, single.
JULIUS CAPPIATI, wife in Italy.
The injured are Arvilia Martina,
Louis Marino and Louis Khuntz.
Ten men going down shift and
| five men coming up were caught be-
tween the first and sixth levels. and
| it is considered certain that all per-
| iShed. All the men were foreigners.
Natural gas combustion is assigned
as the cause. The force of the ex-
| plosion was terrific. Showers of earth,
timbers and bits of clothing, believed
to be that of the miners, were blown
from the slope of the mine. Tinbers
measuring sixteen inches thick and
eight feet long were blown half a
mile.
A big section of steam pipe was
blown a similar distance and sank
fifteen feet in the ground.
The shock was felt for miles around.
Many thought there had been an
earthquake.
AS soon as the extent of the disaster
| was known rescue parties were at
| work on the water level to attempt
| the rescue of any men who might be
alive. AS far as is known, the twelve
men in the tram cars were the only
ones in the mine at the time of the
| explosion.
The coal mines at Black Diamond
are owned by the Pacific Coast COM
| pany.
MINE SOON CAVED IN
Soon after the explosion, the mine
| began to cave in, indicating that all
the supports had been blown out, and
| the tunnels wrecked
1t is doubtful if the mine will be re-
| opened. The damage is estimated at
| $3.50 900.
The only cause mine officials are
| able to assign for the explosion is that
fissure of gas may have opened and
the gas ignited from a match struck
| by workman in the cage while as
cending to the surface.
The company has rules prohibiting
the men from entering it's mines with
matches in their possession. It is as
| serted, however, that the five men who
entered the shaft just before the ex-
plosion had not been searched in ac-
cordance with the rules.
The shock of the explosion brought
the miners and their families hurrying
from their homes. Superintendent
| James Hamm at once marshaled 200
men and led the attack on the mine
1t was planned to enter the shaft at
once in the hope that some of the un-
fortunates might be alive. This hope
was soon dispelled, however, when it
was found the shaft and tunnels were
choked with debris. In spite of the
fact that there was no hope of the
twelve men having escaped instant
death, Mr.. Hamm determined to con-
tinue the effort to force an entrance
and the men were organized for this
purpose.
The Lawson mine was one of the
deepest in the world, the shaft extend
ing downward 2200 feet. It's monthly
output was 10000 tons. 1t had been in
operation since 1894 and gave employ
ment to 200 men. Today's disaster is
the second in the history of the mine,
thirteen men having lost their lives in
an explosion there twelve years ago.