The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-03
.S|XTY-E|GHT MEN
EXPLOSION VICTIMS
Terrible Disaster Occurs at
Palau Coal Mine, Las Els.
peranzas, Mexico.
FIFTY THREE BODIES
BROUGHT TO SURFACE
Most of the Dead MeXicans and
Japanese; Cigarette PrOba-
bly, the Cause.

LAREDO, Tex, Feb 2-One of the
greatest disasters in the history of Mex
ican coal mining took place early todav
Mexico
The toll Of human life which paid
the penalty of negligence on The part
of some miner, according TO latest re-
ports. is placed at sixtv-eight. After an
official report showing fifty-threc dead,
twelve additional bodies We're recovered
bringing the total up to sixty-6ve, while
three others have died in TIE hospital.
making the grand total of victims thus
far sixty eight.
An explosion occurred in No. 8 shaft
Of the coal mine Of the Esperapzas
Mining company. and il is attributed to
the ignition of gas from thc fame of
! n cigarette Of a miner. smoking contrary
to the rules
The miners, mostly Mexicans and
Japanese, had assumed their places in
the different workings Just after
clock.
Terrific Explosion.
AT $50 o clock those at work above
ground heard a loud explosion, and al
| most instantly vast cloud Of dust and
smoke issued from the mouth of the
shaft
| When She onlookers realized. the
meaning of the disaster assistance was
immediately forthcoming. As soon rs
| the air In the shaft could he purified
sufficiently to permit rcscucrs to dc
| scend, many volunteers were ready tt
! risk their lives In an endcavor to sue
cor their stricken brothers below.
Cages We're Immediately sent down
| loaded to their capacity with miner:
bent upon rescuiug their comrades. Or
the first and second levels. everything
was found intact and the men working
in these levels were safe.
Vain Fight for Air.
The rescue party went down to The
third level, aud as soon as the air could
be sufficiently cleared they entered th,
| various drifts and began a search fo
tie dead. Scattered about in various
positions III the workings they found th,
bodies of the mon, suffocated, thci
faces indicating the bitter fight the,
bad waged TO reach pnrc air and safety
The rescuers worked IN RELAYS. search
ing for their dead and dying com
panions.
After SIX hours work, tiftv-tbree bod
les had been brought 10 the surface
while nearly forty injured men bad beer
removed to hospitals. The injured OWE
! their escape to the fact that they wer,
working where they were protected
| from the lnSu OF lOnI all
As the bodies were brought to thu
surface screaming women and children
were congrcgated about the mouth ot
the shaft awaiting the rescue of love,
| ones.
Most of the killed were MeXIcans the
Japanese miners being employed in the
other parts of the mine.
Government Takes Action
State representatives sent d detailed
report of the explosion, and deduc
tiou as TO probable cause.-the eXplo
sion of nine 'damn--to the governor
of Coahuila and Saltillo. They instruct
cd the local authorities 10 take sucl
action as they deemed necessary and Il
investigate thoroughly the cause OF th,
disaster.
The mining company officials lost nj
time in making provision for the in
| iured. An order was telegrapbcd Il
Eagle Pass and Monterey for coffin:
For the dead. and money and food la:
been provided for the suffering fam
lies.
The Palau mine is one of the best
equipped coal mines IN the republic
It has an adequate vcntilating system
is provided with electric lights, and
mining officials are utterly nt u loss tt
account for the presence of NINE damL
IN Number 8 workings.