Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-25
Fifteen Bodies Taken From
Elk Garden, w. Va, Mine.
EIGHT OTHERS ENToMBED
Total List of Casualties Due to Elk.
plosion Believed to Be %.
MEN CAUGHT ON OFF DAY"
Were Not Working When Disaster
Occurred at Davis Coal
Company Plant.

ELK GARDEN, W. Va. April Eff
teen bodies had been taken out Of the
OFT mine, No. -. of the Davis Coal Com
pany at noon today, victims of the dis
astrous explosion yesterday. EiSht other
bodies are supposed to be in the mine.
which the rescuers are trying to recover.
The bodies Of fourteen were found about
One-half mile from the entrance. One
body was recovered last night. The
bodies are charred and badly manyled
and Identification will be difficult.
This Morning John Laing. chief Of the
West Virginia department Of mines,
started an Investigation into the cause
of the accident. A special train ar
rived this morning bringing Assistant
Engineer L. w. Jones OF the gov
eminent bureau OF mines station at
Pittsburg. accompanied by First Aid Men
John T. Ryan and David d. Davis.
Men Were Not Working.
The mine was not working yesterday
and the men inside were cleaning UP.
There were several men at the heading.
fully 5000 feet from where the bulk OF
the men in the mine were cleaning up.
and they We're appraised OF the explosion
by a low rumbling sound and by the
large amount Of smoke and gas rushing
out. They ran for their lives and es-
capped.
The alarm was given and the mouth OF
the mine was soon surrounded by par
enlS, brothers, sisters and wives OF the
entombed miners. About half of the
men were married, and all were Amer.-
cans except one. Among those emtombei
We're John Pritchard, John X. .W.l.on.
Arthur Pritctard. Tanner Runionj james
Brown, Roy Wilson, Lester Wilson, " IL
liam Pugh, Hawthorne Patton, Thomas
Wilson, Geet White, William pearson.
John White, Wilbur Shears. Harry Iren-
mum. James Dempsey. T. o. Dempsey,
Edward Hershberger, William BusKey.
Thomas Iost, Charles Wilson and WIN
Hetzel.
Rescuers at Work.
Robert Grant, the local superintendent.
Immediately organized q rescue band and
entered the smoking mine. Many OF the
headings were filled with fallen roof COAL
and the way to the place where the men
had been working was entirely closed.
Grant took his men through another
slope and into a heading near the sealed
rooms. ..ork was then begun making a
cross cut through the wall OF coal TOW ard
the entombed men. The gas sui Hngef-
ing in the mine makes the work possible
only at short intervals. The strain on
sent to Thomas, w. Va, and two engines
with rescue crews and appliances were
rushed to the scene over the western
Maryland railroad.
Cause a Mystery.
The mine is situated on the main ~
Of the Western Maryland railroad. b.
tween Blaine and Harrison. and just .
half-mile down the mountain from Nk
Garden. 1t Is what is known - Q low
vein mine, and when working full en-
ploys about 100 men. It Is not known
what caused the explosion.
Very little trouble has been experienced
from 0le mines Of this region. either from
gas or dust. and yesterdays catastrophe
came as complete surprise. The mines
are nearly all drift mines. worked into
the mountains either on a level with or
above the surrounding country. The last
mine disaster In this region occurred 1t
Thomas. w. Va, in 1905. at which time
twenty-five men lost their lives.