New-York tribune., 1911-04-09
118 ALABAMA MINERS DIE
Mostly Negro Convicts Employed
Under Contract.
F0RTY.FIVE RESCUED ALIVE
Mysterious Explosion Took Place
Far Under Ground-Black
Damp Fills Workings.

Littleton. Ala. April SIT is practically
certain that lis miners. most Of them state
! and county convicts, we're killed in mys-
! terious explosion that occurred far under
! ground in the Banner coal mines near here,
et $40 O'Clock this morning.
| Three bodies have been recovered and the
rest are still in the shaft where a score ca
he seen piled in heap. Forty-fve were
rescued alive. All hope ror Tic entombed
men. of whom only FIVE arc not negro con-
victs, was given up tonight. when the
work OF rescue was stopped by black damp,
which had spread throughout the mine The
ventilating fans were destroyed.
This afternoon the entombed miners could
be heard knocking on the pipes below but
there is an ominous Stiffness tonight,
which indicates that the suffocating after
damp has done It's deadly work. 1t probably
will be several days before all of the bodies
are recovered. OF course there is q posi-
biity that some of those in remote parts
of the mine Will survive the deadly gases.
but this hope is extremely slender.
The Banner mines are in the western
part Of jefferson County They are owned
by the Pratt Consolidated Coal Company.
which employs convicts, hired from vari-
Gus counties throughout the state
| Or. J. J. Rutledge and government mine
| rescue cars have left Chattanooga for Rir-
mingham on their way to Banner. Rescue
| appartus is needed TO get the bodies from
the mine through the black damp. Rescu-
! ing parties before being driven out saw
men staggering I'm the mine and dropping
on all sides. but were unable to reach
/ them.
While no official statement has been
made, II is believed the explosion was
caused by safety powder ignited by a
! lamp and followed by dust When the
night crew left the mine. shortly before
! the explosion. the night fire boss reported
] the condition OF the mine as good. and
| the day shift was sent TO work. There
were 10 men In all only fve of whom
were free laborers. The others were
convicts. mostly negroes, sent up from
| the surrounding counties 10 serve sentences
ranging from ten days 10 two years.
! Immediately following the explosion. sew
! eral OF the convicts. with mining expert
ence. discovered that black damp was
! forming. They al once spread the alarm
! 20 those who were not instantly killed
! by the blast and many started race
! with death to the entrance
| Forty-nve Of the miners either reached
the outside in safety or got within hailing
| distance in the shaft and were taken out
! by rescuers. Scores of volunteers were on
hand. brought by the alarm spread through
/ the valley and many made heroic rushes
| into the mine 10 bring out the victims.
This work proved effective until the deadly
gases reached the main shaft into which
the men were headed. and then IL meant
death for all who entered the workings.
State Nine Inspector James q. Hillhouse
and Assistant VI. l. Dickerson. together
with several other experts and officials OF
the Pratt company. were rushed TO the
! Banner mine as soon as news of the ex-
plosion reached Birmingham. DR.. Brown.
I'm charge Of the government rescue station
at Birmingham also rushed TO the scene
and assisted Mr. Hillhouse In directing the
rescue work
Among the white men who were caught
in the mine and who are believed to he
dead are John White, whose home was
about three miles from the mines: Edward
Causcy, of Calhoun County; o. W. Sprad-
ling. a convict foreman. and Lee Jones.
Charley Brown. one of the negro conNlcts,
was among the first 10 reach the outside
after the blast. but he Immediately turned
back and penetrated the mine again as far
as the black damp iu an effort TO rescue
his fellow workers Sixteen men reached
safety through his assistance, and score
more cot as far 81 the main shait be1ore
The, were overcome by the gases.