The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-10
Small Hope for 2O7 Mi
ners Entombed in
Earth's Bowels.
PROBABLY DEAD
FROM FIRE DAMP
Explosion Wrecks Mine in
Knoxville District, Its Second
Horror in Ten Years-Fed-
eral Rescue Car Rushed to
Scene, but Can Do
Nothing.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.1

Especial to The Times Dispatch
Knoxville. Tenn. December 9.-For
| the second time In ten years a great
mine disaster ha:. made the Knoxville
coliiery district echo with the sobs
and walls of women and children
relatives of the men whose lives were
snuffed out In fash a they worked
Two hundred and twenty-five men
perhaps more. perhaps a few less
are entombed in the Cross Mountain
Mine, near Briceville.
The possibility that any Is alive ia
| SO slight that 1t is practically admitted
| that not one OF them will escape.
An explosion of blasting powder or
| coal dust rocked the earth to-day
! within few minutes after the shift
had gone to work
Three of the men, fortunately late
to their work. were in the passage
leading to the working pit two miles
| into the bowels OF the earth They
heard the crash. and. turning, fled for
their lives. OF the many who de-
scended they are the only ones who
came out alive. Horror-str.ckcn. they
crawled to the surface and gave the
alarm. In an hour rescue parties were
| organized and started into tho shaft
, But rescue was impossible. Almost
| as soon as they descended column of
smoke triolsled from the mouth OF the
| mine few seconds later 1t became q
thick black pillar and the rescuers,
choking and blinded. rushed TO the air.
Flames BItInsuishcd.
At late hour tonight rescuers had
! succeeded In cxtilguishing the flamcs
but had been unable to penetrate the
drift on account OF the gas
The explosion Is believed to have
occurred two miles from the opening
and about 500 feet below the surface
All of the men who were in the mine
were working within few hundred
| feet of the hole. and II is possible they
| were killed at the first blast II any
survived. fire damp would have choked
! out their lives before now.
The only hope now expressed is that
the explosion caved In a part OF the
| roof and blocked the passageway be-
tween few of the miners and the
deadly fire
The fire fans were kept pumping vt
top speed in the hope that some one
was alive and might be rescued.
Rescue parties time after time at
tempted to descend into the workings
but were driven back. Once the body
of miner was found. 1t was brought
to the surface and identified as that
of Lee Paulson.
The entombed men are walled in by
thousands of tons of slate and coal,
and sides of the workings by the force
of the explosion.
AS news of the disast spread
throughout the Briceville district. men
left their posts In other workings and
! FASTENED to join the rescuers. Women,
wild-eyed and dishevelled, ran Shrek
Ing to the mouth of the pit and at
tempted to enter what would have
been place of certain death. Scores
Of men dragged them pack, and with
rude efforts tried to cheer them
Rescuers Powcrless.
With the coming OF the Federal
rescue car No. I tonight it was
learned that 1t may be hours before
the mouth OF the shaft is sufficiently
cleared of smoke and the deadly damp
to make possible an entrance. Even
before that, 1t is feared. the men and
boys who may have been saved from
instant death will have succumbed.
The Federal rescue crew was pow
erless. 1t could make no Roadway in
the smoke-1 Allied pit, and the announce
ment that nothing could be done was
received with long groan from the
crowd of hysterical men and women
who surrounded the opening.
Whether the explosion came from
coal dust or blasting powder is mys-
terry. Within the last three weeks the
mine had been inspected by a Federal
inspector and an Inspector for nm In
surance company. which insured the
lives OF the miners. and both pro-
nounced It safe
j. f. Hatmaker.' inspector for the
Cross Mountain system OF Mines. went
into the shaft yesterday and pro-
nounced 1t perfectly safe.
The sMountain Mine Is one OF
chain owned by the Knoxville Iron
Company, and has been in operation
for more than twenty years.
The mining district near here has a
tragic history. Not ten years ago. on
the morning of May 10. 1902. the ter
rible Fratcrsvillc disaster spuffed at
one stroke the lives of 1877 men and
| boys.
Saved by Dream.
Hugh LeRue. miner employed in
the mine, owes his life to q dream his
wife had last night When he arose
this morning and prepared to go to
his daily task. Mrs. LaRue refused to
prepare his lunch for him to carry to
the mines. She did not want him to
work to-day She then recited a dream
she had In her dream she saw scores
OF miners with their heads blown Off
being carried out of the mine en-
trance sho and her little chlld-and
she has several-stood at the mines
mouth.
LaRue previously had not missed a
day from his work for many months
1t was only short time after Mrs La
Rue recitcd her story until the explo-
| sion occurred.
Scene of Mourning.
Briceville. Tenn, December 90
Hours must elapsc before rescuers,
working desperately. can reach tho
| miners who We're buried alive In
tn.-a t,.r 49, ~.