The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-03-27
FEFTY.FIYE DEAD MINERS TAKEN
FROM The Mine.
.R0ZPEEnn'S BODY IS FOUND
Results OF Rescue Work Up to Eight
O'clock Thursday Night, Following
Explosion in Oklahoma Coal AiiDe,
C-,4,.,,J;,>,. So,>,o n,o U,oG-o,y ,,I
Eatoinbing Some One Hundred and
Sixteen Underground Workers.

: dispatch from AcCurt.in, Okla,
says up TO eight O'Clock Thursday
night twentr-six men had been res
cued alive from the wrecked Sans
Dois mine, ffty-fve Of the dead had
! been brought 10 the surface and thir-
ltE-6re miners were unaccounted for
Rescue parties continued their explor-
alton OF the debris throughout the
night.
Fifteen OF those who came from
the mine alive We're found Thursday
morning huCdled about an air pump
in the south thirteenth entry, which
had remained intact. The others
made their way out of the mine or
were rescued shortly after the ex-
losion occurred Wednesday morning.
With the exception OF two, who are
in a precarious condition, those res
cued Thursday are little the worse
for their experience.
When the rescue party entered the
mine Thursday morning they heard
faint rappings on an air pump lead
ing TO a room in the thirteenth en-
try. When the rescuers made their
way to the room they found the men
piled in a heap about the air chan
mel. Tom Farrimond, one Of those
rescued, told Of the experiences OF
himself and his fourteen comrades,
who we're found near the airshaft.
He said:
We had almost given up hope
when the rescue party reached US
How we ever met in the room
don't know. AS soon as we felt the
explosion we rushed to the nearest
pump, knowing that we were too far
from the entrance to escape if the
explosion was severe. We had j,:st
pat u2 2 curtain when e big sheet
ot fiame, travelling with great speed,
;,assed our room and sent q small:
i.u:f OF is deadly breath at Us. The
minutes seemed like hours as We
c?Gng 20 the p2mp, straining every
q ort 10 i.inala very particle Of the
( esh air. We hardly s2oke. Ne
i'J :lot discuss the possibilities e
6eatl or rescue, but 4 NY colirades
5h&u2h: a. I did they inoush- OF
rccn.rs but their loved ones s:Tld
whether or not We would see them
again. There was no food nor water;
doubt if we could have ra!taken OF
food if we had had it. We suffered
greatly from the lack Of water
The dispatch says among the bodies
found was that of IT. ". D. Roper,
Of Clio. S. c., who was chief survey
or for the Sans Bois Company, wAc,
with two assistants, met death in the
nine. The force OF the explosion had
Blown OF the head Of young Roper.
Mr. Roper was only twenty-siX years
cid, and was graduate Of the Cita-
del at Charleston. He was talented
young fellow and was doing we'll.
\ dispatch from Chester, S. c.,
where Rev. J. c. Roper, brother OF
Mr.. w. D. Roper, is Pastor Of Set1e!
Methodist Church, says the body OF
the young man has been shipped from
McCur,ain. Okla, to his old home at
Clio. in Marlboro County, where it
viii be Inferred. When he was kill
ed it is SAID that he was in the mine
performing his regular duties as
civil engineer OF the company.
Mr.. ". D. Roper was twenty-six
wears Of age. He graduated from
the Citadel in Charleston in 1907.
After teaching for three years, part
OF the tine being associated with the
faculty at the Staunton Ailitary
Academy at Staunton, Va, ne de-
c;ded 10 undertake his chosen profes-
sion &C civil engineering. Two years
aso h, accepted most fatterins Of
fer from the Sans Bois Coal company
lie had been successful ever since his
connection with this great mining
cou3any and had already rece:Fed
several excellent promotions.