The L'Anse sentinel., 1913-05-03
100 MINERS KILLED
BIG GAS EXPLOSION IN PENNsYL.
VANIA COAL MINE BRINGS
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
MANY IN THRILLING ESCAPES
Seventy Bodies Are Recovered as Res
cuers Work Fevershly to Save
Relatives and Friends Of Men Gath
er Frantieally at Entrance.

IIttSDuIe eH, id'' ApIH oIOTlly
after noon Wednesday the lives of 100
miners, possibly 100, were snuffed cut
when disastrous explosion occurred
in the Cincinnati mine of the Monon-
gahela River Consolidated Coal and
Coke company at Flnleyville. about
twenty.seven miles southwest OF this
city. Over three-score OF workmen in
the. mine made thrilling escapes to the
surface, crawling most of the way on
their hands and knees through deadly
gas fumes and over debris. A number
sustained burns.
Up 10 IL O'Clock at night 20 bodies
OF victims had been recovered. The
bodies were located by rescuing squads
of the United States bureau OF mines.
the Monongahela River Consolidated
Coal and Coke company and OF the
Pittsburgh Coal company
Rescue work is hampered by after
damp Fire which followed the explo-
sion has been completely subdued, it
is said.
Three entries of the mine are entire
ly choked with debris.
Rescuing parties coming from the
mine were OF the belief that all the
entombed men were dead.
The force of the explosion was ter
rife, Mine cars were splintered and a
l5-ton motor was turned over. Many
feet of mine track were twisted and
ripped from the ties.
But few of the miners who reached
the surface were in condition to talk.
and from these little could be learned
Suffering from burns or fright they
only knew that an explosion had oc-
Cured and that a large number OF men
were either killed by the explosion or
asphyXiated by the "afterdamp.'
Several hours after the explosion
seven foreign miners crawled from one
OF the entrances of the mine. All were
seriously burned. They could give no
connected account of the conditions in
the mire or of their individual expert.
ences. They all said that the mine
was full of dead people"
Business in Finleyville was sus.
pended. The greatest excitement pre-
vailed and practically the entire COM
munity rushed to the scene.
Relatives and friends Of the men be-
meath the surface were frantic. Many
of them had to be restrained. After a
time guard was placed, completely
surrounding the entrance to the mine,
and all persons except rescuers and
mine officials were kept at distance.
OF the known dead all are Americans.
Butte, Mont. April 25.-Five miners
were killed and nine injured in an ac-
cident at the old shaft Of the Leonard
mine of the Anaconda Copper com
pany. Wednesday. William Peters
lost control of the hoisting engine as
he was lowering two cages OF men into
the mine. Both cages dropped TO the
sump. one falling 2,200 feet and the
other 500. The engine went to pieces.
wrecking the engine house and throw
Ing pieces OF iron and steel hundreds
of feet.
Riverside, Cal, April 25.-Eleven
men were killed by a premature ex.
plosion of ! 900 pounds Of dynamite
Wednesday night in the quarries Of
the Riverside Portland Cement com
pany at Crestmore, three miles west of
Riverside. The bodies OF five have
been recovered, while six others
known to be working at the scene of
the disaster as missing, there being no
doubt their bodies are under the thou
sands of tons of rock and dirt torn
from the mountain side by the eXplo.
cio