The sun., 1913-10-15
4O7 ENTOMBED IN
CARDIFF COAL Mine
Many Are Believed To Have
Been Killed by Fire and
.Afterdaimp.
20 BODIES ARE RECOVERED
935 Miners Were in Pit when
Explosion Occurred. but
Majority Escaped.
Special 'Gtis Desp0ch to Tar St>.

NDefo '0Ns DtspHN 10 IHt SiN.
CARDIFF. Wales. Oct. l4-About 4ie
Welsh coal miners are believed to have
los, their lives from fire and afterdamp
in the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd
to-day.
The most experienced men in mining
accidents said late tonight that there was
no hope OF saving the 434 men still un-
accounted for. who are isolated by fire.
II this statement is confirmed II will be
the grea test loss Of life in British mining
annals.
Nine hundred and thirty-hve men went
down in the pit this morning before the
first explosion shattered the works. OF
this number successive parties of rescu-
ers sent up 5i2 men alive and twenty
eight bodies.
Efforts to quench the fire have been
only partly successful and it is still burn
ing. An official notice issued at II 80
o'clock tonight saws: The fire Is well
in hand. but II is not yet safe to eNplor,
the workings. 1t is certain that no more
bodies will be brought up tonight
The impossibility Of reaching the buried
miners up to the present has been due
alike to the nre and to falls Of the roofs
and afterdsmp. II In due TO the fact thai
the Universal Colliery had two pits, at
Lancaster and York. connected bv under
ground passages. that any men at all
were rescued. Only "A few OF thu work
men were hurt by the explosion. the vast
majority escaping unscathed
Many warned - Time 20 Escape.
Numbers OF men who were working IN
distant galleries were not aware OF tho
fact that there had been an explosion
until their comrades shouted warnings to
them. All OF these men were quickly
raised to the pit head and came out smil-
ing They were seized and hugged by
\, u,tu ni
had rushed to the mine on the first re-
port Of the explosion. They were quickly
followed ny the night shift who came rum
ming up to the pit head to assist the work
~ rescue The hrst injured to he brough,
mp were placed on special train ana
rushed to Cardiff.
rrIephon. calls for help were sent 10
all the neghboring collier'es and th.N
were very promptly answered Gangs OF
trained rescue brigades We're sent 10 the
pit by special trains and by automobiles
Soon scores OF the ables; and most en-
perenc,d miners In South Wales were as
sembled and ready TO render assistance.
but 500 Yards below the ground fir'
barred their way and volumes OF pungent
smoke made il impossible for any erorts
to rescue except by those wearing Oxygen
helmets Even The latter. although they
were not affected by the smoke. were un-
able to endure the intense heat except
for brief periods and although iheN Were
relieved in relays again aad again all da a'
they finally reluctantly acknowledged that
Their buried comrades could not he
reached unit, the fire had been qusnched.
tire May Burn Many Hours.
On. returning rescuer said
1t is terrible work. We can :. now
and then a flicker Of flame through tn'
SMOKE All We can do is to crawl -
near ns possible and empty the contents
of an extinguisher Then W. must wait
until III" smoke from that subsid"s aud
nas,S 'nsI i'sn sons,oi' 's W. MADE "s 10, Of
urosr.ss The nre is certainly thinning,
but II may be hours before 1t ~ out.
Even then it will be a long time before
we can reach the seat OF the explosion,
because there is a lot OF wreckaGe to
clear away.
Managing Director Eees OF the mine
says that nothing will really be known
as TO the fate of the .ntohbed Mon until
some time tomorrow. ln,dcuse crowds
watched the work of rescue ali day to-
day and there were 1000" peop" around
the pit head tonight Trains brough,
thousands OF curious people to ''ardih
during the afternoon and evening.
The Universal. which prouuces only
steam coal for the Admiralty. is known
as dangerous mine. Thei, T. always
the risk OF fredamp when IN. I'd ometer
is rising. as IL has been TO the last day
or two. 1t IL said that paii Of the worlS-
ings could not be entered last night
owing to the tiredamp.
Eighty -one miners were ktlled by an
explosion in the Universal twelve wears
ago.