Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-24
Over a Hundred Lives
Snuffed Out by ExpIo-
sion of Gas.
OTHERS CRAWL OUT
Several Hours Before Extent of
the Disaster Could Be
Learned.

Pittsburgh, April 24.-w1th the com.
ing of dawn fresh crews took the
places of the tired workers who had
toiled Increasingly and braved death
throughout the night IN an effort to
penetrate the dark reoesses of the
Cincinnati mine at FfnleyviIle, where
the explosion of fire damp yesterday
killed many men and wrecked the
mine.
FIND - BODIES.
Thfrty-for men. as many as could
be worked IN the nine with safety,
spent the morning clearing away piles
of debris and searching for bodies
Up to noon % bodies had been brought
out, and 1t was stated that others To-
Gated, would not be brought out until
late this afternoon when ventilation
would be restored
SAY Is ARE DEAD.
The rescuers. OF the bureau OF mines
are making headway in the endeavor
10 force air through the ruined entries,
and until this is done the exact num-
ber of dead cannot be ascertained.
The bureau of mines gave out a state
ment the loss of life probably would
not exceed rs.
Thousands gathered IN the vicinity
of the mine are being kept back
from the property by the state con-
stabulary.
Is AN OLD MIME.
The Cincinnati mine had been In op-
Grafton so years. Thirty years ago an
explosions blew mime cars through xsae
tipple and haff way across the Monon'-
gahela river.
NUMBER ESCAPE.
Pittsburgh, April 24.-The lives OF
scores OF miners were snuff
ed out shortly after noon yesterday,
when disastrous explosion occurred
in the Cincinnati mine of the Monon-
gahela River Consolidated Coal and
Coke company, at Ffnleyville, about
q miles southwest of this city.
| Over three score of workmen In
the mine made thrilling escapes to the
surface, crawling most of the time on
their hands and knees through deadly
gas fumes and over debris A number
sustained burns.
Rescue work was carried on with
difficulty on account of the fire and
deadly fumes. The coal company
maintains a rescue corps patterned af-
| ter the mine force of the United
States government Aid from the fed
eral mining experts, it is said, was
declined by the coal company.
| MINERS CAN TELL NOTHING.
! But a few of the miners who reach
ed the surface we're in condition to
talk. From these little could be gain
ed. Suffering from burns or fright,
the miners only knew that the explo-
sion had occurred and that a large
number of men were either killed by
the explosion or asphyxiated by the
latter damp"
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 condi-
tions in the mine or their individual
experiences. They ali said that the
mine was full of dead people"
Business in Finlayville was sus-
pended. The greatest excitement pre-
vailed and practically the entire COM
munity rushed to the i'll fated mine
Relatives and friends of the men be-
meath the surface were frantic. Many
of them had to be restrained.
ENTRANCES GUARDED.
After a time a guard was placed,
completely surrounding the entrances
to the mine and all persons except
rescuers and mine officials were held
at distance.
A gas explosion is thought to have
caused the disaster, although this fact
has not been exactly determined. Fire
damp, it is said, may have been re-
sponsible.