The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-04-30
DIED IN THE Mine
EXPLOSION KILLS One HUNDRED
OR MORE MEN
NOT VERY MANY ESCAPE
Rescue Squad of the United States
Bureau of Mines Located Bodies
of the Victims and Brought Seven
ty of Them to the Surface by Mid
night

night.
The lives of 100 miners, possibly
120, paid the toll shortly after noon
Wednesday of disastrous explosion
in the Cincinnati nine of the Monon-
gahela River Consolidated Coal and
Coke Company at Finleyville, Pa.
Over three score Of workmen in the
mine made thrilling escapes, crawl
ing most Of the time on their hands
and knees through deadly gas fumes
and over debris.
Preparations are being made to
handle the dead. Box cars have been
ordered to a mine siding. The vic
TINS probably will be taken from the
mine at daylight and shipped at once
to Mopongahela City, where they are
to be prepared for burial.
At 9 o'clock Wednesday night res
cuing parties coming from the mine
were of the belief that all the en-
tomberd men were dead.
The force of the explosion was ter
rife. A ffteen-ton motor was turn
ed over. Many feet Of mine track
were twisted and ripped from the
ties.
The mine is af1ame. Rescue work
is being carried on with difficulty,
owing to the fire and deadly fumes.
The coal company maintains rescue
corps patterned after mine force of
the United States Government. Aid
from the Federal mining experts, it
is said, was declined by the coal COM
pany.
Only a few Of the miners who
reached the surface could talk. Suf-
fering from burns or fright the min
ers only knew that an explosion had
occurred and that large number Of
men are either killed by the explosion
or asphyxiated by the after damp.
Several hours after the explosion
seven foreign miners crawled from
one of the entrances. All were Sc
riously burned. They could give no
connected account Of conditions in
the mine. They also said the mine
is full of dead. Relatives and friends
of the, miners beneath the earth arr
frantic.
Many of them had to be restrain
ed. After time a guard was placed
completely around the entrances to
the mine and all persons except res
cuers and mine officials were held at
a distance.
A gas explosion is thought to have
caused Wednesdays disaster, altho
this fact has not been exactly deter
mined. Fire damp, It is said, may
have been responsible. OF the known
dead all are Americans. The explo-
sion occurred between No. and No.
2 right entries, 5000 feet from the
mouth of the mine. A. V. Brown,
assistant mine foreman, stated that
l79 men went to work in the mine
Wednesday morning. OF the 179 men
who entered the mine for work We'd
nesday, So made their escape through
what is known as the Mingo entry Of
the mine, and 3S or 40 miners also
escaped through the Courtney entry.
At least 100 men are unaccounted
for.
Robert Carten, track-layer, who
escaped Wednesday night told the
following story: I had been work.
ing at the head of No. 16 entry, after
eating lunch 1 resumed work at 12:36
and had driven only two spikes when
the explosion occurred. The concus-
sion knocked me down and was un'
conscious for fifteen minutes. 9th
ers quickly arrived where was. Fol-
lowed by about twenty-five men l
started down No. Motor road, one
of the main roads of the mine. We
had not gone far before we found
there was so much smoke we coulo
go no further. We tried No. Motor
road and found this also choked with
smoke and debris. Less than 1O0
feet in No. 16 entry we found our
way blocked. We turned back and
had penetrated No. Is entry some
distance when we were again blocked
by debris.
"I found a hole at the top Of the
debris. I crawled through this on
my stomach for distance of 200
feet and the others followed. Finally
J reached No. Motor road, which
was clear. I could not hear those
behind. After a time I reached the
surface.
Later the other men reached the
opening. All were i'll and dazed on
account of fumes"