The daily sentinel., 1913-12-16
NEARLY ALL OF DEAD, AMERICANS;
ITALIANS were OUT ON STRIKE
Pie0uS Sights as Women and Children Gather at Portal 10 See
Bodies Brought Out Accident Repetition Of 1896 Dsas
ter Gas Caused Disaster; Send GIenWood for Collins.
Special to The Sentinel.

SPECIAL to he Sentinel.
New Castle, Colo, Dec l6-Thry- light lives were snufed
out in the wnklng of eye this morning the Vulcan mine when
gas explosion wrecked the lower workings of the mine
by the Rocky Mountain Fuel company, almost the
which ffyhree lost their lives just eighteen years ago
All but six Of the dead Americans, and almost every
leaves wife and children The Italian miners the number
of thirty with the exception of six victims had been called
strike by the United Mine Workers of America few months ago
AT the mouth of the mine, mile and half
crowd of hriekng and children staadng unmndfu
o the snow falling rapidly hena soud for the victims
of this second disaster.
The explosion occurred at 20 O'Clock this morning and
completely wrecked the lower workings The of the expo
son the of which yet unexplained heard the of
flee and rescung organized headed by Sp
Charles s. Meerdink
The explosion wrecked FAM shutting off the ventilation
but the with oxygen helmets penetrate
the inner workings They able proceed several hun
ded feet from the portal before encouneng
ton of the main tunnel.
The gas, which believed had caused the explosion was
very heavy and six with oxygen helmets, able
break path through the fallen tnbe and debris and reach the
entonbed Two taken shortly before
of them Joseph LaBanche Both dead when found
come by gas.
The reached all the parts of the mine where the
had been working but not man was found with breath of
life Death apparently instantaneous for thm
they had the appearance of having been killed without warning
ne party continued to examine the victims for signs of life
and will be evening before effort to be made the
bodies from the mine.
Since the explosion of 1896 February families of of
the older miners have lived fear of repetition of that
disaster
1t before of the disaster reached the
of New Castle and there immediate rush families Of the
imprisoned the The first report from interior
of the mine encouraging The heed guards reported that
the explosion seemed originate in the entry point ap
Proxmate fifteen hundred feet from the portal and that only
had been work there They supposed to be dead
but the remainder of the force in the entry thought had
not suffered severely and probably of them would be alive
1t with difficulty that officials kept the and
children from entering the mne by force and of them were
frenzied in their efforts to push past the guards.
Hopes of the angushed and children dis
PEELED however when the escng party penetrated the
entry Here body after body discovered and single sign
of life could be found AT o'clock reported that thirty
three bodies had been found of which had been removed
the workings By three O'Clock the thrifty eighth body do
ered which believed to be the last of the missing
Supt Cha Meernk reported the facts regarding the xpo
to the head offices of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Co., Den
without delay and notified effort
the imprisoned General Manager Brown promised
come New Castle the first train.
Mine officials are loath give any information the
dead until Identification is made of the bodies
The known dead
WALLACE BAXTER, shot-firer.
L. L. CRAWFORD, the foreman.
FIRE BOSS LOU WALTERS
JOSEPH LaBLANCHE the first body to be taken out
The Vulcan Nine which also known the Corye was
always considered of the safest this district Only
few days Inspected by Deputy Inspector Frank Aberdeen
CONTINUED page six.