The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-26
PREMATURE BLAST
COSTS FIVE LIVES
-Four Negroes and One White
Man Killed in Manga
ncse Mine.
BODIES BADLY MUTILATED
Explosion Occurs While Heavy
Charge Is Being
Prepared.
Especial to'The Times-pispatcl,J

Especial to'The Times Dispatch
!-Snchburs, Va. october 25.-The
premature explosion OF Il charge OF
dynamite and powder. which was be-
shortly before . o'clock, practically
wiped out an entire blasting gang In
ono OF tho mines OF the Piedmont
Manganese Corporation. Tho mines
arc located about six miles east OF
Bynchburg. AS Il result OF the eXplo-
sion. five men were killed and two were
injured. Ono OF the latter sustained
hurts that will probably prove fatal.
Tho injured were brought to the
i.ynchburg Hospital several hours at
ter tho accident.
The dead:
Floyd Freeman, coiorcd. skull cursh-
cd md compound fracture OF the left
thigh.
CnIvin Freeman, coIored, brother Of
Floyd. left sido Of fncc md head
crushcd. right forearm crushed and
left hip fractured.
Charles y. Johnson, colored. left
side of head and fuce crushed, left arm
mud shoulder fractured In four places,
right slide az cheat crushed.
Adolphus Giles, coiorcd, bend crushed.
right arm scnldcd, icft arm fractured
nbOvc elbow. one finger blown on,
compound fracture or both legs from
knGas down.
william Gohne, white. blown to
atoms.
The injured
Felix Tucker. white. wound two inr
chcs long on top Of head: will recover.
Charles Wilson. colorcd. left side OF
face badly torn; cash under right eye:
fracture at base OF tile skull and
bleeding from nose, ears and mouth:
condition serious.
AZ The time or tho accident tho seven
men. all OF n night blasting force. OK
cepting the foreman. were at work in
driving new level from the main
shaft. the workmcn being 100 feet be-
low tho surface and working In an
opening six feet high and nve feet
wide. They were blasting an opening
IN solid granite for a railway. using
compressed airdriven drills. Four or
fve holes wcrc driven into tho solid
rock. the drills being horizontal These
wcro all 10 be tainped and then, from
distance Of 900 yards. they were to
he exploded b. electricity.
With the exception OF Felix Tucker.
who was near the main shaft, twenty
Yards AVA. the gang was working
closely together. Charles johnson.
who was Killed Was rainming tic pow
der which was being poured from q
can By one OF the helpers. This tx
plosive was being r..lnnled. ii Is un-
dcrstood, on top OF stick OF dyna-
mite. and the ranming. il is reported,
was being done with Htcci-bar in
stead of piece Of wood. as Is re-
CURED by the mine authorities.
Colored Man Is Hero.
Mine employees who live near the
mines We're aroused by the explosion.
and ali effort at rescue was soon un-
der way and in this William Sorrell.
colored miner. proved himself a
hero. He went into the mine. which
was so filed with the powder that
the electric lights were darkened and
he could not see n foot away from
his Individual lamp.
Sorrell was lowered 100 feet to the
level IN which the explosion occurred.
making the trip in the crude bucket OF
the shaft a, the bottom OF the shaft
Sorrell heard the groans of H man.
but lie could not SEQ him. despite his
lamp and tho electric lights. Casting
aside the lamp, the negro began to
grope around on all fours until he
found tho unconscious man. who proved
TO DO Charles Johnson Getting the
man In the bucket, he was hoistcd. and
then IN the dense smoke and darkness
The negro, one by one, found the rest
OF the bodies and sent them to the
surface. William Ciohne. the only
white man who lost his life, was
blown TO atoms. his remains being
picked up in small pieces by the negro
Scrrell
Foreman Narrowly Escapes.
Thomas Tucker. the foreman of the
shift, owes his life to tho fact that