The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-05-01
TWO HUNDRED KILLED
IN COAL NINE FIRE
EntOmbed in Flaming EccIeS, West
Virginia, Men tre Believed to
Be Dead.

SAIOLHDeu ON du explosion J)QaE III
mines No. and E Of the New River
Galleries company here was abondon-
ed late tonight Rescuers were un-
able to force their way into the burn
ing shafts
General Manager Bayles OF the
New River Galleries company an
rounced at midnight that the 1870
miners entombed in mine No. ) are
dead, Mr. Mayles said the disas ,er
was due to a dust explosion.
Eleven bodies have been recover
ed from mina No. 6, connecting
operation, and six men are missing.
Fifty-nine men, all seriously burned,
were rescued from this operation.
Rescue work la;e tonight was at
a sJandstill because Of the fire and
gases Reaewed efforts to open way
into the mine No. will be made in the
morning
The depth Of the two main shafts IS
600 feet and the mines are connected
under ground. There are Two other
shafts into the mines, but the explo-
sion totally wrecked three of the
four The lone entrance leads into
mine No. and by means of it the
rescues were made No. ,. mine ap-
parently is completely shut off from
the surface and rescuers hold little
hope of reaching the large number
OF men in time to save them.
Travelled Into Other Mine.
The explosion occurred in mine No
s. The two shafts of this mine were
demolished. 1t is believed the ex-
plosion Travelled through this mine
into No. 6. One shaft of the latter
mine was wrecked but the other re-
naming intact and was the salvation
of at least SO Of the Workmen.
This little mining community of l.
500 persons was shaken by the muf-
fed rumbling of the explosion. At
first there was no smoke but men Of
he tipples knew that far under
ground the toll of death was being
taken.
Superintendent Thomas Donaldson
of mine No 3, another operation of
the company, and o,her company Off
Gals were al the scene Of the disaster
within a short time. Superintendent
Donaldson and an expert rescue crew
were lowered down the shaft of No.
mine For d time the crowd Of
frightened women and children at
the tipples waited in suspense, but
soon the signal came to hoist away
and the cage appeared 1t bore two
men badly hur,, few of the rescue
party and two bodies.
Bring Back Men.
Other trips were made as rapidly
as possible and each time blackened
and burned miners were brought 10
the surface until 50 living and four
dead had been brought up. The in
jured were assisted to nearby houses,
where physicians waited to care for
them.
The rescued men expressed doubt
that any Of the 13 miners still in No.
s shaft would be taken out alive.
Some Of the men said portions of No.
was badly wrecked, and they be-
lieved, the entrance connecting No.
mine with No. ) had been destroyed.
OF the bodies recovered two are of
Americans, one of foreigner and the
fourth Of a negro A large portion
OF the miners employed here are
Americans
A United States government rescue
car reached the mines from Bluefelds,
w. Va, at ) o'clock and another will
arrive here from Pittsburg, Pa, at
noun IOIIOIION
The New River Collieries' company
is connected with the Guggenhiem in
,terests.
The rescue parties worked through
out the evening. Their combined ef-
forts were directed to mine No. 5,
where the 100 men are entombed.
Notwithstanding the feverish haste
of the rescuers they made little prog
ress from shaft No 6 into shaft No.
) because of the intense heat and
gases.
Many women were induced to seek
their home tonight and there was
little excitement at the mines.
Work Well in Hand.
Although the rescuers were max
ing slow progress and had expressed