The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-29
EIpIo,ion start. IIr..


Explosion Starts Fire.
Eccles. W. Va, April :s.-Four
miners are known to 10 dead. fifty
ninc were rescued, many OF them
vcrely burned, and 203 others are en-
tombed In two burning mines, with
small chance, IL is believed. for; their
lives, as the result % an explosion Of
gas i'll mines No. ) and OF the New
River Collieries Company here late to-
day. The ucad and rescued were taken
from mine 80. G. and IL il said all but
thirteen who entered this shaft carly
to-day have bcen accounted for.
Ono hundred and ninety Of the en-
toinbed men arc in shat, No. ), not n
man having escaped since the explo-
sion. The mine tonight was burning
hercel", with government. state and
volunteer reacuers working desperate-
L. 10 subdue thc names.
The depth Of tho two main shafts is
500 feet, and the mines are connected
underground. There are two other
shafts into tho mincs but the explo-
sion totally wrecked three out of the
four. Tin" lone entrance leads into
.aine No. .. and hy means of ~ the
rescues were made.
Completely shut on.
Number . mine apparently Is COM
rietcly shut off from the surface. and
rescuers hold little hope of reaching
the large number of men In time To
save them.
The cAplosion occurred in mine No.
T. The two shafts or this mine were
demolished. II is believed tine explo-
sion Travelled through into No. S. One
shaft OF the latter mine was wreck ed
but 'hc other remains intact, and was
the salvation of at least lifty-nine OF
the workmen.
Nj 80
l.oop persons was shaken by the muried
runlbling OF the explosion Al first
there was no smoke, hut mon on. the
hpples knew that far underground the
toll Of death was hcug taken.
superintendent Thomas Donaldson,
OF ininc No. 3, another operation of tho
company; Local Superintendent VI. f.
heit ana General superintendent t.
Il Enylea. cf the New River Collicries
Company, were at tho scene of the dis
aster within short time. Superin-
ienGcnt Donaldson and an expert res
cue crcw Were lowered down the shaft
or No. mine.
For . time crowd of terrified wom-
en- an6 children n the tipples waited
In suspense but soon the signal camo
10 MOIST away and the cage appeared
IL pore two men badly hunt. n few OF
III" rescue party and two bodies
otner trips We're made as rapidly as
possible. anG each time blackcned and
burned miners were hoistcd to the sur-
face until sixty-thrce had been hrourb,
up tour OF then! dead. The injured
were assisted To nearby houses. whore
physicians waited To care for them.
Portions IindIy Wrecked.
inc rescued men expressed doubt
mat any OF the thirteen miners still in
NO. shaft would be taken out alive
some "f the men said portions OF No
. mine we're badly wrecked. and the.
believed that the entrance connecting
with No. had been entirely DESTROYED
or the bodies recovered TWO are
Americans. ono foreigner and the
iouflh negro. Many of the miners
are Americans.
y United states government rescue
car reached the mines from Bluefield.
W. Va. at o'clock, and another will
arrive here from Pittsburgh. Pa, at
noon tomorrow.
The New River Galleries Companv
Is connected with the Guggeuhe,rn in
tercsts.
Tn" rescue PARTIES worked through
out the evening. Their combined ef
forts Were directed toward mine No
d where the l2o men are cntombed,
N''t"ith standing the fevcrish haste of
.he rescucrs they mad" little progress
from shaft into shaft because az
the intense heat and gases.
All Hopes Abnn,ionrd
All mop" Tor the rescue OF the no9
miners cntombcd by au exposition to-
DAY in Mines No. J and IT, of the Nev
EiVer Gollicrics COMPANY here. v.as
abandoned late Tonight Rescuers
We're unable to force their way into the
burning shafts. "
fiIty-ninc men. all burned severely
were taken alive from No. i mine. and
are receiving medical treatment in i'm
proVised hospitals. Four bodies we're
fccoNercd from the same shaft
The disaster, the second largest In
the mining history Of West Nireinio
was caused by Il gas exposition in fh.
bou-toot level of Mine No. j. Ii was
followed five minutes later by second
explosion, which wrecked this mine and
partially demolished Mine No g. n con
Meeting operation.
One hundred and ninety men were q,
work in Mine No. +, and not ono of
them reached tho surface The mine
caught fire, ana attemnts
at rescue work were futile Late To-
night rescue parties. driven back nv III.
intense heat and deadly gases. were
forced to halt their efforts to reach the
cntombed men.
The four dead and ifty-ninc injured
were taken from Mine No 6 throuph
one o. the four shafts of the mines not
damaGcu by the explosions. Thirteen
men still ar. in No 4.
Governor Hatfield, of West Vireinia
hlsh oflcials OF the company, together
with government and State mine en-
perts, are at the mines rendering as