South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-29

ATTEMPTS To
RESCUE MEN
Deafening ROarS Followed by
Tongues of Fire Shooting
From Shafts Continue and
Hope For Men is Abandoned.

ECCLES. w. Va, April 29.-FlamesI
and great clouds Of smoke pouring
from mine No. and mine No. of
the New River COllieries company,
today drove back heroic rescuers and
all hope was abandoned of rescuing
any OF the 1S7 miners still entombed
there as a result of the explosion that
occurred yesterday afternoon. All
are believed 20 be dead.
A number OF explosions were heard
during the night. indicating that gas
pockets" had been ignited by the fire
that broke out soon after the eXplo-
sion
one hundred and seventy-seven men
given up for dead are in mine No. D.
Ten are trapped in mine No. o, from
which Il bodies have been recovered.
Worst I'm States History.
All the bodies recovered are silent
witnesses to the force of the blast that
snuffed out the miners lives. with
1S7 men still in the mines given up tor
dead. the total death list is 1913. which
IS. with one exception, the worst mine
disaster in the states history.
Sixty-hve men. who escaped by their
own efforts from mine No. or were
brought by reCuers before the names
checked further efforts, owe their lives
10 the fact that they were near the
surface when the explosion occurred.
Many of them suffered severe III
1uries and some will die.
Governor Henry d. Hatfield and
other state officials are on the ground
lending every aid possible. State mine
chief Henry and corps of assistants
worked all night in an attempt 10
penetrate the wall 20 shaft no. D.
Thev were relieved at dawn by another
force An these men had to work
with extreme care. as any opening
might permit rush of flames that
would trap the rescuers.
TELLS story of Blast
Tossing feVeTishly upon cot IN the
improvised hospital Steven MoroWasN
one of the rescued miners, told in
broken sentences the story or the
scenes in the interior of the mine,
following the explosion. His was the
first story Of the disaster by an eye
witness and as he related 1t, Moro
Naski. who is a naturalized American
citizen. rolled upon his cot, his body
raCked with pain and his mind torn
with the memory of the horror of the
scenes.
I'VE were working as usual whis-
pered Morowaski III voice that could
barely be heard suddenly there
was a deafening roar, then wall or
flame swept through the Shaf-. lt
came without warning but we instinct
ively threw ourselves upon our faces.
The noise nearly burst our ears; our
lungs were filled with fire, il seemed.
The air was SO full of gas that we
choked when we tried To breathe"
AS he whispered his story his Wlte
SAT- swaving and weeping at the bed
side her three small children. Wild
eyed. frightened and wondering,
clingirg To her knees. The attending
doctor had told Mrs MOrowaski that
her husband would probably not live
untu night and her grief was over
whelming.
Wrapped in Wave of Fire.
Nforowaski feebly resumed his story
There was "A wave of fire. he SAID.
1T seemed TO he coming right at me.
Things seemed 10 be Whirling
around. NIy head was dizzy My
lungs were Choked with fire and
smoke. 7 thought my body was burst
iuE My last thought was My God.
it's death Then ] tainted. The next
thing I knew / opened my eyes IN
here. I never knew Such a blessed
moment
81 don't know how many men were
in the same chamber with me.
think there were twelve. Poor devils
hope they we're saved
Agonized women huddled in groups
throughout the night behind the lines
established about the mouth OF No .
shaft Little children who knew OF
the extent of the calamity only from
the grief of their mothers, sat IN
sleepy silent wonder asking occa-
sionally when father would come
home"
It - believed that n pocket Of gas
was ignited 10y a miner lamp and that
tLis caused an explosion OF mine dust
Tuesday night the mountain side
Was alive with widows and fatherless
children who silently wept while by
the light of fickering lanterns horde
of blackened men were working
frantically 10 release their imprisoned
companions.
OF the L men who were buried in
one shaft. No. 8. sixty have been
taken out alive and IL dead. Not
one man has been rescued from the
other mine. No. 3.
The cause Of the explosion has not
never be known. The New River
company operates six mines at Eccles
Nos and . connect. At 2:30 Tues
dav afternoon there was slight eN-
plOsiOn in 40. 8. followed by another
slightly greater in No. 5. Ten MIN
utes later the valley shook with The
third blast I'm no. s. The timbers
over the main shaft the ventlators
and the cages were shot 70 he sky
and deposited far up the hillside.
Traffic Suspended.
The Virginia railroad suspended
traffic and rushed a rescue crew Of
the Pawama Coal and Coke Co. at
Matoaks. several miles away, with a
number OF physicians and nurses.
The superintendent also called for
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