The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-04
Hou u. s. Rescue Crelu
Saued Forty-seuen Miners
With Bird Gaugng Intensity of Fumes Heroes Of Federal
Service Equipped with Oxygen Apparatus, Made
Perlous Trip Into Explosion-Swept Cave

| The saving from terrible death OF
forty-seven miners entombed for four
days and four nights in the explosion
! swept mine of the New River and
| Pocahontas Consolidated Coal Com
! pany. at Layland, w. Va. by trained
rescuers from the United States Blu
reau of Mines and other volunteers.
discloses type of heroism not
equaled anywhere in the annals OF
! industrial history.
For the safely of the million or more
miners of the United States who fol-
| low this most hazardous OF callIngs
Uncle Sam, through the Federal Bu-
reau of Mines. has highly organized
corps of trained rcsCuerS who carry
oxygen breathing apparatus which per-
mits them to enter a mine Immediately
after an explosion and to penetrate
poisonous gases that would otherwise
kill in the twinkling of an eye.
1t was on the morning of March .
that word was received by d. J. Pax
err engineer in charge of Mine Rescue
Car No. s, at Glenalum, w. Va, that
an explosion had occurred in the
mine of the New River and Pocahontas
Consolidated Coal Company. Fifteen
minutes later the Norfolk and Western
Railroad had stopped all trains be
tween Glenalum and kenova, a dis
lance of 1O4 miles. and lad cleared
the track A special engine was at
tached and the rescue car was taken
the entire distance to Kenova in three
hours At that point the car was
turned over to the Chesapeake and
Ohio, which had also prepared for
clear track With the second largest
engine in the world attached to the
rescue car, the 1913 miIes between Ken
ova and Quinnimont. nine miles from
the scene of the disaster, was reached
in three hours and sixteen minutes,
said to he record on this mountain
road The rescue car was taken to
La yland in short time and few min
utes later the rescuers were on the
ground.
Nine Inspectors on Scene.
BY the time the bureaus rescuers
reached the scene. State Mine Inspector
Earl Henry and number of his assist
ants were already there with the work
of rescue started. the mine inspectors
having general charge of the work. Short
ly afterward eleven miners from the
mines of the United States Coal Com
pany at Gary. w. Va. who had previous
ly been trained in rescue work by the
Bureau of Mines men. arrived and also
James W. Paul. of Pittsburgh, Pa, en-
Eineer in charge of all the rescue work
of the Bureau of Mines. Paul at once
organized the bureaus rescuers and the
trained men from Gary into three corps
and offered the services Of the men to
Chief State Mine Inspector Henry and
to the management of the mine.
The men in charge of the rescuers stood
outside Of the mine with a map of the
interior in their hands and studied it
intently. They planned like the gen.
eral staff of an army during battle.
Carrying their apparatus in their hands.
the rescuers entered with volunteers,
having with them a canary bird in a
cage. Everybody watched for the cam
airy, for it is known that as long as
the bird is able to sit upon his perch.
there is no danger to the men from
gas poisoning. the canary being much
more sensitive to gas than men. They
proceeded until the bird began to show
signs of distress, and at this point the
volunteers, without breathing apparatus,
until they We're in a safe at
mosphere. the trained rescuers putting
on their apparatus and pressing for
ward.
The rescuers made three different !
crews. one Of them exploring the mine: |
the second remaining at the base with
the volunteers to be ready for AMI
and the third crew being |
put to bed in order to be able to re-
lieve the first crew. as the men wearing /
the artificial breathing apparatus can |
work but two hours at a time. This |
work proceeded night and day until Sat
urday morning. The continued eXplora-
ton by the trained rescuers at that time
developed that the main entry had little
and was in fairly good condi-
ton. This led Chief State Inspector
Henry TO order the reversal of the air
to permit the use Of this entry.
1t was at this point that five weary
and famshed miners stumbled against
James w. Paul. the head of the Bureau
1f Mines rescue service. who was but
4 short distance in the mine at the
lime. The five men were on their way
out. They explained that after the ex-
,losion they had walled themselves in
With the idea of keeping the poisonous
Eases from reaching them. As soon as
he air had cleared through the efforts