Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-11-23
70 KNOWN DEAD
AS THE RESULT .
Of A BLAST IN
ALABAMA MINE.
Fate of POS Others En-
tombed Is Regarded as
Uncertain; 90 of the
Rescued Men Are Injured
BODIES STREWN ALONG
THE MAIN PASSAGEWAY
Fire Which Follows the Ex-
pIOSion flinders the Work
of SearcherS; Reports Are
Less Hopeful 81

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Seventy miners are known 70 he
dead and the fate Of 205 others en-
tombcd in No. mine Of the Wood
ward Iron company mt Dolomite
was regarded as uncertain by res
cue crews VINO early tonight were
augmelting their forces for eX-
ploration of all entries OF the pit
One hundred and twenty-five
men Of a total OF 400 in the mine
when 1t was partly wrecked by a
dust explosion at 2:4O o'clock this
afternoon, were removed late in
the day from the pit by means Of
man way connecting mines No. .
and Of the Woodward company.
Fifty of the men were reported in
jured, a few seriously
Rescue workers reported that
the number Of dead probably
would run high. It being believed
that many Of the remaining 205
unaccounted for would be found
dead or injured.
Fire Follows Explosion
Fire which followed the eNplo-
sion hiudered the work Of rescue
and was believed TO have been re-
sponsible for many deaths. The
injured among the first men res
cued were removed to Bessemer
hospitals,
Half Of the men are white.
As the work of rescue progress
ed, reports to the surface grew less
hopeful. One squad Of workers re-
ported seeing bodies "strewn all
along the main passage way"
AS darkness came women and
children, white and black. crowded
closer about tho mine anNiouslv
waiting in common horror. word
| from the pit. The injured We're be-
| ing removed by rescue crews, while
undertakers' assistants were pre-
\ pairing for removal of the dead
4 found ~in the entries nearest the
manway No attempt at identifi-
cation or the dead or seriously in
| jured had been attempted. the
| work OF emergency relief claiming
| first attention. All the doctors and
/ nurses In the community have been
marshaled to care for the wounded.
400 Men Underground
| At the company's office 1t was
| stated that Of AS men who check
| cd in for work today. 400 were
underground when the explosion
| occurred.
Accordin TO mine officials
broken electric circuit caused by
| the runaway Of a train II trip cars
was responsible for ignition of the
dust.
A detail Of Alabama national
guard on duty in the railroad strike
area in Birmingham was ordered
/ to the mine.
Assistant Superintendent T. w.
Trew and four men were injured
when they were trapped in the top
house" following the explosion
while endeavoring to sound the
alarm in the pit when they discov-
cred the trip tram running Wild"
Dolomite is nine miles southwest
Of Birmingham.
The United States bureau of
mines has ordered q rescue car
from the Kentucky mine field, it
was announced at the local station.
Daniel Harrington Of Denver,
Colo, is directing the work OF the
local station.
His First Warning
According to one OF the first
miners to be taken out alive, the
explosion came with little warning
to the men working deep in the en-
tries. This miner stated that the
first warning he had was when the
conclusion of the big blast halt
turned his body about. Realizing
that an explosion had occurred he
started to make his way toward
the mouth of the mine. He was
joined by other miners.
This survivor who escaped un-
scathed said that after he had
proceeded only short dis.
tance he began to feel the effect.
of the dreaded after-damp and fol
a time believed that he and hi,
companions were doomed.
These men were among the firs
to reach the outside with actua
news Of the terrible scenes insid,
the mine. They told of passlns
over bodies in the main entry, ant
OF seeing other miners, badly in
, iured and moaning for help as th'
fatal after-damp snuffed out theil
lives.
/ Men Block Passageway
] About thirty men saved thei
| lives by blocking a passageway int
the mine "trip" and thereby shut
ting off effectually the poisonou
gases and after-damp until tn,
! fans were started again and clear
) ed the way for them to reach TIL
outside alive.
! As the night wore or, fresl
crews replaced tired workers
5 Mangled forms were borne on
: tenderly but with great speed from
} the nit. Caravans of ambulance
wended their way along the marrow
t crooked road that led from min'
to hospital. At 3 o'clock 1t wa
t announced that 1t would take unit
r I a. m. to remove the injured anr
Y at that hour the task of removing
! the dead would be undertaken.
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