Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-11-24
FREAK EXPLOSION
COSTS LIVES OF "a
Hands and Faces Of Dead i'm
Dolomitc Mine Scared
by Fire.
FIND LAMPS BURNING
Fourth Largest Fatal Mining
Disaster in Alabama
FIND LAMPS BURNING
Try Associated rress-1

RIRMiNGHAM ALA. Nov. "a
E!rhiy-tour bodies. twenty. those NJ
white mon and six,y-four those OF
''tr rncs laT tonight In Undertaking
H''hilShm"nis her. in Bcsscmcr. the
death to!! "f Il coal dust explosInn
E"Sto rdhy lu Doiomite Mine num-
phny, sixteen miles west Of Birminr
"aM ilEhiy-two bodies wcr. taken
."r j Of TIA" Woodward Iron Conn
rom IN" mine early today and q,
me sixty injured two sucCumhcd
R"ports received by officials of IN.
woodward Company Indicated that
while several of those remaining in
hosr'th.S Wer" seriously hurt. pos
SHY all would recover.
The bodies Of eleven white mo,
AID siN'y-four negroes were in onn
Hn'"rta Nin@ establishment in Ressc-
m"r and while a large crew worked
i'NcrlShiy all day preparing them
Tor burial. hundreds OF persons CON
sr"gnt.i In the street about m.
place. anNiously seeking news OF
relatives or OF friends. Ono white
man and fifteen negroes had not beer
positively identified tonight and
since all Of the nameless ones were
h'r" persons Interested in them be-
NeiGed the establishments 1t was
necessary L" station police at the
'htranc" and those seeking the miss
lhE' or relatives of those known TO
nave Iust th"ir lives were admitted
ENplosion n Freak.
The explosion was declared by
mining experts to have been a freak
and so far as loca! records show.
only the third Of its Kind ever to
nave occurred in this country. Dolo-
NIT" number three is a slope mine.
opened in 1852 and operated until
Yesterday without serious accI-
dent Th" sl"p" opens into tho side
of hill and AT an angle of sixty de.
srcos runs nearly 500 feet be-
tore reaching the level Of the work
.ngs. At tho foot of tho slope is the
mine railroad yard. where dump cars
loaded with coal are assembled and
drawn 10y cable To the surface ana
up tn" tipplc. \ string OF these
dump cars broke loose on the incline,
literally dropping 500 feet 10 the
the yard. where great clouds OF coal
dust arose with the impact. and a
high tension electric cable severed
by the crash. ignited the dust.
Only 500 feet from the surface the
fun force "f the explosion and the
accompanying fame Went up the
slope, the flash Of fame projecting
beyond the tipplc several hundred
feet and firing wooden construction
at the top. The tipplc itself is Of
concrete. and only wooden roof
erected as n shelter was destroyed
The mine and slope were undamaged.
ana II was expected repairs To the
tracks and hoist would he made in
time To resume operations Monday
II is believed, about forty OF the mon
VII" lost their lives were in the yard
At the foot of the slope and were
Killed hy the concussion
KILLS All Mine BOSSES
pf these six were fOrcmcn, tho blast
wiping out all OF the mine bosses
The deadly aftcrdamp formed lmme
diat"lN and accounted for the re-
maind"r of the victims. Faces and
ha mas Of many of the dead were
scared by the flash of fame, while
other bodies bore bruises and cuts.
where they had been thrown against
Continued on Page 3, Col. IL