The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-02-09
Day Shift
Caught by
Concrete Work at Mouth OF
Main Entry Wrecked-Wire
Communication Destroyed
by Force of Detonation.
Crowds Gather at Plant

East Las Vegas. \. NJ. Feb. 81
approximately rs miners are en-
tombed in soft coal mine No. at
Dawson. X. n. following an expio-
sion today. according to a telephons
message received here.
The explosion, which occurred at
about 2:3o. wrecked telephone lines
out Of Dawson and communication
with the town was impossible. Ths
information received here was fron
Dawson Junction, near Dawson.
At 4:30 all the miners Of the day
shift who were in the mine when the
explosion is reported to have occurred
were still entombed, according 10 the
message.
The mine is owned by the Phelps
Dodge corporation. Calls for heip
have been sent 10 the ST. Louis,
Rocky Mountain and Pacific company
al Ration.
Second Blast in Decade.
The mine where the disaster is re-
ported to have occurred is the largest
in the Dawson district. L was tire
scene OF an explosion in 1913. in which
many miners lost their lives.
All the heavy concrete work at the
mouth Of the main entry was destroy
ed by the force of the explosion, in
dieating that the extent OF the blast
IN the deeper workings was tremen-
dous. according TO Information rece.v-
ed here.
The debris choking the entrance
Was partly removed by o'clock this
afternoon and a rescue crew, which
vas accompanied by W. D. Brennan,
general manager OF the mine. made
an entry. Their report was not avail.
able at a later hour.
Hundreds OF women and children.
members Of the families OF the work
men on the shift. gathered about the
mouth OF the mine. A Gordon OF
guards was formed to permit rescue
workers 10 enter the workings.
s61 Killed in 1918. \
Denver. Feb. s.-Todays mine dis
aster is the second in a decade ex-
perienced by tho little mining town
Of Dawson. y. NJ.
Ertrapped in a tunnel OF the Stag
Canyon coal mine. also owned by
the Phelps Dodge corpora ton. which
owns mine No. :. where todays ex-
plosion occurred. on Tuesday after.
noon, October Il. 1918. by a terrible
. explosion. 2si miners lost their lives
before rescue crews could reach them.
and two OF the rescuers were Killed
by the fatal gases as they sought 10
reach their comrades in the fune-
filled death chambers underground.
Twenty-three men-all but six 81
whom were in 4 distant portion of the
mine when the blast wrecked the in
F terror workings-were all who sur
slvcd.
! TO add TO the horror Of the disaster.
F fire. smouiderins in the ruins Of thu
blast-wrecked tunnels. hampered ths
work Of rescue and constantly i'm
perilled attempts 10 bring from ihs
mine the bodies CT the victims.
Bodies Mutilaied.
Many 81 the bodies eventually re-
! covered were found TO have been
mutilated almost beyond recognition
F by the explosion. others had been
crushed by falling rock and iimbcrs.
and scores had sufTocated in the
black damp which swept through ths
workings as the aftermath OF tho
blast
For more than a week rescue crews
hraved the dangers Of falling debris,
T fro and gas. before the last bodies
were recovered.
Officials at the time were unable u
account for the EXPLOSION. hut fol-
towing the accident. declared II Vas
their belief that miner with N
open lamn had encountered an ua-
known pocket filled with gas. whio1
MAS exploded.