Evening star., 1923-02-10
MINE PROBE HALTED.
Canadian Authorities Wait on
Clearing Up of Debris.

By the Associated Press.
CUMBERLAND. B. G., February 10:
investigation OF an explosion OF
madam collieries tDunsmuir. Ltd, }
near here Thursday night. the death
list of which stood this morning at
thirty-three. has been halted to await
clearing of extensive masses or faiien
rock.
No explanation had been offered for
the tragedy today. An explosion last
August in the same mine that TOOK
thirteen lives was attributed TO ig-
milton of fire damp by an electric
spark that flashed when a cable lead
ing to an electric drilling machine
broke The nearest electric machin-
cry, a pump and compressor, was a
hundred feet from Thursday night $
explosion and neither device was in
A coroner's jury impaneled last
night viewed the bodies of thirty
one victims and adjourned until Feb
ruary 16 An investigation has been
ordered by William Sloan, British
Columbia minister of mines.
Tells of Escape.
Fourteen of the bodies recovered
were of white. and seventeen those OF
Chinese. Two Chinese are believed
to be dead in the mine.
Additional details of the struggle to
reach the mouth OF the tunnel, two
blast occurred. were related today by
Robert Brown.
Brown and J. Glib were working
some distance from the scene OF the
explosion. Soon after they started
to fight their way out OF the bore
they fell over Jack Webber.
Today Brown and Glib. companions
Of webber in the Cumberland Hospi-
tai where they were among the six
men lowering near death. knew that
their struggles were useless. The
air remained good in the chamber In
night mule that had remained
quietly for twenty-four hours after
the explosion was brought out alive.
Refuse Proffered Aid.
As Brown and Gibb stopped to pick
up Webber, six men passed them on the
run. Garry Webber. they soon came
upon the bodies Of the six who had run
into after r-damp. Warned by that they
turned back and encountered a Chinese
known as Big Sullivan. who said ne
could lead them out, but they Ignored
his offer. He made his way to the
outside unharmed. Encountering AFTER
when q rescue team saw the electric
lamps on their caps and brought them
The first body found was that Of w.
Mitchell, ffteen-year-oldb boy: rescue
workers saw him in the hoist some
time before they reached him. but he
died before help arrived. Like many
Of the others, he was bleeding at the
nose. ears and mouth and the skin on
his face and hands was scorched with
the heat following the explosion. HIS
brother, who was In the mine wnen the
accident occurred, but escaped. ran two
miles in an effort at rescue, which
failed.
Fifteen Killed Outright.
The explosion occurred in No. 2
east drift, and that portion OF the
mine was badly wrecked, with many
working faces blocked. 1t was be-
lieved that about fifteen or the VIC
Tins were killed outright; the others
died from after-damp: officials ex.
fhe men had remained where they
were at the time of the accident many
more of them would have been saved,
as survivors declared they ran into
the -after-damp at the entrance OF
No. west drift, In their nlgnt to"aro
| the mine mouth.
ore miner, named Pinefold. found
he could not force passage through
No. 4 level and remained where he
was. inducing twelve others to stay
! with him. All were saved. Others
went forward and were lost.
the main slope and were overcome
at the mouth of No. level. These
| were the men recovered by the rescue
| party and taken to the hospital. Not
| one miner came out of No. 2 east
| drift alive.
Chinese Rescued.
Ten Chinese who were slowly be-
] ing asphyxiated in one section of tht
3 mine had an extraordinary escape