, 1923-02-09

~ 4 n nv
and no list Of dead is ready for an
u~ouncement.
There was a delay of an hour in the
rescue work this morning while IN
provements on the mine fan motor
to increase the ventilation in the mine
were made. Off Gals said this better.
ment of the fan would make suffi.
Gent ventilation for rescue crews to
explore all parts of the mine without
danger of being overcome.
DAWSON, N. NJ. Feb. 9.-Bodles
Of seven of the more than one hun
dred miners believed to have been
killed in an explosion OF mine No. !
Of the Phelps Dodge corporation here
yesterday, had been recovered and
scared for the others was continuing
early this morning. The prospects
however, were that many others
would not be cached until later in
he day.
When h rescue rews entered the
mine, they encountered fumes which
seemed to permeate the property and
as a result, little hope IS entertained
hat any of the entombed men will be
ound alive.
AS soon as the entrance, which had
cen blocked by the exp,os.on could
&c cleared, exploration of the mne
"a begun under the direction of the
manager and general uper.n tendent
rhe first men reached were the
notorman n n!pper, who wero only
/ short distance inside the mine.
Both were dead. One of them was
lentihed as Autolneke Kiriakos.
As ventilation was restored by con
5truCtion of temporary stopp.ngs on
soss-cuts, the rescuers proceeded into
he mine. They encountered numer
Gus falls and considerable debris. AT
mIdn ght, the rescuers had gone 6p
)roximately n mile under ground but
ley had not reached the actual work
ng places Of the ner
The rescue car of the Colorado Fuel
md Iron company was due to arrive
Iere this morning to assist tn,
rescue organization maintained by the
'helps-Dodge corporation here.
A large number of people have
cen congreEated as near the mine
ntrance as they could get ever s-ncC
the explosion but there has been nc
sorder.
One hundred forty-one miners en-
cred the mine yesterday but 10 Of
them a checked out before the ex
os.on, so hat 1872 men were in the
mine when the accident occurred.
Tho min was what is commonly
termed in this district a "non-gase
1us" n and was extensively
Hquipped with a sprinkl'ng system
The fire bosses who examined the
nine on the night preceding the ex,
~''os'on did not report any unusua
conditions in h property. The
Tause of the explosion has not been
determined.
The ventflating fan was so located
and installed hat it vas not damaged
by the explosion nj continued in
peration. The main force of the
Xplosion passed through the intake
lirway, which is the man haulage
road, and on reaching the surface.
demolished the concrete portal. Sub
s~equently the haulage way caved in
at that point.
The mine, which was one of the
smaller of the eight mines operated
here at the Phelps-Dodge corporation.
had a capacity of about 600 tons a
day.
The explosion was of such force
that it topped cement walls which
formed the exterior of the entrance,
and hurled large timbers fifty to one
hundred feet.
The explosion was heard all over
Dawson and the thud brought a group
OF anxious wives. mothers and other
relatives to the pit head. The women
some hatless despite the wintry
breezes, others tightly wrapped in
lhawls, some tight Tipped and dry
eyed while others were sobbing and
hysterical, waited for some sign to
Indicate whether their linen folks"
would be brought from the mine.
This news quickly spread hat the
miners had small chance to escape
alive.
Early this morning the body of
A.. j. English was found almost com
pleteIy buried in the debris. Further
on the searchers expect to find h
son. Albert English, Jr., foreman o
the mining shift.
With the arrival of the mine rescue
car Sent by the Colorado Fuel and
Iron company from Trinidad, Colo.
early today, rescue work was pushed
with redoubled energy.
Many members of the rescue crew
have been working from 10 to IL
hours without rest. w. d. Brennan,
general manager OF the mine. was
one of the most energetic workers in
the rescue party from the time Of
the explosion until 8 O'Clock this
morning when exhaustion forced him
to seek rest.
The work of entering the mine and
e~xcavatlng through the caved.in
tunnels Is a task which presents 10
little risk to the rescue party. The
fumes in the mine still are dense
despite the use OF the large mine fan.