The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-17
MINE EXPLOSION EVTOMBS 47 MEN; F ESCAPE ALIVE Miners Are Trapped By Explosion In Wyoming
 Coal Pit TOWN IS SHAKEN
 BY TERRIFIC BLAST Rains Make. Roads Im- passable, Delaying Ar
 rival Of Rescuers
,(By Associated Press)

KEMMERER, Wyo., Sept. |16.-An official check-up to- might of the number of miners land workers in Sublet mine No. 5 when an explosion en- tombed all at 11:45 o'clock this morning, show that only 47 men were in the mine at the time of the blast, according to officials of the Kemmerer Coal company, owners of the property. The number of en- tombed men was set at S1 in earlier estimates by the com pany.
 At a late hour tonight 12 miners had come out alive and
 bodies of three dead had been recovered.
 A resounding roar that reverbrated throughout the little mining camp nest ling in the mountains, broke through
 the sound of crashing thunder at II 40 o'clock and brought to Sublet its first great mining disaster.
 800 Gather At Mouth
 As the sound of the terrific explo-
 sion died out, residents of the little community of 500 persons started an
 exodus from their homes through a blinding rainstorm to the mouth of mine No. 6. drift mine, there to claim their T IT. fl Y s 2 tsI r f Within an hour so many residents | of the camp had eongregated around the main sportal of the tunnel that ii was with difficulty that workmen and rescue crews were able to make their way to start the work of rescue. News of the disaster was sent to Kemmerer and the main winding little mountain highway soon became con cested with automobiles and persons on foot on their way to the scene of the
 explosion.
 Rescue Crews Formed Rescue crews from the mines in the adjacent territory were quickly formed and started on their way.
 The rain continued to fall in virtual
 torrents and shortly after news of the
 disaster had spread to kemmerer, the
 road to the mining camp was declared
 to be impossible. An urgent call for help was dispatched to the bureau Of mines headquarters at Denver and res cue car No. 2, on duty at Trinidad, Colo, was ordered to proceed to the
 scene of the disaster. A second car' No. 1, held in Butte, Mont, was or
 dered held in readiness for the journey | in case 1t was needed.
 Gas Balks Rescuers. As soon as a clearing large enough to admit a man had been opened into the wrecked main portal, rescuing par
 ties attempted to enter but were forced
 to withdraw because of the gas which was pouring from the mine. Orders
 were sent at once to the Frontier
 mines, to Diamondville, Cumberland and
 Rock Springs, for rescue workers and late in the afternoon a crew of about POO men had been assembled.
 These men were sent into the main
 entrance and also to the fire entrance with orders to clear these passageways to- permit the gas to escape and also 1 to clear away wreckage and debris 1 First reports received here were to the effect that fire was raging within the mine, but rescue crews coming out after
 short shifts were unable to confirm
 these reports. They had made little pro-
 gress into the interior. .
 Whole Families Perish. ! Practically all, of the men entombed, and declared by company officials to 1 be believed to be dead, have been resi-
 dents of the mining community of Sub
 let for years. Fathers and sons, ac- cording to the company statements
 here. were employed in the mine and if ia believed that practically entire families have been wiped out by the IIaaf