Imperial Valley press., 1925-02-12
PiHtuL Scenes
Enacted When
Only Z Escape
By CARL d. GROAT
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent


BERLIN, Feb. 12.-One hundred
and thirty one miners were killed
in mine explosion at Dortmund
shortly before midnight, one of the
worst disasters in German industrial
history.
Several rescue workers, cutting
their way into the gas filled shafts
in search of possible survivors,
were asphyxiated.
Out of the 1873 miners trapped
when the blast let go, only seven
were brought out alive.
The entire industrial region
around Dortmund was plunged into
gloom by the tragedy and crowds
gathered in an ugly mood at the
mine entrance, threatening to lynch
the directors.
The German government sent its
condolences.
pitiful scenes were enacted rs
scores of wives. and mothers with
children at their skirts, clamored to
enter the pit mouth and help the
hundreds of volunteers who were
risking their lives in the shafts.
Rescue workers with torches and
oxygen tanks had TO cut their way
through rocks 10 the rear of tn"
death chamber where the explosion
buried most of the victims.
A series Of explosions had blown
n score of miners to pieces and
blocked entrance TO the second and
third levels of the mine. Damp then
-. Al . ,t.1a
survivors huddled together and
more than 100 others were crushed
or asphyXiated.
Breaking into one gaseous pass
ageway, rescuc workers, including
firemcn with resuscitation appara-
tus and gas masks, found chalkel
on the wall;
Midnight: Nina Of MS still
alive
Bodies Mutilated
The nine were found dead, hud-
died together in heap nj the end
Of the shaft from which they had
tried vainly to escape as the gasses
spread.
Nurses. doctors, firemon and no
lice came from neighboring- cities
at dawn when rescue work actually
got under way.
BY one p. m. 40 bodies had been
brought up from tho pits. Some of
these were so charred nud mutilatcd
that thew were identified only by
taps or hv numbers on lanterns.
The explosion appeared to have
hurled some victims a distance of
90 wards breaking them to pulp.
Many hours work lay ahead be
fore rescue workers could cut
through to all the shafts and make
certain that no one remained alive
in some distant recess.
Tho cause of the catastrOphe was
laid to sparks from n machine in
one of the shafts ignitinG the gasses
in the mine.
Fire broke ont following the blast
and was ragino in ono shaft as late
rs 10 n. M. today.
Dorimund is in the "rcat indus
trial region Of the Ruhr and was
occupied bv French troops before
evacuation last wear. The mine in
which the explosion occurred is
owned Nv Minister Hlcln' ol tHc
Luther Government.
The explosion east gloom over tho
industrial community for it was the
second disaster of n few'weeks. RE
Gently an EXPRESS train running at
high speed. cut into an accommoda'
tion train crowded with workers in
wooden coaches. killing scores.
Despite h"avv police guard,
women and children charged the
COMPANY gates and many succeeded
in breaking through and reaching
the pit mouths. Irving scenes were
enacted as the dead, in groups of
or singly, were brought to the sur
face.s
Frantic wives screamed curses up-
on the company officials while min
ers who had ESCAPED the disaster,
J stood sullenlv looking on or gcIrti-
culating wildly, waving their pay
envelopes. crying:
"Sec. for what pitiful sums we
1o;l,, etoro doofh In Tho fnpn' -