Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-03-18
RESCUE PARTIES
HOPE TO REACH
VICTIMS TODAY
Little Hope Held Out for
Finding Any of Party
Alive, West Virginia
Inspector Declares

FAIRMONT, w. Va, March 49,
r. NJ. Lambie. chief mine Inspector
of West Virginia, declared in 4 state
ment issued shortly after noon to-
day that rescue workers would not
be able to reach the 81 ent0mbed
miners in mine Al of the Bethlehem
Mines corporation before late tonight.
FAIRMONT, West Va, March ia
hundred or more men were cautiously
pushing their way through the under
ground recesses Of mine number Al of
the Bethlehem mines corporation three
miles southwest Of here, today in an
effort to find "a miners who were en-
tombed last night when an explosion
wrecked the shaft.
Not since sheet of flame burst up
through the opening that extends 800
feet below the ground has anyone on
the. surface heard from the imprisoned
men. A low rumbling preceded the ex-
plosion, which wrecked the mines light
ing equipment and fans, caused the
tipple to totter and fall into the shaft
and which shook buildings in Fairmont,
broke windows. and shook doors from
their hinges in houses 800 feet away.
Since that moment crowds of frantic
women and children. milled about the
mine trying to find some word Of tho
entombed men. Only two rescue work
ers had been able to send word to the
surface, and that word was not encour-
aging. R. M. Lambie, chief mine in
spector of West Virginia and COM
panion were the first to go down. They
pushed their way past the debris to the
stable where the mine horses were kept.
All the 36 animals we're dead. Then they
pushed on into one of the headings.
The air was bad. they said. That was
all. They could find no trace of the
men, and when they came to the sur
face experts from every mine in the
district organized themselves mt to
groups, ready to explore every heading
to its farthest reaches.
While not definitely determined, gas
was believed to have caused the ex-
plosion and late last night Mine Super
intendent Benton Mitchell said de did
not believe any of the men could be
alive. Lambie, however. said this morn
| ing the work would go on as though
! everyone was alive.
Soon after the explosion occurred
there were reports that dynamite
bomb had been dropped into the shaft
but these were later denied. The mine
opened on a non-uHion basis last Oc-
tober and employees about $50 men. The
pntombad were coal euttprS and their
helpers Of the night shift.
Last nights explosion was the sec
ond within the mine in less than ten
years On October 1, 1916, gas ex-
plosion killed ten men. The mine has
been equipped with every modern device
since that time and it was believed
safe. 1t was so pronounced on Monday
by deputy mine inspector who ex-
amined it.
The fact that Lambie and his COM
panion could find no trace of the men
near the shaft was not considered un-
unusual, as all the miners were be-
lieved working considerable distance
away. The mine has been in opera
tion for a number of years and has ex-
| tended more than mile and half from
the shaft. 1t was thought none Of the
cutters were nearer than half mile
and most of them probably q greater
plosfon occurred.
Lambie reported that the mine was
badly damaged and that the rescue
workers would find il hard going
through the shattered passageways.