Evening star., 1939-07-15
-19 Are Found
Dead in Mine
After Blast
Little Hope Held
For Safety Of
9 Others
BY the Associated Press.

PROVIDENCE, KY, July 15.-F. "
Ruckman, co-operator of the Duvin
Coal Co., announced today rescue
squads had reached entries in which
10 of % miners were trapped by an
underground blast and reported all
of the 10 were dead.
Mr. Ruckman said the rescue party
OF 20-odd men then pressed on to-
ward the entry in which the nine
others were trapped. Little hope
was held for their safety.
The men listed by mine company
officials as being in the entries where
the dead were found were:
Bob May, 80; Bernard Barnes, As,
foreman; Richard Byron, 80, a fore
man; Ira Campbell, As; Randall
Green, 40: Earl Woodring, 80; D. B.
Barnes, %, son of Bernard Barnes:
George Clark, As, colored; Lee Mitch
ell, 38, colored; Dan Byron, Sc; For
rest Dunbar, 81; Ellis Chandler, IS.
colored; Hobart Williams, 43, COL
ored; Ned Fugat, 10; James Gather.
81, colored; George Springfield, q,
colored; Arthur Little, 80, Carl Hol-
loman, jr., o. David Ivy, q, colored.
unlisted previously.
The younger Barnes and Fugate
were the only unmarried men in the
group.
Receives Phone Call,
Mr. Ruckman received a telephone
call from James Fugate of the rescue
party and announced they had
reached the entries where la men
were.
Did they find them" he was
asked.
yes, they found some of them"
Did they find all the men?"
They didn't have to-
The 10 were in two parallel dig
gings about 1900 feet from the
shaft and approximately $50 feet
below the surface. The nine others
missing are in another section ap-
proximately the same distance from
the bottom of the shaft and about
" leet Underground.
Those listed in the entry not yet
reached by the rescuers were:
Arch Gold, 43, a foreman; Rud-
dell Little, 80; Charles Wallace, "a.
Sike Boyd, 48, colored; Clyde Cole
26; Gordon Hodge, 40; Wanda Will
liams, %, colored; Allen Chambers
%, colored, and Elmer Sales, 48. All
are married.
Rescuers Work in Relays.
Rain which started about 8 am
drove hundreds of relatives, friends.
and the curious to shelter. Many
wives had remained awake all night.
The explosion occurred about 7
pm. last night.
The reScuerS. wearing gas masks.
were working in relays.
Ten other miners who were on the
explosion level at the time of the
mishap, were rescued. They were
suffering from bad air" but none
was seriously affected.
The rescue squads had to patch
punctures in the air ventilating sys-
tenn as it progressed along the de-
clining level so that poisonous gas
caused by the explosion might be
Withdrawn from the pit, Mr.. Ruck-
man explained.
The mine is about l mile north of
this Western Kentucky town.
State Mine Inspector John Daniel
reported to Gov. A. B. Chandler in
Frankfort he understood carbon
monoxide gas had formed after the
explosion.
Blast Blamed on Gas.
Rescue men, who declined to be
quoted by name, advanced the opin-
ion underground gas caused the ex-
plosion.
Dennis Walker, 20, one of the
10 men to escape, said he, Douglas
Gates. ID, and Ernest johnson. 46.
father OF five children, were working
about half mile from the others.
The other miners who escaped, Mr..
Walker added, were near the shaft
entrance at the time.
He estimated the explosion oc-
Cured about miles from the shaft
through which all the 81 men had
entered several hours before. Other
estimates ranged from 2 miles and
more.
Knocked Down by Explosion.
Although he described the explo-
sion as only Slight noise" Mr..
walker said he was knocked down
ana rolled over twice" Mr.. Gates
estimated he was rolled over about
70 times" and Mr.. johnson said he
was knocked down.
Mr.. Walker dragged them to the
(See NINE BLAST, Page A-3J