Evening star., 1940-01-11
HOPES Are Raised for Sofety
Of so or go Entombed Miners;
Four Bodies Found After Blast
Rescue Workers
Continue Efforts
To Reach 81
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BARTLEY, w. Va, Jan. 11.-As
rescue crews struggled through
debris and gas toward 81 miners
entombed by an explosion that killed
at least four, a mine official ex-
pressed hope today that so or co.
would be found alive.
The crews, which have pushed al
most a mile and quarter through
the ast-wrecked corridor in the
BARLEY No mine of the Pond
Greek Pocahontas Coal Corp, were
reported within few hundred feet
of the men trapped by the blast
yesterday. Forty-seven miners
escaped.
G.. j. Stollings, general manager
of the corporation. reported at noon
the crews might reach the men
within six hours and added:
We're very hopeful that possibly
so or so can be found alive"
Veteran Miners Skeptical.
Veteran miners in this squalid
Southern West Virginia coal village
shook their heads, however. and
expressed fear all had perished.
George Pile, company auditor, said
the Chances are heavily against
finding any of the men alive
The known dead:
Roy Evans, IL, motorman, mar
ried, four children.
Charley Mofitt, AZ, colored, mar
ried. four children.
Roy Hyatt, 80, motorman, mar
ried. four children.
One man still unidentified.
Workers Near Blast Scene.
The body of Mr.. Evans was dis
covered as rescue workers advanced
to within 1900 feet of the estimated
center of the explosion which tore
through three sections of the pit.
R. E. Salvati. vice president of
the company in charge of rescue
work, issued this statement at 8
am:
IF we have luck, we should reach
IS or 10 men in a matter OF hours
He said those men were believed
to be in the third and fourth left
entries. Crews have penetrated
more than 5000 feet since they
started, Mr.. Salvati added.
Wives and children of the trapped
miners and hundreds of curious who
gathered near the mine stood dumb
ly in a cold, sleety rain waiting for
word from the eight rescue crews.
Rescue Worker Carl j. Dickinson,
emerging from the workings at 3
am, declared:
"It looks bad. I don't think there
is much chance"
Workers Handicapped.
Two bodies previously were found
against a slate fall a quarter Of
a mile from the 620-foot shaft.
Workers said they were handi-
capped considerably by dead air and
had to build brattices as they went
along to protect themselves. The
shift coming out at am. reported
penetrating through rock and debris
about half way to the trapped men.
State mine department officials
said the ventilating system had to
be rebuilt as the crews moved ahead.
The main ventilating system con-
tinued in operation, but H. G. Houtz,
State chief engineer, reported
chances slim" that the trapped
men had been able to build barri-
cades and conserve what pure air
remained in the affected areas.
First Believed Slate Fall.
Occurring at 2:20 pm. yesterday,
the explosion at first was believed
q slate fall and it was more than
an hour before seriousness of the
accident was known above ground.
Forty-seven coal diggers in an east
ern section of the workings came
out at pm. unaware there had
been a blast
Cause of the mishap was not de-
termined Immediately, although
District Mine Inspector w. c. Stur-
giss said it might have resulted
when the men cut through to some
long. unused, gas-filled entry. The
State Department of Mines reported
the BARLEY No. was gaseous, but
was thoroughly rock-dusted
Motorman Roy Ashworth was al
most at the foot of the shaft at
the time of the explosion, and while
his motor drowned out the noise he
(See NINE EXPLOSION. Page A-3