Evening star., 1940-01-12
Trapped Miners
Feared Dead;
Is Bodies Out
Hope Fades for 66
Still Behind Debris
Caused by BIost
Pictures on Page A-3.J

BY the Associated Press.
BARTLEY, w. Va, Jan. IRE
covery of Is bodies from, the blast
torn BARLEY No. Mine shattered
hope today for the safety of 66 other
miners trapped behind twisted tim
bers and debris by Wednesdays ex-
plosion.
The last 81 bodies - all badly
mangled-Were found as rescue
crews stumbled through the wrecked
tunnels 900 feet underground to the
very center of the explosion area.
Rescue workers reported the men
probably had been killed instantly
and saw little chance that miners in
other entryways had escaped a
similar fate. Mine company off,
cials and mine inspectors shared
that belief.
Il am afraid that finding of the
bodies means the other men in the
mine also will be found dead said
G. J. Stollings, general manager
of Pond Greek Pocahontas Coal
Corp, which operates the workings.
Inspector Abandons Hope.
State Mine Inspector E. L. Chat
field. after talking with the rescue
crews said: The evidence of the
violence indicates that every man
in the mine is doomed
He reported one of the crews found
a tWo-ton loading machine blown so
feet from the face of the coal. The
track on which it ran was twisted
and warped.
The men apparently had no
chance to get away" he added. dash
ing further the hopes that some of
the group might have been able to
barricade themselves in an isolated.
section. l
After damp" the mixture of
gases which is left after all oxygen
is burned out in an explosion. would
have killed many of the men in.
stantly. Mr. Chatfield declared. If
they were unable to shut themselves
off.
Sc Hours to Tunnel Through.
1t took approximately 3S hours
TO tunnel through tons of slate, =
rock and coal to where the 81 men
were caught 900 feet underground
by blast mine inspectors said
might have resulted when the
miners cut into some abandoned
gas-f-led entry. Forty-Seven diggers
in the eastern section of the mine
escaped
Four bodies were recovered be-
fore rescuers reached the explosion
scene. Two of these victims were
said by officials to apparently have
violated rules and started walking
out OF the mine after finishing work
instead of waiting to be brought
out. The explosion occurred less
than an hour before the day shift
was scheduled to go off duty.
Hope of finding some of the men
alive frightened early today when
weary workers finally dug into a
right entry. finding dinner buckets
and machines where an estimated
80 men had been working. Belief
was expressed that the men had
made their way to another sec
ton and successfully barricaded
themselves against gas. but these
hopes were dashed with the find
ing of l3 bodies in one pasSageway
leading off from the entry.
The bodies were approximately
5000 feet from the shaft and some
2.400 feet away from another group
of workers that might be alive.
Crews Work Fresh Air Along.
Company officials estimated it
would be early afternoon before
other trapped men could be reached.
Crews had to carry the air" with
them, building barriers or brattice
cloth as they pushed along with
fresh air to allow laborers to work
without oxygen helmets. In some
places there was hardly enough
room for one man to crawl between
the roof and piled debris.
Above ground scores of miners and
relatives of entombed men huddled
together in a cold drizZle. watching
gloomily as rescue crews changed
shifts every four hours. Many had
clung to hope as the hours passed,
while veteran miners who have wit
messed such disasters feared the
worst.