THE WYOMING DISASTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 113, 12 May 1908, Page 2

THE WYOMING DISASTER.

SEVENTY MEN PERISH.

CHEYENNE- (Wyo.), March 2».

Between fifty-fire, and seventy men lost their lives in two explosions in coal mine No. 1, owned by the Union Pacific Coal Company, at Hanna, yesterday afternoon, and }ast night. The explosions were cansed- by gas and coal dust, and each. was. followed by~fire. The first occurred at 3 o?clock, when eighteen mine, workers, including a superintendent and three, bosses, were Eilfdtt. The eepond explosion occurred- at 10.30 last night, snuffing out the lives of from forty to fifty members of a, rescue, party including State 'Mine Inspector D. M. Hies. . • ■ ...

Tb e wildest excitement prevailed top day in' Hanna and aj; the mine, where hundreds, are congregated, including.,widows, children, and. other relatives of-the victims. Many women are running about wringing their hands and crffag, while many little children, separated from their 'mothers in the semi-panic that prevails, are sobbing and trembling in fear. . .

The regular, force of men employed at Mines No. 2 and 3 were pressed into rescue work, which was extremely difficult and hazardous. The bodies of four of the eighteen men who lost their lives in the first explosion were located last night, but, owing, to the ever in* creasing volume of g»a, which threatened to explode at any moment, no ef-< fort was_ made to remove , them, to the surface.

Fire started in the colliery last Sunday, since which time attempts at reg% lar 'iriterVaJa, hftye been made.' to" extipguish it. Yesterday it was deemed nnsafe to, send: the miners into the. workings, and they were notified not to report for duty. Superintendent Briggs, with a team of picked men,: the. best and .most experienced- hands in ithe camp, went into the mine, to fight the fire, but at 2 o'clock the flames had become be: yond their control, and at 3 o'clock connected with the walled-off gas, and a terrific explosion followed. The victims are all below-.the,"-, tenth level,-, and it is likely that the flames have consumed the corpses.

Of the dead men fully 80 per cent were married, and practically all leave .children. All but three men in 'b&icial (capacities. in the three mines were killed, including the superintendent, foreman, five bosses, gas watchers,-and*oth-ers. The second explosion was due to .carelessness of,, the relief workers, who. rushed into the workings unorganised, .without a leader, aiid attempted to bra<£ tice off some of the entries in which there were large quantities of gas, this gas being forced into., the fire ayea- aad exploding. This, one mine hae claimed more than 300 victims during the twenty years of operations.