The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, December 12, 1911, Image 9
SCORES BURIED IN
COAL MINE HORRORI
CAUSED BY TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
IN TENNESSEE MIN".
Heroic Rescue Work Under Way, But!
Greatly Retarded by Vast Quan
tity of Wreckage.
Briceville, Tenn., Dec. 9.-Between
126 and 156 men, living or dead, is the
probable number of men entombed
here tonight in the Great Cross Moun
tain Coal Mine of the Knoxville Iron
company, as a result of today's ex
plosion, according to the count made
tonight by an official of the United
Mine Workers of America. They had
entered to begin the day's work when
a terrific explosion wrecked the work
ings.
Three only have come -out alive.
They had entered a lateral off the main
shaft and sucoeeded in getting into the
open before the flames and smoke
caught them. The body of Lee Hol
ston, operator of the mine's fan plant.
was found buried and mangled under
the cave-in in the main shaft.
Rescue Work Slow.
Rescue workers are making scarce
ly any headway. The government's
rescue car and force is at hand, as are
many rescuers and engineers from all
ovier the district.
The shafts extend more than two
miles into the bowels of the mountains.
According to President T. I. Stephen
son, of the Iron company, the men, if
they had reached their posts, were in
lateral shafts when the explosion,
which blocked the main shafts, occur
red. This encourages those on the sur
face to hope that many may be living.
Late this afternoon there was little
prospect of an early rescue. Workers
have encountered dense and compact
deposits of slate, earth, rock and coal
ih the main shaft of the mine and alsg
in an bandone(d entry which has been
used for an air shaft.
Removing the Wreckage.
About the mouth of a vertical ven
tilator, leading to the top of the moun
tain, fires have been built to create a
circulation of air from within the mine.
if possible. Rescuers are engaged in
digging the debris from the shafts and'
this must be removed about one mile
to the mouth of the mine.
It is not yet possible to determine
whether this blockading of the entry is
shallow, or whether it extends hun-1
dreds of feet, or a mile or more. Wood
posts and trusses in the shaft hav'e
been blown outward and this, miners
state, is indicative of a serious explo-'
sion beyond. Brattices are now be
ing constructed by means of which air
is being forced into the channel as'
fast as it is possible to remove the
debris.
Cause Not Determined.
There are three theories as to the
cause of the explosion. One is that inI
some manner powder or dust explod
ed; thel second is that an electric wire
came in contact with explosives, and~
the third is that the explosion was
caused by poor taanping of a drill.
The -mine was thoroughly inspected
Friday of last week by J. F. Hatmaker,
who -has been inspector of the mine
for eight years. He remained in the
mine .nearly all of Friday nighft. He
sai,d .there .was no , trace of g-ases
when beemerged. rcnl n
The -mine also was eetl n
spected by an inspector under
Silvester, State mine inspector; a
represen-t--- <-o a enaud tv,compa
S which carries injsurance on the em
-ployees of the comr.aniy. also is said to
.have reported that it was in excellent
condition.
Distress of Families.
Brijceville tonight is a house of
mourning, as the fact has dawned up
-pnf women and children that there is
-scarcely the slightest ray of hope that
-a single miner lives in ill-fated Cross
Mountain mine. In scores of homes,
the ~pitiful wails of women and chil
dren are heard by the passersby, while
at the mouth of the mine fully 50 wo
men, some with babes at their breasts,
. and others with children pulling at
-their skirts, still battle bravely to keep
up spirits and -hope against hope.
At 10 o'clock it had been definitely'
determined that the nuimber of men
at work in the ill-fated mine was be
tween 126 and 156. Little hope is en
tertained that the entombed men can
be ,reached before Sunday morning,
and few there are who entertain the
slightest hope that there is a living
man among the entire number. The
bodies of the two miners recovered,
Lee Holston and Pearlie Rolen, show
that the forc.e of the explosion must
have been terrific.
Work to Free Loved Ones.
In the rescue room fathers and
brothers of men who were entombed
worked feverishly, refusing to leave
their posts even though urged by oth
rescue work were plentiful, until they
had worn themselves out completely
and had to be aided to the pure ail
outdoors.
One of the rescuing party, who was
among the first to arrive after th<
explosion, was Ernest McDaniels, th(
sole survivor of the dreadful Frater
ville mine explosion of nearly tei
years ago.
Wife's Dream Saved Iim.
Briceville, Tenn., Dec. 9.-Hugh La
rue, a miner employed in the Cross
Mountain mine, in which there was ar
explosion today, believes he owes his
life to a dream his wife had last night
Wh-n he awoke this morning and pre
pared to go to his daily task in the
mine, Mrs. Larue told him she would
not prepare dinner for him to carry
to the mines, as she did not want him
to work today. She then recited a
dream she had, giving this as her rea
son for asking that her husband stay
out of the mine'.
Mrs. Larue said that last night she
dreamed she saw scores of .miners,
with their heads blown off, being car
ried out of the mine entrance; that
she and her little children (and she
has several) stood at the mine's mouth,
watching the horrible sight. Despite
the fact that he had not missed a day
from his work for many months, he
was prevailed upon today to remain
out of the mines. It was only a short
time after Mrs. Larue told of her
dream until the explosion was
announced. With tears of joy stream
ing down her face, she embraced her
husband and thanked God that she
had had the dream last night.
Mining Town Scene of Sorrow.
Briceville, Tenn., Dec. 10.-Some
where in the depths of the Cross Moun
tain coal mina probably one h-ndred
men lie dead tonight, while their sor
row stricken families keep vigil at the
mouth of their tomb, hoping against
hope that their- loved ones may be
alive when rescuers reach them.
Eight torn and mangled bodies had
been brought forth at nightfall, when
search was abandoned for the day.
Outside of the immediate families of
the entombed men no one in this little
mountain villhge believes that any liv
ing thing in fte mine yesterday morn
ing surviv'ed the terrific explosion of
coal dust that wrecked the workings.
Heroic Work of Rescuers.
For more than 36 hours every sur
viving miner in this region had toiled
with no thought of food, sleep or pay
to remove the debris and force fresh
air into the innermost recesses of the
mine. They practically have pen.etrat
ed to the main entry head nearly three
miles in. Toomrrow they expect to be
ready to work the cross entries, ini
which the other bodies have undoubt
edly been cast by the force of the blast.
Black damp developed today and re
tarded progress, but the silent force
pushed dauntlessly on, some of them
till they wezre carried out, overcome by
the noxious gases.
Thousands of the morbidly curious
flocked into the villagea today and
crowded about the .main entry of the
mine. They saw nothing because
there was nothing to see but the pitia
ble grief of the stricken families.
Many Stricken Families.
All of the bodies recovered have been
identified. Among them was that of
Will Farmer, assistant foreman of the
mine. The. top of his bead had been
blown off., He is survived by a widow
u-ch of death. The prgb
gfor the fwidows and or
phans b.e a grave one requiring
immediate solution. Certainly Brice
ville will be unable to care for her liv
ing, with most of her wage-earners
numbered among the ded
The eight bodies removed today
were identified as foi'ows: LEe Yol
ston, Eugene Ault, Taylor Ault, Ro
land Early, W. A. Farmer, ba;nk bose
in the mine; Harmon Sharp, James
Foulst and Alonzo Wood.
Prepare to Bury Victims.
Demands upon the little Briceville
graveyard, occasioned by this terrible
holocaust, hav'e necessitated steps be
ing taken for the creation of a new
cemetery. Land was staked out today
and preparations made for ecxcavating
graves in which to bury the explosion
victinms as fast as they are brought out,
identified and prepared for burial.
Still Ge: ~emeni.
The national monetary commission
was arranging for the settlement cf
its bill at the Plaza preparatory to de
parture.
"Are you leaving, gentlemen ?'' in
riuired Chevalier Galbray, the room
clerk, who is always surprised when
anybody leaves.
"Yes," replied Representative Weeks,
who comes from Boston. "We arrived
gentlemen and we are leaving gentle
men." And up to a late hour the of
ice staff had n- recovered.--New
Many
Thanks
for your past patronage
and now we want to call
your attention to the re
duction in prices.
Millinery
We havc reduced fifty
per cent. that means you
can get a hat much
cheaper no,,, we have!
had a big season and now
we want to finish up, we
still have a full stock.
Clothing
We have cut the price
so that you will think
there is something wrong
but if you will take time
to examine you will.find
that it is of the best ma
terial and best makes.
Overcoats
Men's overcoats from
$2.50 to $10.00 goods that
are worth twice the price
we ask. See them.
Coat Suits
Ladies' long coats and
suits at almost your own
price, they must go, if
you need one see us.
Dry Goods
We keep Dry Goods,
Notions, Shoes, Under
wear, Hosiery, Shirts,
Rugs, Suit Cases, Men's
Hats, Men's extra Pants,
Boys' Knee Pants, Men's
and Ladies' Sweaters,
IWindow Shades and
Curtains, all right up to
Xmas CQifts ~
We have a nice line 6f
Jewelry, Cut Glass, and
Silverware and other
things that will come in
to make your friends
enjoy Christmas.
Free! Pree!
Premium given free
with every one dollar
purchase you make with
us. Call and see us, we
Iwill treat you right.
Black &Son
Prosperity, S. C.
STATEl
Of the condition of The Coi
in Newberry, S. C., at
December 5, 1911.
RESOUR
Loans and discounts... ............
Overdrafts . ....... ............ ...
Bonds and Stocks owned b)
Other Real Estate owned.
Due from Banks and Bank
Currency -.. .......
Gold........
Silver and other Minor Coi
Checks and other Cash ItE
Total.. .......................
LIABILI.
Capital Stock paid in...........
Surplus Fund.............................
Undivided Profits less currei
and Taxes Paid ....... -
Dividends Unpaid ..............
Due to Banks and Bankers
Individual Deposits subject
to check ............. .........
Savings Deposits.........
Cashier's Checks_.......
Total ........ .............
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
County of Newberry.
Before me came J. Y. M
above named bank, who, bE
that the above and foregoir
condition of said bank, as s]
said bank.
Sworn to and subscribed 1
ber, 1911.
Correct Attest:
Jno. M. Kinard,
0. B. Mayer,
F. Z. Wilson,
Directors.
Buy a Beai
In Prosper
Rare opportunity offered to
ted near the centre of town
and on public automoljile his
ton and Mountains, Ashevili
history of this thriving town
been offered to get such E
property, no doubt these lI
at a ydate.
r . an pu
-N ntainingsab t 1
Ry. and public auto highway.
No. 3 Containing about 01
Ry. and public auto highway.
No. 4 Containing about 01
Ry. and|public auto highway.
No. 5 Containing about 0i
ing So. Ry. and public auto hi
No. 6 Containing about 01
ing So. Ry. and public auto hi
No. 7 Containing about or
Ry. and public auto highway.
No. 8 Containing about thr
So. Ry. and public auto big
Pine and Mill St.
No. 9 Size 66x200 feet fr
No. 10 Size 66x200 feet f
No. 11 Size 66x200 feet f
No. 12 Size 66x200 feet f
Terms: One-third cash bala:
eight per cent.
APPLY'
AENT
nmercial Bank, located
the close of business,
CES.
.........................$336,774.90
....................... 12,158.39
r the Bank... 1,000.00
.... ..... 9,750.00
ers ...... . 99,705.78
..........11,213.00
. 2,115.00
........... 1,966.81
Ins.... 1,624.20
.......... $476,308.08
PIES.
.......... $50,000 00
....... .... 40:000.00
t expenses
... .29,03254
830.00
$3,795 02
152,649.41
198,482.01
1,519.10-356,445.54
..................... $476,308.08
eFall, Cashier of the
ing duly sworn, says
.g statement is a true
4own by the books of
J. Y. McFALL.
this 8th day of Decem
1. L. TARRANT,
Notary Public.
itiful Lot
ity, S. C.
et valuable lots situa
between two railroads
hway between Charles
e, etc. Never in the
~as such an opportunity
aluable and desirable
its will double in value
~j~arienetc.,
xe-half aefronting So.
xe-half acre fronting So.
e-half acre fronting So.
e-half acre sold, front
ighway.
e-half acre sold, front
ighway.
e-half acre fronting So.
ee-fourths acre fronting
hway also fronting on
anting Mill Street.
ronting Mill Street.
ronting MWill Street.
ronting Mill Street.
ne one and two years
Mseley
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
COUNTY OF NEWBERRY.
By Frank M. Schumpert, Esquire,
Probate Judge.
WHEREAS, Isaiah J. Lowman made
suit to me to grant him letters of ad
ministration of the estate of and ef
fects of Mrs. Harriet Long,
THESE ARE THEREFORE to cite
and admonish all and singular the
kindred and creditors of the said Mrs.
Harriet Long, deceased, that they be
and appear before me, in the Court
of Probate, to be held at Newberry, S.
C., on the 20th day of December, next
after publication thereof, at 11 o'clock
in the forenoon, to show cause, if any
they have, why the said administra
tion should not be granted.
GIVEN under my hand, this 4th
day of December, Anno Domini, 1911.
Frank M. Schumpert,
, J. P. N. C.
Attacks School PrincipaL
A severe attack on school principal,
Chis. B. Allen, of Sylvania. Ga., is thus
told by him. "For more than three
years." he writes. "I suffered indescri
bable torLure from rheumatism, liver
and stomach trouble and diseased kid
neys. All remedies failed till I used
Electric Bitters, but four bottles of
i this wonderful remedy cured me com
pletely." Such results are common.
Thousands bless them for curing stom
ach trouble, female complaints, kid
ney disorders, billiousness, and for
;ew health and vigor. Try tiem. Only
50c. at W. E..Pelham's.
*. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1**
* LODGE DIRECTORY. *
1**
. . *. . * * * ** *. e .* . e* e.*
Woodmen of the World.
Maple Camp, No. 437,' W. 0. W.,
meets every first and third Wednes
day eveLing at 7.45 o'elock. Vit
Ang brethren are cordially welcome.
D. D. Darby, Clerk.
T. Burton, C. C.
Newberry Camp, No. 542. W. 0. W.
meets every second and fourth Wed
nesday night in Klettner's Hall, at
8 o'clock.
0. 0. Smith, C. C.
. J. J. HItt, Clerk.
Amity Lodge, No. 87, A. F. A
Amity Lodge, No. 87, A. 3'. N,
meets every first Monday night at I
.'clockr In Masonic Hall.
Visiting brethren cordially Invited.
Geo. S. Mower, W. 31.
3. W. Earhardt, Sec.
Signet Chapter, No. 18, E. A. N.
Signet Chapter, No. 18, R. A. 31.,
mneete every second Monday night at
8 o'clock in Masenic Hall.
Fred. H. D.ominick, E H. P.
Harry W. Dominick, Sec.
Bergell Tribe, No. 24, L 0. H. N.
Bergell Tribe, No. 24, L. 0. R. 31.,
rheet.s every other Thursday night -at
. 0. Klettner, 0. R.
.s. H. Baxter, Sachem.
Cateechee Council, No. 4, D.~ *f P.
LO.B.N.
SMeets every Tuesday night -at 8
~'clock. .0. Klettner, R. c.
CoIumbia, Newberry t Laurens B. B,
Schedule in effect October 6, 1910.
Subject to change withiout notice.
schedules indicated are not guaran
teed:
A. -52. 53.
Q". Carl 6.10am
Lv. Sumt
L.. Colu Ia......11.15am.p
Lv. Newberry.. .. . 12.56pm 3.20pm
Lv. Clir.ton.... .. .1.50pm 2.35pm
Lv.~ Laurens. ...... 2.35pm 2.12pm
C. & W.. C.
Ar. Greenville. . .. 4.00pm 12.20pm
Ar. Spartanburg. .,. 4.05pm 12.20pm
S. A. L.
\r. Abbeville .. .. 3.55pm 1.02pm
tr. Green wood.. .. 3.27pm 1.33pm.
A.r. Athens.... .... 6.05pm 10.30am
Ar. Atlanta....... 8.45pm 8.00am
A C. L. 54. 55.
Lv. Columbia.... .. 5.00pm 11.15am
Lv. Prosperity... .. 6.26pm 9.50am
v. Newberrv.. .... 6.44pm 9.32am
r,v. Clinton.... .... 7.35pm 8.44am
vLaurens.. ....7.55pm 8.20am
C. & W. C.
\r. Greenville.. ... 9 30pm 7.00am
8. A. Lt
~r Green wooa.. . 2.28am 2.38amu
\r. Abbe+ille.... .. 2.56am 2.08am
Ar. Athens.. .... .. 5.04am 11.59pm
Ar. Atlanta.. .. ..7.15am 9.55pm
*Nos. 52 and 53 arrive and depart
from Union Station, Columbia, daily,
and run through between Charleston
and Greenville.
*Nos. 54 and no arrive and depart
(ervais street, Columbia. rdaily. ex
cept Sunday, and run through be
tween Columbia and Greenville.
For Information ask agents or write
W. J. Craig, P. T. 31.,
Wilmington, N. C.
F. J.ivingston, 8 A.,
ConinmbMa 3. C