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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1902-5-29, Page 2A • PLOSI*JV IV 1t Terrible Disaster at the Crow's Nest Pass Mines. • A, Ft:ride, 13. (3., .deepetelt sits- -flue tit the worst caul mining dim tete in the history of British. Cc lumbie, occurred at the Omit Cree •Minee at 7 &cheek osi Thureda night, when item lee to 100 me • inet Malone instant death iu mine No. 9 and 8. The explosion occin ied in the deeps of NO, e. and im inan of over 3.04 employed in the mine vecaped to tell the. tale, Frei No 4 wokkiags, wOl an connecte with No. ei about 91 nem relined. The iirst, intimation of the disaste which those on the outeide receive( leas a rush of conl dust and fire to height of over 1,000 feet above th fans. Word was immediately e'en to I'ernie, ilve miles from the mines and inside of 12 minutes from - th tizne theaceideut occurred relief pas ties 'were at work. '1'0 'PHE,IIESCUE. 11. Drinnan, Dr. Donnell .and Tru Withezby were the first to enter th mine. When about erm feet . int o th workings Whelanwae overcome be iireodamP•< and had it mit been foi his two common:tens would hake pet jelled. On being. removed to the out er air he recoverece and gave in etructions to the rescue party a commence repairing the overcasts The overeasts are the pipes whiel conduct the air through the new: and. as they had been almost com- pletely destroyed, it was impoesibli to enter, owing to the afterdzaup which prevailed. Voluuteers were called for, and are of brave men spring to work, For nearly six hours this pollee- was pursued with reckless merge:. Every five minutes the men would eolipse, and were borne to the outer air, and their places were quickly tilled by volunteers. The first body recovered was taken • from No. 8 mine at 11 o'clock and was that of 'Wilde Rob- ertson. a lad of 18. ,Several hours elapsed, end thee three more bodies were recovered. None. of the vic- elms gave .the slightest sign of life, and were removed to the wash house, . Arany acts of bravery were wit - need during the night. The heroic . work of a. miner named TrueWith-. erby, who time and again entered the pit, where mei). were Calling all around Mee was purticularly nota- ble. The cause of the accident is un- known, but the opinion of many of the miners is that it was the result of a shot from one of the machines,. SIX MILES FROM FEILNIE. The mine is six miles. from Ferule, the minieg town in the centre of the rich coal fields, and No. 2 shaft is the driest, gasiest ot tunnels. As the provincial mineralogist told in a recent report, the management took risks since a year ago in . the working of the mine in order ...to hurry the supply. for the demand•ex- cceded the development. and, in or- der to get the coal, the workings were carried oft in a cork -screw -like driver, instead of the usual square driver, and other risks, were taken. • Since then. however, the conditions 'were improved, and the last report received by the government from its inspector on May 8 states that the mines were then in a safe condition, - Um ventilation being good, the fans furnishing air about 40- per ceut. ia excess. ot the requirements. The re- port was most favorable, and com- pared .most advautageously with last year's report, which severely criti- cized the mine. At one time -eleorts were to have been started to have the mine closed if the full letter of the Mining Act was not obeyed. • INSPECTOR'S WARNING. Nos. 2 and 3 mines. in which the exploeion occurred, are connected, and the Inspector of Mines has pointed out in his reports that an explosion in one would be apt to affect the other. No. 2 mine was the mine in which the air was driest and dustiest, and front which most apprehension has • therefore always been felt. This mine also gave off gas when the mine was at work: al- though No. 3 was wet, ancl an ex- plosion in No. 2 was therefore • like - to affect No. 3. In the opinion of the inspector, a proper use of the ventilating fan, which the company has kept con- stantly in use, an enlargement of air, keeping the brattice close into the face, putting stoppings in as re- quired and luaintaining good dis- cipline should result in a, fair ex- emption from danger. The Fernie mines are one of three camps, which the Crow's Nest Coal Company operates, namely, Fernie, Michel and Morriscy, all within a few miles of each other: The Fernie mines are situated six tales out of the town, and are. in the most ad- -clewed stage of development, three seams being -worked. S : Sand in the. evening a public funeral se was held. . 0 Several days meet elapse before a thorough search can be ',mule, and ✓