Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1885 — TWO HUNDRED LIVES [ARTICLE]

TWO HUNDRED LIVES

Crushed or Asphyxiated in a German Colliery. Less than Two Score of the 219 Diggers Accounted For. [By cable from Berlin. 1 At the mining district of Camphausen, near Saarbruck, in Rhenish Prussia, a fearful explosion occurred early this morning. Just before daybreak the last of the day shift of men had'gone down in the cages of one of the largest mines. Everything was reported in order, though reports of firedamp in two of the levels had somewhat disturbed the superintendent. Still, the ventilating apparatus working through the main shaft was in perfect order, and no catastrophe was feared. The men, in taking their safety-lamps, had been specially warned to be careful. After a while the cars laden with coal began coming to the surface. The 219 men who had gone down were at work, and all was well. At 6:30 a terrible rumbling shook the earth. A flash of flame leaped up the shaft and a volume of stifling smoke poured out This was followed by the crashing of timbers and the tumbling of earth down the shaft. From all quarters men and women came running to the mouth of the pit. There are fifteen thousand employed in the Camphausen coal-field-, and in a quarter of an hour a crowd of five thousand men and as many women and children, the latter shrieking and sobbing, were around the mine. As soon as the heavy smoke had rolled away an attempt was made to work the cages, but they would not move. The force of the return draught at the pit’s mouth told that the explosion had shivered the ventilating engine. Still the ventilating engine was kept going. It might do some good. It was thought from a first glance that no after fire had followed, and this may prove correct. Volunteers were called for to descend. A temporary cable was rigged, and six brave men went down to save their fellows. On reaching the uppermost drift they heard voices calling and signaled to stop. Thirty men were there in a state of terror and semi-stupefactibn from the dense fumes still pervading the galleries. These men were brought to the surface alive. The rescuers and the rescued were greeted with shouts of delight as they came in parties to the surface. The thousands of women were on their knees praying. The main difficulty now began. There were still 189 men in the mine whose chance of Hfe was ebbing away at eveiy instant. Doubtless many of them had been killed instantly by the blast of exploding gas, and others had been smothered shortly after, before they could retreat to the main shaft The volunteers went down again, but their progress soon was stopped. The shaft had been filled with rocks and earth shaken out by the blasts. All endeavors to communicate by signal with the entombed men were fruitless. Some of the men thought they smelt fire, but this could not be definitely settled. There was only one way to reach the unfortunates, and this was by clearing the shaft. This news spread despair over Camphausen. At one? work was begun with a wilt Thousands offered their help, and the offers of hundreds were availed of. The work soon progressed. It* was tedious and dangerous. At every removal of the displaced rocks and timbers there was danger a fresh caving in of the sides. After eight hours’ work a lower level was reached, and there over forty bodies were found around the shaft. Suffocation had evidently quickly ended their struggles. The breaking of the air-shaft left them at the mercy of the poisonous after-damp. The search went on. At level after level dead miners were found in close proximity to the shaft. In all nine-ty-two bodies were brought to the surface before night. The work still goes on. There are still ninety-seven men in the pit It is feared that all are dead, but*the sturdy Prussians with hopeful hearts are working on by the light of great fires and amid the wails of the women waiting around the mine foe their dead.