Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1902 — DEATH OF 29 MINERS. [ARTICLE]

DEATH OF 29 MINERS.

DUST EXPLOSION LEAVEB TRAIL DESTRUCTION. Horrible Catastrophe at Lost Creek, lowa—Wive* and Families of Entombed Workers * Cause a Panic at the Month of th* Pit. Twenty-nine miners were killed and eight seriously injured in an explosion at Lost Creek, lowa, and the workings of the mine are seriously -damaged by the fire which followed the explosion. Over 100 men were in the colliery at the time of the accident, but only those in one portion of the mine were cut off from escape. The accident occurred just at the noon hour and was what is known as a dust explosion. The miners had just fired their noon shots, one of which failed to operate as desired. The burning powder ignited the gas and the explosion followed. Debris was blown out of the shaft mouth over 200 feet in the air. The top works were so seriously damaged that it was some time before the rescue parties could go to the aid of the entombed miners.

Families at Pit Month. It was just 12:15 when a dull roar, coupled with a shock which could be felt for miles around, told of some grave accident at the mine. Within five minutes the ground surrounding the pit mouth was thronged with the wives and the families of the miners. Then as they stood around, not grasping the full import of what had occurred, from out of the pit mouth burst a shaft of flame, setting the top works on fire and rendering the work of rescue Impossible. A panic immediately followed. Many of the women, who did not know in what part of the mine their husbands Jhqd been working, ran frantically through the groups of men who were gathered together excitedly discussing means of rescue, Bome_hunting a familiar face, only to be told after half an hour’s search that the bread winner of the family and the head of their household was somewhere in those workings from which vicious puffs of flame were being spouted forth. Several women had to be restrained from leaping into the mouth ol the pit even before the fire was under control, and the physicians who had been summoned from all the near-by towns were busy immediately upon their arrival in attending to the women, who, frenzied by their grief, were on the verge of losing their senses.

Rescue Parties Have Difficulty. It was 3 o’clock before the rescue parties were able to enter the mine, and when finally the cages were riggeib the fire under control and they were lowered into the ruined workings they found at every step charred bodies of the men who had been killed by the first shock and over whose corpses the flames had wrought havoc, burning some of them so badly that identification was barely possible. There were 110 men at work in the mine at the time of the explosion, but eighty managed to escape, comparatively uninjured, through the various air shafts. The total property damage will not exceed SIO,OOO. The mine is owned by the Lost Creek Fuel Company, of which Charles E. Lofland, Frank Lofland, H. L. Spencer and J. M. Timbrel of Oskaloosa are principal owners.

The town of Lost Creek has a population of about COO. The mine in which the explosion occurred is known as shaft No. 2, and was opened only about one year ago. The mine sells its output to the lowa Central Railway Company. The mine was quite recently inspected by the State mine examiner and declared in good shape. Dust explosions are common in bituminous mines, but seldom affect more than a single room.