Tank's Poetry
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united states mine rescue association
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Tank's Poetry |
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Mansfield, Ohio News February 2, 1910 Those in the east wing felt the full force of the explosion. One or two of the injured are in a critical condition. Of the dead about half were whites, all Americans, and the remainder negroes. Peter Kelly, mine foreman, is among the missing. As a result of the disaster all of the mines in the vicinity closed down today, the men offering their services in rescue work. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a miner's lamp igniting gas in an unused room. The force of the explosion was apparently sufficient to cause instant death to all the men in the eastern wing where it occurred. Cars and heavy timbers were blown about like kindling wood. Within a few minutes after the first news of the explosion the inhabitants of the little mining town were crowding about the shaft. Women and children crazed with grief, pleaded with those in charge of the mine for news of the of the entombed men. They were spared one of the horrors of other recent disasters, namely long suspense. Within a few minutes after the explosion the fans had sucked the shaft almost clear of deadly gases and rescue parties were able to descend and begin to dig through the wreckage. No fire followed the explosion and the ventilating apparatus was fortunately unharmed by the shock. The rescue parties found a scene of destruction that left no doubt as to the fate of the men. First bodies recovered were in fairly good condition, the men having been smothered to death and not mangled by the explosion but as the party pushed on they found bodies so mutilated that they were unrecognizable. Cars and debris of all description had been tossed about by the explosion. The rescue party worked without interruption all night, while women, children and men formed to the darkness a shadowy ring which never left the mouth of the shaft.
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