Tank's Poetry
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united states mine rescue association
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Tank's Poetry |
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From the Google News Archives:  (news links open in a separate window)
14 Bodies Found in Upstate Mine Raleigh Register, Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia April 26, 1963 Dola (UPI) -- Rescue teams about noon today found 11 more bodies deep inside the explosion-torn Clinchfield No. 2 Mine, bringing to 14 the number of men known dead. Eight trapped miners still were missing. Nineteen miners still were missing following an explosion of methane gas or coal dust late Thursday night at the Clinchfield Coal Company's Compass No. 2 Mine. Thirty others were working the same shift in other sections of the mine and felt the shock wave, but scampered to the surface safely. Announcement that three bodies had been found caused an immediate saddening effect at the pithead, where relatives of the trapped men were huddled anxiously awaiting word of loved ones sealed deep below. Discovery of the bodies did not bode well for those still missing, veteran mine officials hinted. A spokesman for the mine's management disclosed shortly before noon that 24 rubber sheets had been ordered from a nearby mortuary. But in the tradition of coal mining, rescue teams pushed forward against time in an attempt to reach the men still unaccounted for. Significantly, the Compass No. 2 Mine is located only a short-distance from the scene of this country's worst mining disaster. On Dec. 6, 1907, 361 miners lost their lives in a mine near Monongah, W. Va. The first hint of Thursday night's explosion came when men working in other sections began coming to the surface. Their clothing was covered with coal dust, indicating the blast was of violent proportions. John Morabito, who was below ground but about a mile from the point of the explosion, said the concussion "knocked a shovel out of my hand and threw men to the floor." "I didn't waste any time getting out of there," Morabito said. Another miner, beltman Harry Williams, reported the force of the blast ripped the coat off his shoulders, and he was four miles away. Within minutes after the grim news was passed, relatives began gathering at the mine office near the main shaft. All 22 of the trapped men were married. Seventeen of them had a total of 39 children. West Virginia Mines Director Leonard Timms motored to the scene from his headquarters in the state capital at Charleston. Upon arriving he gave this picture: "The missing men were believed working in two separate groups, a mile to a mile and a half from the main shaft. Thirteen in one group were mining by conventional methods. Seven men in the second group were operating a continuous mining machine. Each group had a foreman. The two entry ways separated by a wall of coal."Officials said the explosion was feared to have occurred "in the same general area" where the two groups were working. A veteran miner at the scene said the men who made it safely to the surface were covered with rock dust. He said this could indicate an explosion of major proportions. Officials added that a rockfall also may have occurred. "Twenty-two men are trapped," company Vice President Steve Canonico reported shortly after the accident occurred at about 11 p.m. He confirmed that the explosion was caused by either methane gas or coal dust. "We didn't blow any whistle (after the explosion occurred)," Canonico said. "Quite a few (men) got out safely and they passed the word around. Word travels fast at a time like this." The company official reported that "just a few" of the families were standing by at the mine office awaiting news from the rescue units. "They seem to be taking it well," Canonico said. "They appear hopeful that their relatives will be found safe." From initial accounts, the missing miners appeared to be sealed off in a passageway beyond the point of explosion. Unfortunately all 22 missing miners perished.
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