Tank's Poetry
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united states mine rescue association
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Tank's Poetry |
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The man still missing is Philip V. Doherty. None of the bodies have been brought to the surface yet. Rescuers are continuing their search for Doherty. Workers said it appeared all the men were killed instantly by the concussion of the explosion yesterday morning. Officials have revised their theory that the men had set off a blast which caused the explosion. A box of blasting powder and caps were found intact near the center of the blast area. The dead miners were identified as:
A sixth member of the crew survived. Merrit Long had left the main shaft on a routine chore a few moments before the explosion. Today he helped direct the rescuers toward the place where he left his comrades. The big blast, believed caused by an explosion of methane gas or coal dust in the tunnel, shook a 35-foot mass of rock, dirt and timber into the shaft 300 feet from the mine entrance. This was 700 feet above the point where the men were located. An 80 man rescue crew was directed by Don Hill, manager of the Evan Jones Coal Company, which leases the mine to the independent operators. Hill had said last night that he felt the chances against the men's survival were "100,000 to one." Rescuers efforts were hampered by narrow working space and ventilation problems. The disaster is the worst in an Evan Jones property since 14 men were killed in a blast at the Jonesville works in 1937. |
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