Tank's Poetry
|
united states mine rescue association
|
Tank's Poetry |
|
 Including Correspondence and News Articles Ott No. 20 Mine Disaster Memorial See more mine disaster markers, memorials, and monuments. From the Google News Archives:  (news links open in a separate window)
Twenty-Three Men Entombed and Probably Dead The Warren Evening Mirror, Pennsylvania April 25, 1911 As soon as the accident became known Superintendent Robert Grant took a rescue corps of the miners off duty and these attempted to enter the mine, after notifying the officials of the company at Cumberland. The rescue parties had not advanced far into the workings before they discovered it would take several days to dig through the heaps of roof coal and slate that had been loosened by the explosion. It was then decided to effect an entrance nearer the probably point of the explosion by cutting through the wall of an adjoining mine owned by the same company. Late in the afternoon the rescuers had penetrated to the No. 20 mine at a point about 4,000 feet from the outside entry. There still remained about the same distance to go before reaching the buried miners. The Ott mine No. 20 is almost directly under the town of Elk Garden, which is on a hill. The mouth of the mine is about half a mile from the town. In striking contrast to the usual mine explosions, the victims in this case, with one exception, are Americans. Find One Crushed Body After penetrating about a mile down the main entry, the rescuers last night found the body of a man, not yet identified. It had been crushed beneath a fall of slate, as though the roof had crumbled as he was running out of the mine. The discovery of his body disheartened the rescuers, who are positive that none of the others can be alive. Several yards beyond the passage was completely blocked by the collapse of the roof. Behind and under this fall, it is believed the bodies of the miners lay. Gas is heavy in the main entry and in the workings not totally blocked by coal and slate, and the rescuers have to work in short shifts. With the arrival of a government rescue car and crews in the morning, it is expected to reach the end of the wrecked mine through sealed rooms of a deserted mine adjoining. Havoc wrought in the mine would indicate that the explosion was terrific. For a square mile or more the slate and coal was split, and props were splintered, letting the roof fall in, in large portions. The first known of the explosions was from three men working near the mouth outside. A sound as of wind rustling dead leaves drew their attention to the mine mouth where they saw a thin dark gray dust move slowly out of the mine like a cloud. The cloud grew bigger and thicker with each instant and as one caught a breath of it, he ran spreading the alarm. Rescuers At Work The Warren Evening Mirror, Pennsylvania April 25, 1911 Four state mine experts arrived at 3 a. m. and the government rescue car from Pittsburg this morning with engineer Jones and two helmet men. A crowd of weeping women and children stood about the shaft all night long. |
|
