GREAT MINE DISASTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 1 February 1912, Page 6

GREAT MINE DISASTER.

' 207 MEN MEET DREADFUL DEATH. , Owing to an explosion in the Knoxville Iron Company's mine at Briceville, Tennessee, 207 men were entombed, according to the result of a careful count by the labor officials. , The men had just begun their day's work when the disaster occurred. Up to Saturday only three men had emerged alive. They had entered a lateral gallery off the main road, and succeeded in getting out before the flames and smoke reached them. The body of the operator of the fan plant of the mine, who was crushed under the fallen roof of the main road, has alone been recovered so far. The rescue workers made scarcely'any headway, although they included Government experts as well a B local rescuers. The rescuers, after penetrating for a mile, were stopped by a dense mass of deposits of slate, earth and rock coal in the main road. They also found wooden posts and trusses blown outward thus indicating that a serious explosion had taken place beyond the obstruction., Rescue work was soon checked by great billows of flame, which began to burst forth from all the openings. Throngs of women and children gathered around the pit-head, clamoring for news of their husbands and fathers amon* the entombed men, whom there was no nope of saving. All hope of rescuing alive any of the entombed men was abandoned by Sunday. It was hoped that the dead would not exceed 150. Eight mangled bodies had been recovered up to ten o'clock on Sunday morning. The National Red Cross viS 1S r g the famiHes of the

The black damp has put' a sto p to the gallant efforts of the rescue partes at the Knoxvlle Iron Company's BrLSiUe mine where about 165 W remain en tombed A crowd of 10,000 persons sur rounded the pit-mouth 'o„ Cd„y and listened reverently to a sermon and short iy stated that there was now practicillv no hope 0 f effecting any furthe^S.