Royalton, IL Gas Explosion In Coal Mine, Oct 1914

100 CAUGHT BY GAS EXPLOSION IN COAL MINE.

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT IS REPORTED FROM ROYALTON, ILL. -- ONE HUNDRED OF THE MEN, JUST ENTERING WORKS, ESCAPED.

HUNDRED MINERS IN LOWER LEVEL DOOMED.

THIRTY OF FORTY BODIES ONLY HAD BEEN RECOVERED AT 11 O'CLOCK TODAY -- AID SUMMONED FROM NEARBY TOWNS.

Royalton, Ill., Oct. 27. -- One hundred or more miners probably were burned to death in the Mitchell coal mine near here today when a terrific explosion occurred in the lower level of the mine soon after 300 men had begun work.
Of those who entered the mine about 100 escaped, but 30 bodies soon were brought to the surface and more than 100 other men were known to be imprisoned in a lower level, cut off from the rescue by fire.
Because of the fire, attempts of rescuers to enter the shaft were impossible, and it was thought all of those shut off by the wall of flames in the interior were burned to death.
Royalton, a mining village, 86 miles southeast of St. Louis on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern railroad, was deserted save for a woman telephone operator soon after the report of the explosion came from the mine, about a mile away. The villagers all had gone to help the men out of the burning mine. But the telephone operator helped. She sent out distress calls to surrounding towns and help was soon on the way from Duquoin, Murphysboro and Benton. A rescue car was sent from Benton.
The 100 miners who escaped were in parts of the mine not touched by the flames. Warned by the explosion of accumulated gas, they scurried to the surface and told of the spreading flames, which had entombed more than one-third of their number in a lower level.
Rescuers who penetrated as far as smoke and heat would permit soon reported that the plight of the men was hopeless, as the lower level was on fire.
Rescuers Helpless.
Rescuers and relatives of the miners stood about the mine shaft helpless. Mining officials said that propably all the men caught by the fire were dead.
All the dead taken from the upper level had been overcome by gas and none had been burned.
The explosion occurred in the northwest corner of the mine, where from 150 to 200 men were working. Men in the southern part of the mine heard the explosion and hurried to the cages that took them to the surface. This part of the mine was separated from that section where the explosion occurred by thick walls of coal.
Three hundred and seventy-two men were employed in the mine, but as the disaster occurred about five minutes before work was to begin, about 50 had not entered the shaft.
Rescue Car Arrives.
Up to 11 o'clock rescue parties were unable to penetrate more than 1,500 feet in the workings, but at that hour the rescue car came from Benton, Ill., with four hours supply of oxygen. This made possible a further penetration of the mine by the rescue parties. General Superintendent MITCHELL said he could not account for the explosion as the mine had been in continuous operation and no gases had been detected. Lines of hose were carried down two shafts and attempt was made to direct streams of water thru cross shafts to the burning level. The bases made it dangerous for the fire fighters to approach close enough to do effective work. Experts said the fire could be controlled only by sealing both entrance shafts and pumping water into the mine until all the chambers were flooded. This, however, will not be done until all hope of rescuing the imprisoned miners is abandoned.
Twenty physicians accompanied the rescue car from Benton and when they arrived they had their hands full looking after the wives and daughters of the imprisoned miners, who had become hysterical or had fainted.
The mine belongs to the Franklin County Coal company.

Waterloo Evening Courier Iowa 1914-10-27

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TOTAL DEAD IN ROYALTON MINE WILL REACH 50.

FORTY-SEVEN BODIES HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM WORKINGS AT 8 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.

ONLY ELEVEN IDENTIFIED; OTHERS BADLY MANGLED.

ON ACCOUNT OF HYSTERIA WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE BARRED FROM TEMPORARY MORGUES.

Royalton, Ill., Oct. 28. -- Forty-seven bodies had been recovered at 8 o'clock this morning from the mine of the Franklin Coal & Coke Co. that was wrecked by a gas explosion yesterday. All but two or three of the miners who entered the workings yesterday morning have been definitely accounted for and if those perished the death list will total 50 or 51.
Act Saved Lives.
Inquiry among survivors of the explosion today developed that immediately after the gas explosion the men operating the airshaft reversed the air hoping thereby to draw the poisonous gas from the mine. This, said JAMES S. BROWN, mine manager, may have caused the death of some men who were near the entrance to the shaft, but it saved the lives of many more.
Men Accounted For.
The mine officials said that 285 miners, seven of them injured, escaped immediately following the blast and these, together with the dead and missing account for the 335 men that entered the shaft yesterday morning to begin their day's work.
The night shift of rescue workers made great progress, and it is thought by noon all the wreckage will have been cleared from the shaft and the positive death toll ascertained. But 11 of the dead have been identified, and most of the other bodies are mangled so badly that identification may be impossible. The number of rescuers was doubled this morning.
In an effort to alleviate the hysteria which had been among the women and children, the coroner has barred all relatives of the dead from the two temporary morgues.
The state mine inspectors' investigation into the causes and responsibility for the disaster will not begin until the last body has been removed from themine, according to a statement by the superintendent of the bureau of mines.
The coroner's inquest was begun today.

Waterloo Evening Courier Iowa 1914-10-28

Listing Of Fatalities
W. D. WILLLIAMS; ORLENTO BARTOLINA; PHIL PARROTT; JAMES JOHNSON; PETE YOUNG; RUSSELL HARRIS; LEWIS SAKALY; JNO. TERIONINE; GEORGE BALSIS; TONY BONAZINIA; WILLIAM BORTA; JOE HAVLIK; ADAM MELESKI; GEORGE DRONOVICH; BARTA BARTA; NEAL MULLEN; JNO. BARCLAY; HACK KAVICH; CHAS. PATRONE; JNO. BABICH; JNO. SMITH; PETE CORNELLI; CHAS. BELLAMY; HARRY LITKUS; DOM OGILINI; GUY MOZELLA; FELIX CETRIC; M. GRACHINO; PHIL MICHITICH; STEVE BOLINSKI; MIKE POLKAC; GEORGE KOLK; JOE ANTONNACCI; GEORGE HOWAY; ANDY SHELLER; B. MEREGILDO; PETE BARDSORA; ALEX HILLODONK; STEVE SHONDER; PETE KERELE; V. BONDI; TONY ALBOSKY; SAM SMIDDY; LEWIS BENEGRO; DOM LUTANTANSKI; JOHN KAZAR; M. VORGA; LEWIS JUHIS; PETE NOLUPKI; ALEX MERSI; TONY PLUSNIC and DOMIEC LORENTO.

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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!