Show A fatal mine explosion EN colo oct 11 an explosion occurred at 4 this after noon in tho the champion coal coalmine mine about throe miles from tho the contor center of tho the city it appears that andy shore pro krietor of blames hotel ina M J me closkey clo shoy a prominent lawyer and the gill brothers two laborers employed in the timbering had just entered the mine with a view to making a general inspection oshay and owned largo large ir forests to rostig in the mine and controlled its ita operations no work has been dono there recently but rations making for active operations op orations in tho the near future the tunnel in about feet deep and high enough to walls walk in without stooping the party of four did not carry safety lamps lampa but found their way by moans of candles they had gone about feet in to the tunnel when an occurred undoubtedly caused gas shore rushed for tho the mouth of the tunnel supposing that tho others would follow william gill had gono but a short distance when a cry of distress from his brother summoned him back ho he groped his way back to the scene of the explosion and found his brother prostrate with his loft left leg broken intro places by superhuman effort ho he managed 0 to pick up his hig disabled brother and drag him to tle the mouth of tho he 0 tunnel in meantime when shore reached the open air he discovered to his horror that mccloskey McClo was missing regardless of danger ho he plunged back into the tunnel and dashing back through a wall of burning timber made search for his friend at tho the top of his boice he be shouted jonm but no answer in ros res ponce 13 pierc 1 l let hi his car overcome by the suffocating air ho he darted out of 0 f the tunnel tun n 3 ol 01 agin and fell almost fainting at its mouth thrice he ventured in and then in despair with body and hands burned almost to a crisp ho he drove back to town where he now lies in a delirium calling wildly for his lost friend tho the news spread like wildfire and in less than half an hour men wore were on the scene of the appalling accident rescue parties N were ere at once organized and equipped with safety lamps which burned dimly in the poisonous atmosphere they groped forward to the fallen timber one man was overcome by the poisonous fumes and had bad to bo be carried out unconscious after two hours search a party led by sheriff sargent city engineer will nicodemus I 1 cashier of the smelter t national bank and mr kolley kelley of the san juan smelter found the body of mccloskey ho he lay prone on his bac back k about sixty feet beyond the spot whore where the explosion occurred he was waa probably hurled that di distance stanco by tho the force oi of the concussion and in all probability died without pain there are areno signs about him to indicants indi cats that he was burned his hib back is broken bro kent his head crushed and his body ono one mass of bruises this tem terrible ble tragedy has cast a gloom over the city from which it will not soon recover mccloskey was very every mans aws friend ile he had no peer in in tho affect affections iona and esteem of uie tho people ho he loaves leaves two little girls aged res respectively 3 and 5 years their mother died about a year ago go rocky mountain news 4 |