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. . . . : :.- - ui 11 m . j.j ..-.t..-. .lKrriT,)mriW, ry . - 'J ' . state library H News. VOL. XIII. BURLINGTON, N. C. WEDNESDAY, MAY J30, 190. NO. 40 BtjRLiNairoN EDITORIAL COMMENTS. The Cumnock Disaster. fNE of the most appalling dis- asters that ever occurred in our State occurred at Cumnock mine, in Chatham county, last Tues day evening, the 22nd inst. An ex plosion occurred in the mines, kill ing 21 men. Eight white and thir teen negroes. A negro who was brought out of the mine in an ex hausted condition, stated that he was in the east heading and heard -a re port which he took to be the explos ion of a dynamite cartridge which was fired in driving through rook and next instant the fire-damp ex ploded. He remembers nothing from that time until today. The superintendent of the mine, John Connolly, was among the killed and his body was badly bruised. Connolly came to Cumnock in Feb ruary, 1898, from the Pennsylvania coal fields, where he had worked his way up from the position of a mule driver to mine foreman. After working in the mines all day,he took a course in mine engineering at night, and was considered an expert in his vocation. He was supposed to have been making a survey in the east heading for new openings when death overtook him. He leaves a wife and three small children. His remains will be taken with those of McCarthy to Taylor, Pa., for inter ment. FIBST TO THE RESCUE. The first man to go down the shaft to rescue the bodies of the victims was Victor Rudd.a white miner from Pennsylvania. Owing to the panic that ensued the work of looking for the bodies did not begin until about an hour and a half after the explos ion. The case of young' William Tysor is particularly pathetic. He was a bright, manly fellow, of very good education, and stated to his father only last week, that he was fearful of ;gas in the mine, and that he would give up the work Saturday next, the pay day of the mines company. He is the only son of Mr. Jordan Tysor, of Chatham county. In a small wash-house near the mines gate were laid out the dead bodies of twelve negro miners, and the eight whites were placed in the slope engine house. A gruesome spectacle one of the horrors of which has never been equaled in this State, except during the explos ion of 1896, when forty -one men were killed. CAUSE OP EXPLOSION UNKNOWN. As to the cause there are many theories, but the real cause can never be known. Some hold to the opinion that the fire damp was ignited by a safety lamp, the gauze of which had Deen broken; others claim that the explosion of dynamite in opening the new works caused the trouble A HEABT-RENDERING SCENE. Too much cannot be said in praise of the men who went into the mine to rescue the bodies. The scene at the mouth of the shaft was heart rending. Wives, mothers and chil dren of the dead miners were waiting all the evening, and it was not un til nearly midnigrht when all save one had been carried to the top. There were a number of men working in the west heading at the time, but all escaped unhurt. Great crowds from the surround ing country and towns flocked to the scene of the accident, as soon as the news spread. The Kaleigh News Observer says : The mines are situated at Cum nock, in Chatham county, about six miles from Sanford. The mine has been long used in a desultory fash ion, but in 1888, Samuel A. Henzy, of Philadelphia, organized a com pany and put in modern, machinery . There are two shafts, one a small af fair , for ventilation, and the other the main work shaft is 8x12 feet, and is a considerably more than five hundred feet in depth. On the morning of December 19th, 1895, an explosion took place at this same mine in which forty-three lives were lost. This explosion was caused by a " fire-damp," though many of those killed on this occasion lost ther lives from the resulting explo sion of almost two hundred and fif ty pounds of dynamite that was stored in the mine. A great many of the bodies had been burned, and the scenes around the mouth of the shaft were heart-rendering. It is said that an explosion ot this same sort occurred just before the Civil War, and many lives were lost. The disaster that occurrei yester day is the fourth that has occurred at this mine, and in the four disas ters that have occurred about 85 men have lost their lives, and many others have been injured. The State Ticket by Districts. The Fifth and Third are the ony districts not represented on the State ticket. The first ha3 Mr. Grimee; the S jcond, Mr. Aycock; the Fourth, Mr. Lacy; the Sixth, Mr. McNeill and Mr. Toon; the Seventh Mr. Turner and Mr. Varner; the Eighth Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dixon; the Ninth, Mr. Gilmer and Mr. Rogers. The third got an elector-at-large in the person of .Mr. McLsan and a delegate-at-large in the person of Mr. Hile, and the Fifth a delegate-at-large in the person of Mr. Carr. The Ninth district fared best of all. getting two delegates-at-large, Mr. Jones and Mr. Moore, and to two places on the State ticket. It would have been possiWe to have given every district a place on the State ticket and ad extra place for the Eighth and Ninth. There is no ground for criticism on geographical lines, and the only dis tricts that have no candidates the Fifth and Third will not be heard to complain. Their candidates re ceived large support and failed by slender margins. News and Ob server. A Few Words of Warning! . A Treasure tayvyfiere" "WEAR RESIST! Subscribe for the News. T"ON'T be persuaded to buy Shoes represented and guar- anteed to be " Just as good as Foster's." We charge no more for our Shoes that you know are ALL RIGHT than those offered to you as substi tutes. Most of you know what trying to better well-enough means. Now then don't take chances; swim with the current. Eive thousand people wore our Shoes last year. Won't you help us make the number Eight thousand this year ? We assure you Foster's Shoes " are the best." If they were not we would have told you. JNO. R. FOSTER, Whe Sitae BEan Burlington, N. O. an CASH tu BUYS BARGAINS ! I At E- E. WORKMAN, Front Street, g i BURILNGTON, North Carolina. m ft! This Space is Bought by B. A. SELLARS & SON, : The Largest Dealers in - Dry Goods and Clothing IN BURL.1NGTON. They will talk to you in these Columns! You can always depend upon the firm carrying oat their statements. For the next 12 months keep your eye on this space. It will pay you in 1 1"v v 4 Ft
The Burlington News (Burlington, N.C.)
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May 30, 1900, edition 1
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