. . . . : :.- - 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