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Part 2
On May 1, 1900, more than 300 miners left the town of Scofield at 7 a.m. to work the morning shift at Winter Quarters Number One and Number Four mines owned by the Pleasant Valley Coal Co.
Three hours later, they endured one of the worst mine disasters in Western history.
The horrific coal mine explosion, and its suffocating afterdamp, broke, battered, burned and extinguished the lives of 200 miners ccc fathers, sons and brothers most of whom were working deep within the mountain.
In an instant, the catastrophe thrust the small mining community into heartbreaking scenes of turmoil, desperation and despair. Wives became widows, children orphans, and families destitute.
Possibilities for rescue were slim. Each recovery was tortuous and dangerous.
"Right after the explosion, every volunteer who dared step into those chambers of death and horror took his life in his hands," wrote J.W. Dilley in "History of the Scofield Mine Disaster." "It meant that he would certainly meet the fire-damp, to what extent no one knew, and that every step would be [fraught]...