Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-03-19
Particulars of the Coal Mine Explosion.

Particulars of the Coal Mine Explosion
The following particulars of the sad acci-
dent at Tod's Coal Shaft, Brier Hill, on the 9th
inst, which resulted in the death Of John Wool
ley and Edward Davis, two good citizsas of
Youngstown, we clip from the Register:
About one year since, the roof a portion of
the old bank caved in, filling the water courses,
and preventing its escape, which Immediately
flooded large portion Of the bank, and stop
ped the work. To get rid of the water, and
ventiIate the bank, the shaft was sunk, which
Is 2l5 feet deep, and is divided BY a partition
On one side of this is the passage for the tub,
and ON the other the pump, with a platform
every ten feet, connected by ladders. The shaft
was not sunk directly over a room, but in close
proximity to one. Into this a hole was bored
from the bottom of the shaft, through which
the water raised in the shaft to the height of
fifteen feet. They had been pumping FIVE
weeks
On Wednesday morning the water was so
low that they could pump no more. Mr.. Rich
ard Woolley thought that perhaps the hole was
stopped up, or needed enlarging, and with his
son and Mr.. Davis, went down to make the wa
ter-passage larger, (Which had been done sever
al times before,) but found that the water in the
DdQk was dCtOdllI Ou d lcNcl Will III the
shaft, and as the bank was relieved Of the wa.
ter, all that it needed to be able to work again,
was thorough ventilation. He, however, was
compelled to attend Court at Warren that day,
and told his son and Davis to take a safety
lamp, enter through the old slope, and explore
the bank, and if they discovered either "black-
Damp" carbonic acid gas,) or "fre-damp, "
(carbureted hydrogen gas,) not 10 attempt to
onon an air-Dassa0e into the shaft
| After he had left, they, with third person,
went into the shaft and cut away the partition
between the shaft and the room, where they
intended to make the opening, leaving it per-
haps not more than four or FIVE inches thick
WooIley and Davis then entered the bank
through the slope as directed, but were COM
PEELED to retreat by the gases above mentioned
Strange however as it may appear, they return
ed to the shaft, entered it, (it is believed with
both open and safety lamps; they must have had
an open lamp, otherwise the gas could not have
been infiamed, and would not have exploded;
safety lamp was found in the bottom of the
shaft,) and proceeded to make the communica-
tion.
After being down about twenty or thirty min
utes, they called to the engineer to raise them
up. He stepped TO the engine, and the drum
had made something over one revolution, which
would raise the tub about fifteen feet, and could
not have consumed more than thirty seconds,
when ne was startled by a terrific explosion,
and the tub came up empty He heard them
call after the explosion, and lowered the tub
several times, but in vain He is satisfied, from
the working of the engine, that they were in
the tub at the time of the explosion. If SO, they
were most probably blown out.
The explosion occurred about 8 O'Clock
From that time until o'clock, the shaft was
filled with an ascending current of carbonic
acid gas, in which no human being could have
lived for moment. After the gas had ceased
to rise through the shaft, parties entered and
found the bodies. That of Woolley was dis.
covered on the second platform from the bot
tom, while that of Davis was on the fourth
Woolley was lying on his back, with his hands
over his face, without any marks or bruises
worthy of notice. Davis, however, was found
with his arm nearly severed from his body,
whether by the concussion or the pump rod, is
mere conjecture. It would seem that, after be-
ing blown out of the tub, they had attempted
to escape by the LADDERS on the opposite side,
but on the way were overpowered, and soon
"slept the sleep that knows no waking"
Davis was about thirty y-three years of age,
and leaves wife and five small children. Wool
ley was thirty, and unmarried.
The following in relation to the gases pecu-
liar to mines, may not prove uninteresting in
this connection "Carbureted hydrogen gas
Ghat which exploded in this instanceJ is one
half as heavy as common air, and not poison
Gus when respired. 1t is formed abundantly in
the mud of stagnant pools, containing decom-
posing organic matter. 1t is often disengaged
in large quantities in coal mines, and, with
common air, constitutes the fatal FIRE DAMP
If the air IS than six, or less than fourteen
times the volume of the gas, the mixture ex-
plodes violently when infamed. Carbonic acid
gas, chat in which the fame of candle is i'm
sxtinguished,) is produced by the
combustion; SO that those who are not killed |
by the burning or shock, are suffocated by the |
pas