The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-09-15
COLL1ERx CONFAAGRATION.


Two Hundred Men in the Mine
Terrible DISASTER. In n Coal /
NIine-AdditiOnaI kilograms
and Further Ea1-ticuIars-TWO |
Heroes Sacrifice their Lives.
SCRANTON. PA, September g.
There is great excitement here, in
of the burning of coal
beaker at Avondale mine, at Ply
mouth, about twenty miles south of |
this city. There are two hundred |
men and boys in the mine, and the |
shaft, which is the only means of
escape, is choked by forty feet of |
burning coal and rubbish. Ventila-
tion is totally stopped, and there
will be suffoeated.
PLYMOUTH, PA, Sept. 6, 10P. NJ.
After the rubbish from the bottom
of the shaft was cleared away, two
men descended in bucket and sent
word up. to send down q pick and
shovel, to clear the doors with.
The bucket was brought up and
two men started down, with the
tools. AS they started the men at
the bottom requested them to hurrah
and on their reaching the bottom
both were found dead.
No hopes are entertained for the
men IN the shaft. All are supposed
to have perished. The black damp
is very bad here. S- -'.---. -
SCRANTON, September Go p. NJ.
The latest information from the
Avondale mine states that the shaft
was cleared, and that two men went
down and penetrated sixty or sew
enty yards to a closed gangWay
door which they could not opon.1
They found three dead mules out
side the door, No signs of life were
discovered, and it is feared ali are
dead. l.e - ~-t y
The fire began at 10 O'Clock this
morning All reports agreed that 1t
must have communicated from the
ventilatIng furnace to the wood
work at the bottom of the shaft,
which is 327 feet below the surface.
The flames then rushed with great
violence up the shaft and broke out
IN the engine room, at the top. The
engineer barely escaped with his
life. @
The buildings covering the mouth
of the shaft were one hundred feet
high and two hundred feet long, all
of wood, and dry rs tinder. They
were almost Instantly enveloped in
flames, and it was mpossible to reach
the mouth of the shaft to hell the
men below. t-s....- p
Dispatches just received from Av-
| ondale say Thomas w. Williams,
of Plymouth, and David Jones, OF
Grand Tunnel, who went down to
make further Investigations, were
suffOcated to death. On second st.
tempt, Williams dead body was
brought out by David II. Davis and
| BENJAMIN Jones. Thomas williams
went down and dragged David Jones
some distance, to the foot of the shaft
when he was compelled to come up,
John W. and Isaac Thomas then
went down and broughtup the body.
Ali who attempted to go down art
now out alive except Williams anC
Jones. No further attempt VIII be
made to go down until small en-
gine is rugged.
The loss by the burning of the
Avondale mines work is from $50, ,0Ol
to 800, 900, not counting losses bS
stoppage of mining.
This mine had been involved IN
strike for over three months, bu
resumed work last Thursday, ant
, /
day, The works were built in 1867
and it will take four to six month
to rebuild. 3 s-' ...1.- aF -
II will take until 5 A. M. to-mor
, row to get small engine to work T.
drive fan at the mouth of the shat
and force in air through a canva
hose. -,t f--- '- --s y.
|. All who have been down say it
very hot, and loud calls have GaileC
=. to elicit an answer. The only hop
, for the twO-hundred and two men il
tie mine is, that they may have shu
themselves in remote part of tn
: : works, entirely away from the draft
Several hundred men with tools
p. were taken from here this evening
. with the idea of driving gangYaV
, from q neighboring mine, into tn
AvOndaIe workings, but as it mus
, be solid rock cutting, this mean
would probably not relieve the I'm
prisoned men in time. The distanc
: to be cut is variously estimated a
from twenty TO sixty feet, and tn
] time required two or three days.
t 81, 1t was feared the Ventilating ful
/ mace at AJondale would some da,
f fire the shaft, as it was a very dry
/, mine. The danger to life is yer,
] great in q mine which has but on
means of entrance and exit. 1t
thought Avondale is but one of man,
mines in the same condition.
It is to be hoped that the next Leg
| islature will net, as so many prev
GUS ones have done, refuse to max
a stringent law for the protection {
miners and the Inspection of mines
| SCRANToN, Pa, September 9.--1:S
. A. M,-NJnety bodies have bee
!. found, eighty two of which hay
\ been brought to the surface. A doC
. . tor was called for to attend to me
= who explored the mine. but non
. present volunteered, and DR.. Rich
ard, of. Plymouth, came from Ply
!, mouth to perform the duty of n
. suscitating the miners if more fol
air is encountered. The coroner wi
! take testimony on Saturday ate
II noon. Heaps of coal left in the chut
|. have been lighted and are blazin
:, in long line extending from th
) railroad up the hill. Great outbreak
. of grief occur among the women
l. the nearest miners houses. The a
} IN the mines is SO. bad that parties ca
2. stay but few miHHtes.----
> NEW YORK, September g..
> Scranton special says; Il Later e.
r plorations of the mine have deYeloI