The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-07-19
ATwATER NINE DISASTER.
Verdict OF the C0roner's Jury
Statement OF Andrew Strong.

A correspondent of the Akron (Ohio)
Beacon, writing from Ravenns, Ohio oi
|, date July Sth, says: send at your res
I quest the verdict of the corroners jury
,, in the Atwater mine disaster. The
verdict, as you will see, covers seven
men. There were ten killed in the
mine and three had not been recovered
at the time OF the inquest and il was
; impossible to keep the bodies until all
, were removed. The other three todies
were recovered at o'clock Sunday
morning, July 9TH, and were found at
the foot OF the slope in the main entry.
The verdict is as follows:
We, the undersigned, jurors, impan-
eled and sworn on the fifth day OF July,
in the year 1872, at the township OF
Atwater, in the county of Portage, by
Lyman Bryant, Coroner of said county,
to inquire and true presentment make
in what manner and by whom the death
was caused Of Richard William Roberts,
Robert Roberts, John Williams, Thomas
Means, John Howells and Joseph Ev>
ans, whose bodies were found in the
slope leading to the coal mine operated
by Atwater Coal Company, at Atwster,
Portage county, Ohio, on the 4th and
9TH days Of July, in the year 1872, after
having heard the evidence and seen the
bodies, we find that the deceased came
to their death by suffocaton from fire
and smoke in the slope OF said mine,
communicated TO the timbers OF the
slope from a fire arch or furnace located
near the foot OF the slope, for the pur-
pose of ventilating the mine. The fur
mace was constructed by Richard Rob.
erts, one of the deceased, who was Pit
Boss Of the mine. From the evidence
we are unable to say whether the fire
was communicated TO the wood work
by gas or by the furnace being in too
close proximity 10 the timbers of the
slope.
Andrew Strong being duly sworn by
the Coroner testified as follows My
name is Andrew Strong; my age will
be twenty-one years. July %, 1872;
reside at Atwster, and by occupation
generally am farmer. | have done
some work for the Atwater Coal Com
pany. | commenced work this last
time three days previous to July 3.
lS72, and was employed in the place of
a man who went off. On the 3rd Of
July, the date OF this accident, | was at
the bottom OF the slope OF the mine
htching cars and pushing back empty
cars ready for the teamster | went 10
again with the teamster, stranger to
me, little before ten o'clock. | staid
in awhile, until Richard Roberts, Pit
Boss, came down, and by his direction
l went up in car 10 get some props,
sent them down on car, and followed
after on foot down the csr-way. | staid
down until the fire broke out
The first thing knew OF the accident.
| was stand ng ahont .hrss yards back
from the loot of the slope. / heard
swapping and cracking. and very loud
whirl and roaring Of the air, and very
powerful draft up the slope, which
would pretty near pull one in. / 6rst
saw the smoke and light coming
through the cracks of the brattice or
partition near the furnace, between the
man-way and the car-way. This was
ten or fifteen feet up the slope IRON the
surface. | went up the slope little
way and saw the smoke and light
through the cracks, and heard the
swapping and knew something was
wrong. ! ran back down the entry and
gave an alarm by crying fire" three
tunes then started for the outside.
When | got nearly out Of the slope | |
saw jim Hommell at the mouth OF the
slope and heard him holler, "If you
miners do not get out OF here you'll |
smother ] got out and cried, BOYS, |
the slope is On fire" The slope was
black with smoke all the way up as ] |
came, and | could see nothing. / was
the fir man out | then went back |
a ways as far as | could stand it, and
cried fire again. was also employed
that day to attend the fire in the arch
at the bottom OF the slope. Richard
Roberts, the Pit Boss" directed me to
attend the fire that day. received all
my directions from him. fixed this
fire several times that day. ] put on
two shoveluIs OF coal each time, az
near as ! could tell The last time !
put coal on the fire was not more than
five minutes before discovered the fire.
When | went into the arch everything
was all right as far as could see The
liglt first saw seemed 10 be square
across rom the front Of the arch; it
might have been a little farther mp.
The last time saw Mr.. Roberts, the
Pit Boss, was about a quarter or half
an hour before the accident. He came
down and told me to attend 10 the FIRE,
and ] did so little time after. The
front Of the arch is nearly even with
the bottom OF the slope-s little tack,
| think. When got out TO the mouth
Of the slope there was no fire yet st the
mouth Of the man-way.
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE oP BENJAMIN JONES.
A tthe time I.frst knew OF anything
wrong in the mine | was on tie right
side oil the main or west entry, about
seventy or eighty yards from the bottom
of the slope. | had just taken the
mule there looking for full car. There
was no full car there and William
Roberts was loading the car aud was
waiting on him. While waiting
heard some man hollering from the
bottom of the entry where 1 wac. l
thought by the voice it was Richard
Roberts. The words were, Hurry out
right straight men" | started just at
that wort. ! took and turoed the
mule around, trying to get hira along
with me. / got him, | think within (,
ten yards Of the main entry. Then /
passed the mule aud as soon as
| came doEu the main entry
the smoke was right thick there