The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-06-12
Coal Mine Disaster.

SHAMoKIN, Pa, June 10. This after
noon an explosion occurred IN the Henry
Clay CollIery operated by the Philadel-
pha & Reading Coal and Iron Co., near
this place. The colliery had not been in
spected for some time. but was always
considered safe. 1t has the capacity for
running 5000 tons OF coal per month, and
IS men are employed in it. The inside
boss went into an old working one, the
water level with it, when the explosion
Immediately followed. 1t was caused it
is thought, by the fire damp being fired q,
which communicated with the air-ways
from the water levels into the slope below
where the men worked
The miners in this region not being
accustomed to black damp thought it was
blasting powder that had been set on fire
They remained in the slopes until almost
overcome with black damp and fell sense
less. The stronger men managed to get
out, however, and gave the alarm to tn e
others who followed, but on reaching the
top OF the slope they fell back completely
overcome. j. Hays, the outside boss, OH
hearing the alarm Immediately went to their
rescue. After proceeding about five
hundred yards he fell face downward in
a pool of water and was drowned. Croch
Magenski was found drowned by his side
and eight men were brought out dead.
There was no caving in of the mine as
first supposed, and there was no fault in
the ventilation.
The accident resulted from old gas en-
ploding in q disused working Up to 10
o'clock p. NJ, ten dead bodies had been
taken out. Many men from the surround
ing mines came to render assistance. The
excitement is intense Wives and children
are rushing to the scene of the disaster,
finding their husbands and brothers either
dead or gasping fol breath, while others
were eagerly watching the arrival of
friends on the slope wagon from below.
There We're fifty men in the slope at the
time of the explosion, thirty-tive of whom
are know to have escaped and will re-
cover.
VIM. Brown, u prominent coal opera
tor ut this place, fell down the Daniel
Webster shaft this afternoon, 1G5 feet
deep, his leg was broken aud otherwise
seriously injured.
A somewhat remark able life insurance
ease, involving some nice questions as to
identity, is now on trial in Baltimore.
About Il year ago Mr.. w. $. Goss, then
residing in Baltimore. effected an instlr-
ance ON his life to the amount OF 80, 200
in four different companies. Shortly
after the insurance papers We're made out,
Gross workshop was discovered to be in
flames, and the body of a man, SO shock
mgly mutilated as to defy identity, was
found in the ruins. Several months
,,la Hal ha
NJ Goss. widow OF the insured, applied
for the payment OF the insurance on her
husbands life The companies refuse to
pay, upon the ground that the death of
Goss had not been proved and that the
body found among the ruins of his work
shop was not the body of Goss, but the
body of another man who had been placed
there by the insured, who then fired the
shop and escaped, the whole being AN at
tempt on the part of the man Goss 10 de-
fraud the Insurance companies out OF SD
900. The plaintiff contends that the burnt
body was easily recognized AS that Of
GOss by the extraordinary size of the neck
and chest.
The case has excited an unusual interest
owing to the mysterious circumstances
surrounding it. The courtroom has been
crowded each day by business men, in
surance agents and others interested in
the matter, who have watched the pro-
ceedngs with intense interest. The ease
will 90 to the Supreme Court OF the Unit
ed States in any event. Several OF the
most eminent members Of the Baltimore
bar are engaged in the suit, which will
not be concluded for several days.