Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-11-27

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and attending Washington & Lee Uni
versity only about one hundred and fif
ty students-quite falling off in botf
Institutes as compared with former
years, accounted for by the general de
preston in business. and stringency in
money matters in Virginia, and in fac
all over the country. r, .-~ r,e''er
"A Mine Explosion.
THE PERILS TO WHICH MINES ARE EX.
POsED-DEADLY FIRE-DAMP-LoSS OF
LIFE. T
j SCRANTON, Nov. ia terrific ex-
plosion of fire damp took place this
morning in the Jermyn colliery, within
the city limits, while the mine was in
operation. fatally injuring number OF
men and boys. and producing scene of
the most intense excitement. About two
hundred workmen, were in the mine
when the accident occurred, little
dreaming of danger until they were sud.
denly enveloped in the awful darkness
which followed the flash and the under
ground tempest by which they were
overtaken.
The explosion occurred nearly two
thousand feet from the foot of the shaft.
where force of workmen were build
ing cross cut to regulate the course OF
the air in distant portion of the col
liery, 1T is supposed one of theff lamps
was held too high and came in contact
with the explosive gas which usually
seeks the surface, and then followed an
appalling scene. The laundering shock
was felt throughout the mine, and made
the massive breaker above the shaft
shake like an aspen from base to tower.
Men felt the coal pillars which they
clasped torn from their grasp and shat
tered into fragments.
Mine props were swept from their
places, coal were overturned and
demolished, and mules were carried sew
eral chambers distant and their drivers
buried in the debris of the chaos. A
miner named MALTA, standing at the
foot of the shaft. nearly two thousand
feet from the scene of the occurrence,
was fung bodily into the dump, and the
coal-oar by which he had stood upset
over him. /. In some instances loaded
cars were swept twenty yards away. As
soon as the storm had spent its force,
those who had escaped unhurt proceed
ed to assist their less fortunate COM
rades. s-i-'s
At short distance from the fearful
spot Antony Collins and Patrick Bren-
nan were found buried beneath heap
of rocks and coal, and moaning piteous-
ly. They were set free and carried out
in dying condition. Both are badly
burned and laeerated about the head and
body. They cannot possibly recover,
although at last accounts they were still
alive. A driver-boy named Luke Burns
was found lying crushed beneath shat
tered coal-car, with one of his1 legs al
most torn off. His recovery is doubt
full.
William Lanyon, of Green Ridge, was
found with leg broken. Max Phillips
of Ward street, was frightfnlly burned
the flesh almost dropping from his
bones. He is also internally injured
ribly burned and mangled, and several
others are more or less injured. The
news of the accident spread like wild
fire, and men, women, and children ran
from all parts Of the city to the mouth OF
the shaft, each pressing anxiously for
ward to see the faces of those brought uI
from the dismal depth, and fearful lest
some dear friend had met his fate.
At last accounts it was feared that
three men were still in the mine, bat the
gas was burning fiercely where the &C
cident occurred, and more tremendou!
explosion was expected during the day
so it was dangerous to go down the shaft
The mules arc all in the mine, and mus
have perished by this time. Immense
volumes of fire-damp are generated ir
the Jermyn colliery, and the rushing
jet of gas escaping from all sides will
feed the flames now raging there unit
the entire place Is seething furnace
unless the expensive process Of flooding
should be resorted to.
ROMANTIC STORY OF A PICTURE
The Philadelphia Bulletin sta!es thai
last spring painting, valued at SIS, 600
the Council House in Grenada" By
Fortuny, and owned by H. c. Gibson
of Philadelphia, was placed at the dis
posal of the Academy of Fine Arts fol
the Loan exhibition then held. At the
close of the exhibition it was discovered
that the picture had been mysteriously
substituted. Suspicion rested on an ar
student who had been at the academy
during the summer and who had ex
pressed great admiration for the picture
and the curator constituted himself :
detective to search him up. Willis
looking for the student the curator learn
ed of the whereabouts of another artis
who had formerly been at the academy
and who had gone on sketohing toul
to Niagara. He Immediately started fo
the latter place. and on arriving made
the acquaintance and ingratiated him
self into the friendship of the artist
Inviting the curatoA to his studio a
Niagara the artist unsuspectingly pro
duced for inspection Mr.. GibsOn's valua
bile picture. The curator drawing a pis
tol, pointed it at the artist and thel
made sudden grasp for the coveted pic
ture, and demanded tbs. he should b
allowed to leave with his prize. Th
astonished artist pulled out knife, an,
was about rushing at the curator whel
the latter, with the picture in his pos
session, made for the stairway and wa
soon on the street, and has reache
Philadelphia in safety with his trophy
A FAMILY PORTRAIT.-A portrait {
grandmother hangs on the wall. 1t wa
taken balfa century ago, and repre-
L IL