The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-11-29
Explosion in a coal Mine.
EIeHT MEN KILLED AND LARGE NOMBEfS
INJURED-TuE MINE BADLY DAMAGED

ETerJT MEN KILLED AND A LARGE NUMBER
INJURED-TuE MINE BADLY DAMAGED
SULLIVAN. Ind, November 22.-fester-
day the village of Sullivan wits the scene OF
a dreadfu accident. Half mile n0rth OF
the station hoase, and on the EVsnsVllie
and Terre Haate railroad. is situated the
Sullivan coal shaft, mine workitg t"e !
veins of coalA At few minntes past lohr !
last evening a loud explosion was heard,
immediately aflerward huge volames o.
smoke and flame issued feeIa the shalt ana
Jumps of coal wers thrown high into the
air-at least three hundred feet. those
employed above ground about the mine
were for the momen: paralyzed with terror,
as they recognized it as violent explosion
and renen, bered that there were 1liity
men below working the veins.
Fifteen men were in The lower and the
same namber in the upper Shaft lhe ex-
nEosion was so violent that the tlmbeTs an
tierground were shattered, as were also lhe
walls, causing a large piece OF rock to ftil
and completely stop up the passageway IN
manv places To. ado to the borrCr of the
affair it was discovered thar the cages were,
in consequence, fastened below andone OF
the huge ropes broken, thus entlreF cut
ting off all communication With the lnpris-
ouad men. Ropes and puIleys were inme-
diateiy put in position add men were sent
down 10 ascertain the condition OF helr
feIIoC workmen below. The mine Is 240
feet deep, and il was SONG time before hhp
could reach them. The gas was SO ottel
siye that the men could stay below only a
few minutes. One brave young miner, Joe
Hartford who had two brothers below and
who were afterward found dead, at last,
amid shouts of the bystauders, volunteered
to go below.
The explosion was caused by the gas
taking fire from lamps, and there beng
eight or ten kegs of powder in the mine the
explosion was terrific. Several men were
knocked down into pits of water abd
drowned The scene around the shaft was
indescribable. Women and children were
shere looking for husbands and fathers
Old men were looking for their sous. Ev'
erything seemed in a deplorable condition.
All that is possible has been done to relieve
the sufferers. Seventy-ive miners from
Sherburne, which is six miles away, board
ed the first train with ropes, pulleys anc
baskets, and rendered all the help the!
could.
Listening attentively at the mouth o
! the shaft the piteous cries of the imprison
/ ed men could be family heard 24O Zee: he
( low, striking the auditor with dlsmay
( The miners are mostly of the very pooi es
cIass, who su5sist from hand to mouth, ant
/ all have large families. AS an OccaSiona
voice from the darkness below ascendet
| the assembled women would fairly jum
/ forward TO see if it was from some dea
one There were, of course, many dlsap
. pointments, the effect of which can be bet
ter imagined than described. One wOma
who had a young son of about twelve ell
gagged below, bent over the shaft and calle
piteously to all present to go to his rescue
calling with the feeling that only mothe
in such circumstances can exhibit. A
length her boy was brought up dead.
Six men are still below at this hour
nearly midnight, aud soun of them are ce
tainly alive, as an occasional cry can
beard. The gas is siekening, and some
them must perish before they can b
brought to the surface, though air is bein
forced below TO drive out the noxious ga!
, LATER PARTICULARS.
TERRE HAUTE, November 22.-The e.
plosiun i'll the coal mine of Handford Bros
at Sullivan, yesterday, was caused by a
} ignition Of gas. Eight men were killed |
; the shock or soon died of suffOcatiOn.
: There were at the time twenty seven me
at work. of whom fifteen were in the low
vein. Seven of these were saved after. Il
lapse of an hour The twelve men in I'll
g upper vein were badly stunned but escape
!, injury. There We're but four or FIVE ms
courageous enough to 60 into the low
u vein after the explosion occurred, but aft
u they had saved the seven, who were aliv
: they waited until three o clock this NOR
o ing in recovering the dead At six o'clo'
work was resumed, and a: noon to-day Il
/ last corpse was taken out. Ingress to Il
o vein vas obtained through a very smt
n hole in the debris. The first two in Il
:, list above were among the proprietors,
, whom there were four. -Four of the bod
o were shockingly burned aud bruised.
u 3 HarneT and ('Tutet. two
IS were saved from the lower vein, are baC
bruised, and the former has leg brok
and an arm burned to a crisp, besides 9th
% injuries which may prove fatal. I
timhers of the mine are badly shattes
and the damage is estimated at So
~ ~ The citizens of Sullivan are subscribi
ut literally towards the relief Of the Der
ne families.
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