Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-15
THE MINE HORROR.

Desesnts Into the Mine-The Pit ON Fire.
Little Hopes of Recovering the Dead
| Bodies Down in the Pit--Flooding to be
Tried-WhoIesale Coffin Makins-The
| Old Miners Burns-WonderfuI Preserva-
tion of Three Boys-The Fierce Flames
Leap Through the Mine-Widows and
| Children for the Charitable to Provide
| For.
STEL1ERroN, N. s., Nov. 13.-At 11:3O
last night, Mr.. Gilpin, government inspector
of mines, and the local manager, with a
gang of men, went down the shaft and made
| short exploration. They found the atmos-
phere little clearer than during the day
| and the party were enabled to penetrate
further along the main railway to the south,
| They found the bodies of three men and q
number of dead horses. Two of the bodies
| they were able to take with them to the sur
face, but the third was 30 tightly jammed
into heap of fallen timber and rubbish
| that an attempt to e1tricate it would be only
mourning danger uselessly, as the rubbish
would certainly fall upon any one touching
it. The choke damp was still too thick to
| allow the party to carry on their explora-
| tions very far, but in one of the boards or
starts from the main railway faint smell
| of smoke, and slightly warm atmosphere
could be detected, which showed that it was
not improbable that the fire still remained
in the mine. When the party came to the
surface crowd had collected to hear the
latest news. The two dead bodies were car
| ried into the temporary dead house. One was
identified as that of McGilluvay, but the
other was so charred and disfgured as to be
unacceptable.
One miner, who escaped unframed, says
| in trying to get to the shaft he stumbled
across the PROSTATE form of an old man. He
stopped, and calling some others running
by to his assistance, got him into the cage
to go to surface, and then looked about. He
found little boy apparently dead. He was
only insensible, and he got the little fellow
and old man to surface and then found he
had rescued his own son and his poor old
father. A brother was still below.
In the morning Jas. Hudson, Greener and
two or three others, picked men, went down
into the shaft. The party were able to go
further into the galleries than the previous
night, as the choke damp was clearing way.
The man who the night before thought he
detected signs of fire again investigated the
same place, and going further into the pas
sage with Greener, soon found unmistakable
indication that he was right. 4 little further
on brick stopping closing another unused
passage was found, and here dense black
smoke was coming out with a roar like es-
Gaping steam. The two men st once ran
back to the rest of the party, and as all
were now in the greatest danger, rapidly got
to the pit bottom and assembled to the sur
face.
The local manager, government inspector
and several of the overmen and old miners
were called to meeting III the oompsny's
Office and the plan of the mine was spread
out on table. The location of the fire was
fixed as we'll as possible and the best means
of action discussed. It was determined to
flood the portion of the mine where the fire
seems to proceed from, as if prompt means
we're not taken further explosions were not
unlikely any moment with consequences
which might be serious on the surface.
ALI night the ceaselsss tapping of small
hammers were heard Ia one of the carpen-
Ter shops and on returning from the mouth
of the shaft the spectacle was one which is
not often seen. The placeghad been con-
verted into an undertaker's shop. Collins
were being made by the score that no delay
might be occasioned. The number of the
lost might be as high as fifty. The danger
GUS state of the mine will render recovery of
the bodies impossible for many days, per-
haps weeks. In the dead house huge plat
form is erected id it, breast high, so that
there would be ample room for the bodies as
fast as found.
An old man viewed the body which could
not be recognized the night before and he at
once identified it by the clothes as that of his
son-in-law, Job Skinner. The boots and
legs are charred, one hand roasted, the face
burned black, and the top of the head
crushed to jelly. The body of McGiluvay
is but little disfgured, his death having evil
IDENTIFY been caused by choke damp. The
inquest will be commenced by DR.. Murray
at II O'Clock in the village.
William Dunbar is in bed in a semi un-
conscious condition. He is the only rescued
man who is seriously injured. He was
lamp cleaner and had cabin at the bottom
of the pit. He IS unable to speak long
enough to tell his story, but his wife says as
far as she can gather from what he said he
was in his cabin at the time of the explosion.
He saw the fire burst in the back door and
he rushed out the front and fell on his face.
His oil-soaked clothing had, however, caught
fire and was burning, when his son, in COM
ing to the pit bottom, found him, extin-
guished his garments, and with some assist
encs got him to the surface. The old man
is badly burned on the back and right side,
in one spot on his chest, on his nose and
one arm was SO badly burned that the skin
peeled down over his hand. He did not
complain of suffering much, which is consid-
cred bad sign. He has frequent periods of
delirium. His recovery Is considered very
doubtful. He was seventy years old and had
been in the mining business forty
years. He had two SONS in the mice with
him. One is lost and the other rescued.
The rescued men are out of danger and
able to converse about their escape. ALI tell
the same tale. They have been suddenly
struck down and know nothing of the cause.
Some of the escapes were very narrow.
Three little boys working near the entrance
to the south side were found in heap
against an arch, by coal box, and were
found there inssnsiole, while horse close
by was killed and completely roasted. The
body of the horse and the coal box had kept
the force of the explosion from the lads.
The flame, which was but momentarily
seen, jumped several yards inside of the
south entrance, right across the pit bottom,
and killed and roasted number of horses
several yards inside of the north gallery; vet
there are no marks of fire between these