The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-01-19
DEATH IN A COAL PIT.
Terrific Explosion of Fire Damp I'm a Mine
at Coulterville, ul.-Ten Men Instantly

Terrific Explosion of Fire Damp In a Mine
at Coulterville, ul.-Ten Men Instantly
Killed.
An explosion of fire damp in Jones 4 Mes
bits coal mine, near Coulterville, Ill, caused
the death of ten persons A correspondent
at the scene of the explosion furnishes the
following particulars of the sad disaster:
The excitement in view of the terrible ex-
plosion in the Jones 4 Nisbet mine has sub
sided Ten strangled and burned bodies lie
in the public hall dressed and arranged for
burial Their names are: Nicholas Kohl,
Frank Brown, Henry Fury Thomas Hanson,
Henry Starr, Sr, Robert DUNLAP, James W.
King, a. H. Combs, Frank Stamford, Henry
Starr, Jr
Eight of them were married Among
them they leave twenty-five orphans The
explosion was heard at the top, and when
the hosting cage was pulled up few min
utes later man and boy staggered from it,
blackened with smoke, and so exhausted
that they had TO be supported The man
was Sylvester Mason, the foreman of the
mine. Ten other men were known to be in
the pit
The details are meager, the clearest ac-
count of the catastrophe being that given by
Sylvester Mason one of the survivors Mr.
Mason said that the shaft was 800 feet deep,
and at the bottom a corridor seven feet
wide leads eastward for over 200 yards On
each side of the corridor are the mining
rooms where the men work during the day,
drilling into the seven-foot vein of coal. 1t
is customary TO fire the blasts all together
late in the afternoon Each man lights his
fuse, and then all hands run for
safety TO some niche, the blasts all being
fired ut time. Foreman Mason said that
he went down the shaft shortly after 4
O'clock and found that thirteen charges
were ready to be fired He told the men to
light the fuses After giving the order he
started for the foot of the main shaft POO
yards away, accompanied by William Starr,
a boy whose father and brother were at work
In the pit Il stood at the foot of the shaft, y
said Mr.. Mason, waiting for the men to
come out so that L could check them off
and see that none would be left. / heard
three shots a few moments apart, and
then a fourth, followed in an instant
by a terrible explosion in the gal
lery. where the ten men were Next came
rush of air, followed by great volume OF
fire that filled the whole corridor | was
blown against the side of the shaft, and my
leg badly hurt. The boy Starr was stunned
First thought L would wait and endeavor
To save some of the men, but the flames
were coming up TO me very fast The fumes
became almost sitting. even in the shaft,
and felt that it would be suicide to remain
any longer. | stepped on the cage dragged
the boy who was insensible, after me, and
rang the hosting bell When we reached
the surface | was almost strangled, and the
boy was apparently dead.
Three of the men were badly burned; the
other seven were dead from suffocaton
One of them, Frank Brown, was found
crouched upon his knees, his head close
against the floor to get away from the
smoke and his clothes and his flesh were
burned from his back The corpses were
hoisted up two at a time. At the top of the
shaft the bodies were washed, the legs were
tied together, and the victims were carried
in spring wagons to the town, where they
were laid out in the assemby-room of
the Coultervi lie Band. 1t was midnight be-
fore tue work was over. The town to day
is in mourning. The explosion was
evidently caused by ire-damp The mine
was extremely badly ventilated, there being
but one opening and no air-shaft ut all
Nesbit K Jones opened the mine about ten
wears AGO.