Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-01-19


nl--DssoriPtiOn OF the Calamity by One
OF the Survivors.
CoULTKRsVILLE. lit. JanueryA
One OF the saddeat accidents that has ever
been chronicled In this section Of the State
occurred At the coal mine operated BY Jones
q hlsoet to-day. An explosion tore things
20 pieces generally, entailing . terrible loss
IL was Just four O'Clock this afternoon
Wnen the engineer, l.. Davis, was startled
" munied explosion which shook the
oarth, and looking toward the mouth OF the
smart be Hnwa volume OF thick, black smoke
pouring therefrom. Only one explanation
presented itself to his mind, and that was .
horrible one-an explosion OF fire-damp.
lie knew that the foreman and eleven other
human beings were below, and he was fair
~ paralyLed for an instant at the thought
OF their fate. lie was brought to his
senses by sharp ring at the signal bell,
showing thai there was some one still alive
below, and in another second he had set
the machinery in motion with all the steam
pressure he could control. 1t seemed life
time before the cage came to the surface,
but the engineer had TO stand by his engine
1t did appear the foreman, Sylvester Mason,
and boy named William Starr staggered
on IL and emerged from the cloud of smoke.
They were go uniformly black as to be
hardly recognizable, and they were all but
senseless through sunocatIon. Mr.. Mason
soon recovered sufficiently TO make q state.
ment that there had been an explosion, that
all the menwere probably dead, and that he
and young Starr had only escaped by
miracle.
Mr.. hisbet, one Of the firm of Nisbet 4
Jones, was one Of n small party 10 immedi-
ately board the cage, and, taking their lives
In their hands, they went down. The smoke
proved too dense, however, and they were
compelled TO return. A second trip was
made soon aherward, and q third, and
fourth, but they were futile. One brave
fellow named Harry Longshore made such
desperate endeayor to reach bis dying
friends that no was overcome, dragged out
senseless and now lies in q critical condi-
uon. For four hours nothing could be done,
AMI meantime telegram was sent TO
neighboring town for miners to aid In the
rescue. While waiting for the smoke to clear
away Mr.. Mason gave a full statement SUBJ
StantIAlly ~ follows;
The shaft IL 32O feet deep and at the bot
tom a corridor seven feet wide leads east.
ward fer over two hundred wards. On
either side OF this corridor the mining rooms
open on and the men during the day work
In there. drilling holes into the seven-foot
vein OF coal aud charging them with pow
der. IL v customary about four O'Clock
every evening TO discharge these blasts with
fuse. This afternoon about four O'Clock
went down and found that there were thir.
teen charges ready to he fired. TIE men
were about ready to quit for the night and
liold them TO fire off the shots. When they
do this they all seek some safe niche or nook
not far OF aud the charges are fred one at
time. After giving the order started for
the foot Of the shaft about 200 yards
away, aud was accompanied by Billy
Starr, boy whose father and brother
were at work In the pit. I was stand.
Ing at the foot of the shaft for the men 10
come out 30 that / could check them off aud
make SURE that none got left there all night.
We heard three shots a few minutes apart.
and then we heard fourth, which was fol-
lowed Immediately by terrible explosion
IN the direction OF the men; then n rush OF
air. and then a great volume OF fire that
hlled the whole corridor. was blown
against the side Of the shaft and badly i'm
lured, especially In the leg, aud the little
boy was stunned. 1 thought at first would
wait and Try to save the men, but the flames
were coming fast, the air was sitting, and
felt itwould be death TO remain there an
other minute. l stepped on the cage,
dragged the boy after me and rang the bell.
by the time we reached the surfaced was
nearly strsngled and barely conscious. and
the boy was unconscious. IL was clearly
an explosion OF gas, and as II occurred way
back where the men were they had no
chance for escape. $780,,
by o'clock the smoke bad entirely ceased
to ascend and all was quiet a. the grave In
the deep back hole. Again the cage was
manned and hardy miners were among the
parry this time, having come long distance
TO aid IN the work. A hearty God-speed
from the multitude attended them as they
disappeared below the surface, possibly to
face death also. They found the smoke still
thick below. owing to the absence of air
currents, the traps By which these currents
were kept mp. having been blown down bv
the explosion STU they persisted. and
shortly before Q o'clock they bad penetrated
100 yards through the debris. They found
James w. King. the first Of the victims.
lying nat on his face, dead. lie had evi I.
IDENTITY erAwlod half way TO the shaft after
the explosion, AZ he laid on top of the slate
which must have been torn down by the ex.
ploeion.f He was carried out. and the
body. still warm, was hoisted above
Next the party found dead mule. which
bad been terribly mAnglad by the explosion.
tts stall being torn MI to pieces.
Another hundred yards through the dan.
Eerous passage, and they came upon the
balances 81 the victims. Ill dead and only
few peces apart First, Henry Starr. Sr.
was picked up, thoo Frank Sanford. then
Ntcholaa kahl, then Harry Fury, then
<ThomAe Hansen. then R0l,er Dunlap then
Frank BCgwn and then Hsnry StArr,Jr. Most
% them lay on their faces, seeming 10 have
died while seeking TO avoid strangulation bV
breathing the air close n the floor. Frank
Brown was crouched down with his face
buried between hi knees, while the cloth.
log on bis back was burning SLOWLY the
flesh Issving been cooked where the cloth
was burnt on. Two others were also burned
bad y, but the other seven had clearly stran-
gl,d.
Tue work Of removing these bodice alone
over great piles OF slate aud stone unde-
h. 80 Al n