The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-29
THE pER1LS OF THE PIT
Sixteen Men Imprisoned and Prob.
ably Dead.
The Deadly Fire-Damp Lies In Wait
for Hts Victims - Fourteen
Dead Bodies Recovered
So Far.

UNIoNTowN, Pa, Oct. 90 Sixteen men
are known to be imprisoned in the colliery OF
the Youngstown Coke company, situated
three and half miles from here 1t is not
expected that one of them will be taken out
alive. a terrific explosion of gas occurred
Monday afternoon. The men on day shift had
just left the mine and were replaced by the
night shift, consisting of twenty-five men,
After the dense smoke had cleared away six
people were found and taken out, two OF
them so badly burned and cut that they can.
not recover. The names of those killed and
injured are as follows: Jacob Cole, miner,
aged So, badly burned and bruised He is
the father of the pit boss, and is not expected
to recover David c. Cole, miner, aged 50,
son of the above; terribly bruised, and will
die. A boy named Chauncy, aged IS, arm
broken Joseph Zebley, pumper, aged IS;
killed. Jack Lake, rope-rider, aged 30
killed. He leaves wife and two children,
Those about the mouth of the shaft heard
The report. 1t was Immediately followed by
a dense volume of smoke. The explosion
took place in the sixth righthand fiat. The
day force went to work in the morning and
at O'Clock in the afternoon were relieved by
the night turn. Twenty minutes later, and just
after the pit-boSs, James Cole, and Superin.
tendent Refs had come up from the mine and
gone to The office the explosion occurred,
which shattered the windows for mile
around. Five minutes later there was a
second report, and Immediately after flames
burst forth from the openings blocking up
the avenues Of entrance
The noise attracted all the residents of the
II,r IF flr
shaft Without explanation they knew what
had occurred. The wives and relatives of
the men who were known to be in the mine
crowded around and with agonizing cries
besought the others to 80 to their rescue, but
the fierce flames prevented any attempt at
rescue. After an hours work, however, the
flames were ,ubdued sufficiently to allow a
descent by way of the air-shaft.
For an hour no person could be induced to
enter the shaft Finally party was organ
lied and descended AT some distance from
the entrance they stumbled across the body
Of Washington Keefcr, miner He was
unconscious and lying with his face in pool
of water. He was carried to the
foot of the opening, and with con
siderable difficulty restored to conscious
ness He said that the explosion had oc-
CURED considerable distance from where
he was found After tho first fla sh he ran
toward the bottom OF the shaft until over
come 10y the afterdamp, when he threw him
self down with his face in the water This
saved his life As it prevented his inhaling
The afterlamp He could tell nothing about
the cause of tho explosion or its effect on the
other men who were at work.
Several attempts We're made to penetrate
further INTO the mine hut it was filed with
gas, and it was decided to make no further
effort to reach the balance of the Men in the
mine until the passage ways are cleared of
gas. 1t is feared that The whole number
have been overcome by the gas or afterdamp,
and that only their dead bodies viii be dis
covered
The air in the vicinity of The mine is filed
with the cries of the wives and children of
the imprisoned men.
1t Is not known how the explosion oc-
Cured 1t was just such day as that of the
West leisenring disaster last January, when
nineteen lives were lost The atmosphere
vas heavy and murky, which is regarded as
| favorable for the accumulation of fire damp
| in the mines Nevertheless no gas had been
| discovered in the mine for more than q
month.
! The bank is a perfect wreck. Cars were
| blown into the solid walls and in some places
| the ceiling was so charred that one could run
a finger into it full length. The steel tracks
were torn up and twisted like shavings far
out from the mouth of the shaft.
| LATFR-lt is not known how many men
We're III the Youngstown mine at the time of
the explosion, but there is supposed to have
been eighteen LETT in the mine when those re-
covered were brought out The work of
reaching these men was continued induStri-
ously throughout the whole night, and by
Tuesday morning the dead bodies of twelve
Of them had been brought out
| and delivered to their friends
and relatives at the mouth of tho
pit This makes fourteen dead in all, and
together with the four injured, accounts for
eighteen. Whether there are any more re
mains to be discovered, but it is believed
that all have been found At this writing a
complete and accurate list of the dead can
not be given. - SIS
| The scenes at the mouth of the pit as the
disfgured bodies of the dead were brought
to the surface and given into the hands of
the wives and relatives was distressing in the
extreme, and vivIdly recalled to mind the
piteOus walls of the bereaved families who
waited at the opening of the Lesenring mine
last February for the bodies which they
knew were coming lfelcss to them from the
uncompassionate bowls of the earth 1t was
q sad spectacle, indeed, and moved 10 tears
many Of the hundreds who had been drawn
to the place by the news of the disaster
1t cannot be stated now whether the ex-
plosion was due to the careless ness OF the