The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-22
THE TERROR OF THEPIT.
Fire Damp and After Damp Gather
Thir Victims.
Particulars of the Awful Pit EXpiO-
sion at LeIsenriag, Pa--Nine-
teen Miners Hurried Into
Ettfnity.

UN1oNTowy, Pa, Feb. 22-The little
mining village of West Leisenring, four
niles north of here, the scene of the
most terrific explosion ever known in the
,oke region. The Conne!lsville Coal & Iron
company, of which Judge Leisenrng, of
Mauch Chunk, is president, have 300 coke
ovens here, which have been in operation
about year. The works give employment
to about one tun1red men, and
quite a little town has sprung up
named after the president of the
company. The coal fo, the ovens is obtained
by means of shaft, Which reaches the coal
1t a distance of 400 feet from the surface.
A part of the force who had worked all
night left the mines a little after o'clock
and seventy others took their places making
the usual morning shift About $50 O'clock,
while the men were digging, suddenly, with
out warning, there occurred an explosion
that convulsed the mine in every apart
ment and threw the men into the ut
most CONSERVATION. The scene of the explo-
sion was in one Of the apartments fully 800
feet distant from the bottom of the shaft,
aud therefore about ,203 feet from the sur
face opening; yet the report was heard on the
outside for a considerable distance and caused
such jar that the top of a derrick 100 feet
high was knocked off. Two mules were
landing at the bottom of the shaft, 500 feet
from the explosion, and the rush of air blew
one of them through wooden cage, shatter
ing it to pieces. the other mule died of suf-
location.
The awful scene that ensued among the
terror-stricken miners cannot be described,
- Losx, anJ +laxr
were left in darkness and confusion. They
had not time to recover from the shock be-
fore they found themselves unable to
breathe The explosion of the fire-damp-a
term which the miners apply to the light
carbonated hydrogen or coal-gas that issues
sfrom the crevices in the roof of the mines
left the mine filled with after-damp, which
contains no oxygen and renders it impossible
for life to be sustained for any time. This
after damp was densest in the upper part of
the mine, and the men hovered near the
bottom, but even there they did not long find
relief
OF all the men who were in the heading
where the explosion occurred, Dick Balsley
alone escaped to tell the awful story. When
the explosion came, and all the lights were
blown out, Balsley was just changing his
clothes He at once wound part of his clothes
tightly around his face and mouth TO keep
the foul air from choking him, and gave the
rest of his garments to companion with in
structions to take the same precautions He
then started for the main entrance, bidding
his companion follow. They ran over the
bodies of men, and over shattered
wagons. They could ses nothing. but
could hear the groans of dying
men. Presently Balsley's compan-
ion protested that they were not going in the
right direction, and turned back. He per-
ished Balsley pushed on until finally he
saw light. and was taken out. His escape
is regarded by experienced miners as one of
the most marvellous on record He says that
some men kept their heads under water as
long as they could, and were forced to change
from water TO after-damp, and at last they
gave up to the unequal struggle.
When the news of the explosion flashed
around, the families of the men gathered
about the shaft, and were crazy with sus
pense. For two hours all efforts to enter the
mine were fruitless, but the air was gradually
purified and at last explorers made their way
to the victims, who were found and brought tc
the surface. Their names are as follows
Michael Heffern, John Buckley, Patrick
Kennedy, James Tracy, James Baker, David
Lloyd, William Davis, Thomas 1cGsrey,