Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-02-28
Explosion Of Fire Damp in a
COal-Mine at West Lessen
ring, Pennsylvania.
Nineteen Men Killed Out of a
Total of Seventy in the
Mine at the Time.
List of the Victims Dreadful
Sights as the Bodies Come to
the Light - Personal
Experience.


to-day of fearful catastrophe At 6
o'clock this morning gas exploded in
the south butt heading of the Con
neilsyille Coke and Iron Company's
shaft, and nineteen miners were al
most instantly killed.
The last man had just descended the
shaft and the cage was being hoisted
to the mouth, when terrific sound,
that resembled the far off booming of
cannon, was heard on the surface
1, 403 feet above. The cage was inn
mediately lowered, and then was hoist
ed as quickly as possible. 1t was
empty, and in langua~e stronger than
words told that de- n was in the
depths
In few minutes the mine was sur
rounded by an awe-stricken group of
women and children, whose husbands
and fathers had entered the place a
short time before With agonizing
cries the women besieged the men
about the shaft to go to the rescue of
those at the bottom, but when an at
tempt was made to descend 1t was dis
covered to be impossible on account
of the foul air 1t was nearly two
hours before this bad air was sufici-
emily dispersed to enable the rescuers
to descend.
The sight that was revealed by the
glare of the lamps in the hands of the
first to descend was Eorrifying. Dead
bodies, broken wakons, twisted tim
bers, and in the south Roadway in
animate forms of men who had a
short time before been full of vigor
was what they saw. The wives and
children of the miners, whose death
was regarded as certain, were remov-
to their homes, and then the cage be-
gan to bring the the dead to the top.
1t was not until 80 o'clock that the
last body wds recovered.
Two men, Richard Boswell and
Henry Wilson, were alive when
found and recovered. The other nine
teen mad either been killed instantly
by the explosion or had succumbed
to the poisoned air. Their names are:
Michael Ripko, married, five children;
George Kallas, married Peter Wal
ters, single; John Murray, married,
two children; Albert Hackney, mar
ried; Gray May, single; Thomas Nc
Geary, married, family in England;
David Lloyd, single; James Tracy,
single. Michael Heffner, married;
John Buckley, single; Joseph Bakos,
married; Andrew Warner, single;
William Soaring, married; James
Baker, married. Daniel Buckner
(colored), married; John Hart, sim
gle.
Many of the victims were terribly
mangled and burned beyond recogni-
ton. The coroner impaneled a jury,
viewed the bodies, and announced he
would adjourn the inquest until Sat
urday morning.
DREADFUL SCENES.
It was a dreadful sight to behold.
Many of those who were burned, when
taken out of the mine and exposed to
the air the flesh dropped off that part
of the body that was burned. Those
who were suffocated looked quite nat
ural, and seemed simply as if sleeping
when laid out as there was not mark
or scratch on their persons to denote
that any accident had happened them.
1t was not until about 7:30 orS o'clock
that the dead and living could be Ia
ken out, on account of the danger
from the foul air.
1t would be supposed that the ut
most excitement existed about the
works after the explosion, but it was
not so intense as at first reported here.
The men that were out of the mine
and those employed on the outside
acted in the most becoming manner,
and stood ready, with brave and
stout hearts, to assist IN searching
the mine.
To describe accurately the scene in
the mine, the condition the men were
in. the way they were lying, etc, is
impossible. The men working at a
distance from the place of the eXplo-
sion were more or less affected with
the foul air, which was driven with
great force throughout the mine, and
the only way for them to avoid death
was to get to the main entrance, where
the air was more pure owing to the
direct connection with the air-shaft
MINERS BECTTALs.
Richard Balsey, who is an expert
enced miner, and who was working III
this mine this morning, tells the fol-
lowing in regard to his escape: He
and his partner were at work only a
few rooms from where the explosion
occurred. and the moment Of the re-
port he knew what it was He tore
his clothes, giving his partner por-
ton. and telling him to stuf II in his
mouth. He did the same with the
other. which was part of trouser-
leg. but before doing so, instructed
his companion 10 b. sure and follow
him. They were ia total darkness, as
all the lamps were blown out. After
coinp a short distance tine other man
told Balsey that he did not think they
we're on the right road and left him.
Balsey escaped. and the other man,
whose name was Hackney, rushed
frantically into the heading where
the explosion had taken place, and is
among the dead.
Patrick Murphy. another who
barely escaped, says he crawled on his
hands and knees from the heading
He got out into the main entry and