The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-08-12
A MINE DISASTER.
TWELVE PERSONS suFFocArE:
In q Pennsylyauia ailne-A Physielan'
Heroic Enort-new the Mea Fought
rs,s spsath-rhe. Utmost carolsssnsss
Alleged on Par. Of NINE owners.

w1LKEsBARRE, Pa, August liz Reliable
information has just been received hert
that terrible explosion Of gas took plact
lin the West End Coal Company minei
this morning, at Mocanaqua, fifteen milei
from here. AS far as can be learned Ter
miners were instantly killed and seyera
others dangerously injured.
Further intelligence Of the disaster
says: The fan that supplies fresh air Il
the West End mine at Mocanaqua broke
depriying the mine Of air. Four mer
haye been brought to the surface dead
and four or i've more are yet in the mine
and cannot be reached, owing to impure
air. ,s5ss.si ..s s.
Just before night Tie shift went off duty
1.-The fans broke. The boss knew thtsra
so did the men OF the day SHIFT before
Ithey entered the mine, taking q great risk.
There were about thirty men IN all who
were supplied with safely lamps, asst was
well known that gas would accumulate.
About seyenty.tiye men were in the mine
!
THE DgAD AND WOUNDED.
The workmen repairing the fan were
the frat who were overcome with the gas,
and in about an hour later the same fate
happened to many more in the mine. Be-
fore the men fairly realized the danger
more than twenty were unconscious.
Those who could then escape did 50.
Superintendent John TeasdaIe and several
OF his men became unconscious and were
with difficulty rescued. Others wentdown,
and in the face Of immense difficulties,
and in spite of being continually over
powered with gas, got out all but ten men.
Three OF those brought out were dead and
the others are beyond doubt dead.
The dead as far as can be learned are:
James Whalen, William Vineby, Peter
Borditzer, John Dilday, and Hiram Mead.
Among those who are seriously injured
by gas aad badly injured are: Burt
Tromer, Thomas Hudeshill, John An
drews, John Teasdale, jr., Henry Group,
John Eastley, William Good, Fred Howe,
and others whose names cannot be learn
ed at the present writing.
Doctor Hughes, o prominent physician
OF Shickshenny, went down into the mine
| to assist the injured men and was over.
come by gas. lie was rescued with diff
Guilty and was brought to the surface
ssnseless. At 2P. NJ, six hours after the
accident, ,,Supt. reasdale. who is also pgft
owner oftbe mine, Is still unconscious.
The boss atthe mine says he notified
the men before they entered the mine
that the ian had stopped that 1t was not
sale to enter, as the mine was filling with
gas. This is denied by the miners,
who, on the contrary, say he told themto
20 to work, that the ian was bad, but would
| be put in order in an hour. Wien they en-.
tered themine eyerythingappeared to beall
right until they began to smell the foul
air. and sulphur fumes. B.iore they
could get out many were overcome and
t'sntfoCated. The disaster is considered
singular 10 It's nature and stands alone
and unprecedented in the history of min.
Ing. Itcould have been easily toreseen
and prevented, but being one Of those
singular oYersightsths causeof the disaster
escapes notice.
THE DEATH ROLL.
The death roll is twelve, and as now
fully ascartained is as follows: e-
JAMES WnErAS, aged 81, miner, wild.
over, with six small children.
HIRAM o. MEAD, aged 40, married, two
children.
5WM. ZplEsrY, aged q, laborer, single.
| fasF