Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1885-10-29
FATAL EXPLOSIONS.
A woRKMAN's cARELEssNEss.
Death of Four victIms-Thirteen Others
Expected to Die.

WILKEsBARRE. Penn, Oct. 2L--An
explosion of gas took place in slope No.
Q, Of the Delaware and Hudson Coal Com
pany at Plymouth this morning.
Yesterday morning at the usual time
forty-four men and boys descended to
their work. Among them were gangs Of
track layers, machinists and carpenters,
employees Of the company engaged in re-
pair work. The sixteen victims Of the
disaster went to work in the middle vein.
About 600, feet from the foot of the shaft
is plane connecting with the upper lift.
The men were employed some at the foot
of the shaft. some at the foot of the gang
way between these points. Near the foot
Of the plane was the opening Of an old
and abandoned tunnel which was driven
some years ago for the purpose of con-
Meeting with the workings Of Colliery
No. 5. Lavelli, Polander, attempted to
enter this tunnel, although 1t is boarded
up and marked dangerous" The gas
which had accumulated in the old tunnel
caught fire from the naked light and a
slight explosion followed. The men in
stantly began to run toward the shaft, but
second explosion of tremendous vio-
lence shook the mine. The conclusion
was terrible Everything in the second
lift was reduced to wreck and debris.
The violence of the explosion forced the
air .apd passed up the shaft with force
T6at carried everything before 1t. The
'brattices were destroyed and carried
away, the false carriage blown off the
windows of the head house and breaker
shattered. The whole structure shook
and trembled to the foundation. The
gateway guarding the mouth OF the shaft
was blown off. A mule, used for shift
ing the cars at the head was doubled up
and thrown some distance from the
mouth Of the shaft. The explosion was
heard for long distance around and the
CONSERVATION created was great The
people who lived in the neighborhood
locked to the mouth of the slaft in dread
of hearing details ofsome great calamity.
Women who had husbands and sons en-
ployed in the mine rushed half frantic to
the bead of the shaft, and it was with
difficulty that they could be kept back to
allow the carrying out Of measures to get
at the injured men below. All the men
in the upper lift made their escape
through the opening of No. air shaft.
The only men in the lower vein at the
time were r. G. Myers, the assistant boss,
and a gang Of five men who were with
him. They came up the shafta few
minutes after the explosion and got of at
the middle vein and began the work OF
getting out the injured. The task was
difficult aud dangerous. In addition to
| tho wrecked eenditioa os Ihs- workings,
which greatly retarded their advance, the
dreaded black damp, the inevitable fol.
lower Of an explosion, made its presence
felt. But the work was done as quickly
as possible, and the men were taken one
by one to the surface.
The man who caused the accident, was
not killed, but was removed from the
slope with only his boots on and no haii
| on his head, but was otherwise uninjured
The victims of the disaster lay in every
direction. Dennis Titus was instantly
killed and when found lay 200 feet away
from his kit Of tools which he was exam.
lining at the time Of the explosion. When
the gas was ignited all the men in the
slope we're violently thrown to the ground
or against cars or ribs of the gangways.
The lights on their heads were extin
guished by the shock of the second ex.
plosion and all were seeking in the dark
ness place of safety The following Is
a list of the injured, who were all horri
bly, burned and breathed flames to such
an extent that their injuries are consider
ed fatal: Frank Spinette, Thomas McDer.
mott, Alexander Love, John Colby, John
Kirst, David Grimes, John Woods, Jo
scph Thomas, David Bryant, Frank Lam.
oreaux, Thomas Howard and Edward
, Jones. Thomas Collins, miner, and An
thony Spinette and John Levitskey, Pol.
ish laborers who were injured have since
died 1t Is feared this evening that nearly
all the others injured will die.