The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-09-04
DEATH IN The PIT.

fatal Explosion of Flre-Damp In Penn
syIvania CoIIirry-Five Men Killed and
Two OtherS ,eriously Injured-The Re-
mains of the Victims Recoverable Sur
vlvors Story of the Catastrophe.
SCRANTON, Pa, Aug. 3l.-A terrible
explosion occurred in the Fair Lawn COL
lery yesterday morning which resulted
n the death of five men. Two others
we're seriously injured. John II. Hosie
md J. Gallagher were standing at the
head of the slope at the time of the ac-
.ident, and felt the force OF the explosion
is the rush of air came out OF the mouth
VI the mine; they started to 90 in and
lscertain the extent OF the damage. The
August quota of coal had been mined last
week, and no men were employed in the
mines. Word came, however, that a
party of five or six men had gone into
The mines to clear up their chambers.
Mine Inspector Blewitt happened to come
along about this time, and he and Gal
agher, with a party, entered the mines,
going down to the third or lower vein and
Then followed the air course, stopping to
repair damages to the brattice, etc, as
they went along. Their progress was
necessarily slow, and the course they
followed took them to the right-hand side
Of the mines. They came at last to a
point where they found repairs neces-
sary, and returned to the foot OF the
mines for more material, when they
learned that grOans had been heard in the
east gangway. They worked over that
way, and found the party who had gone
In the mines before the accident near or
about the entrance of one of the cham
bers, a short distance from the foot OF
the inside plane, about one hundred and
fifty feet from where the heading branches
off. Three of them were alive and three
dead
THE KILLED WERE:
Hugh Corners, of Bellevue.
Edward Caughan.
Michael Prye.
The first man brought to the surface
vas John Naln, who is badly burned
abou. the face and arms.
John Kerrigan was alive when found,
and talked the strongest of all, but he
died before being brought to the surface.
The next was John Conner. He has
two large scalp wounds, bad cut on the
knee and another on the arm, His face
and hands are badly bruised. He was
| taken to the hospital.
The body of Edward Pierce, the fire
boss, was found about one hundred and
fifty feet from the others.
Patrick Connor saws that he and the
others waited for some time at the mouth
| of the mine for the fire boss. At last he
came from another vein. He said he haC
not been in the lower vein yet, but TOLD
| them to come on and he would see i
everything was all right. They went tC
the foot of the new road, when Pierce
went ahead to where he had box will
some lamps and oil in it. He carried {
safety-lamp and they had naked lamps
They stood there waiting for him, whel
suddenly there was a flash and the eXplo
sion followed quickly. He fell fiat on his
lace. He felt that he was in too exposed
position, and leaped to the side of TIT
pillar. To this action he probably owe,
his life. When the explosion was owe
he called out to the men in total dark
ness. Kerrigan, Naln and Pyre answer
ed him, hut no words came from eau
CHAN and Connors. Kerrigan wanted t
try to go with him to the foot and he ros
on his feet to do so, but he felt so sic
that he could not 90, and had to Ii
down again. They waited there in tn
blackness of night, sick, wounded an
helpless, with their dead comrades ly
ing near them. At last they hear
voices, and Conner called. Present.
the voices came nearer, then they say
lights approaching and soon the rescuin
party were with them. The position /
which the bodies were found bears on
this statement He c0uldnot tell whethe
Pearce ignited the gas or whether it wa
ignited by their lamps. The eXplosio
came like fash, too quickly for anyon
to tell anything about it. They had n
reason to expect to expect to find any Ga
there. How the fire originated is
mystery.