Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-09-02
A FIRE DAMP E8PLOsTON.
Five Wen Killed and Two Others
BADLY Injured.

oAN
SCRANTON, Aug. 30.--There was ter
rife explosion of fire damp in the Fair.
lawn mines at 8 O'Clock this morning, n
little while after Edward Pierce, the fire
boss, and several mon had gone down the
slope. 1t WINS at once reported that Is
men had perished in the mine, and a
crowd of 5000 persons, composed of
weeping women andgirlsof the neighbor-
hood, soon assembled around the mouth
Of the slope. Only seven of the men were
IN the min however. and only "a X
theln are nov alive. They had gone into
the mine to blow out the bottom rock
preparatory to putting props in the cham.
bers 80 as TO begin mining on Wednesday
A rescuing party immediately went ia
search Of the men. They had great diff
Guilty in getting to the bottom of tho
slope, 100 feet from the surface. on ac
| count of the escaping gus and the debris
Six of the men were lying behind the
door to chamber, three OF whom were
dead. They were Edward Vaughan, I5
years old, who leaves wife aud five
small children; Hugh Connors, As years
wife and five children, and MicLael Pryle,
10 years, married, but no children. Tho
lntter's skull was nearly blown oil. John
Kerrigan, 35 years and married, died
while no was being carried up the slope.
The body Of Edward Pierce, the ire
boss, was not found until this afternoon
Pierce was a single man nbout Is wears
old. The only survivors of the seven are
Patrick Conner and John Nafn. The
latter was badly burned on the face and
arms, but may recover. lie is Is and I'M
married. Conner received two seyerc
scalp wounds and wound on the knee
He WINS able to tell how the explosion oe.
CURED. Pierce was several feet ahead of
the party MS they were going up the slope
in the lower vein. His lamp lighted tho
fire damp, n tremendous explosion fol.
lowed, and the men were hurled with
great violence against the side of the
passageway.
Conner says that he and the others
waited for some time at the month of tl,e
mine for the fire boss. AT last lle came
from another vein. He said he Ind moi
been in the lower vein yet, but told them
to come on and he would soc if eycrythinp
was all right. They went 10 the foot of
the new road, when Pierce went ahead IN
where he had box with some LAMPS and
oil in 1t. He carried safety lalnp. and
they had naked lamps. they stood there
waiting for him, when suddenly there was
q Hash and the explosion followed quickly
Conner says he fell fiat on his face, Uo
felt that he was i'll too exposed position
and leaped to the side of the pillar
10 this action lie probably owes
his life. When the explosion
was over no called out to the men in totaI
darkness. Kerrigan, Naiin and Pryle
answered him, but no word came from
Gaughan or Connors Kerrigan wanted
him to try to go with him 70 the foot
and he rose on his feet to do so, but no
felt 80 sick that he could not 90. and bo
had TO lie down again. They waited
there in the blackness of night. nick.
wounded and helpless, with their dead
comrades lying near them. Al last thew
heard voices, and Oonnor called. Pres
emily the voices came nearer. Then they
saw lights approaching, and soon the
rescuing party were with them.
The position in which tho bodies were
tonnd bears ont his statement. lie couId
not tell whether Pierce ignited the gas or
whether il was ignited by their iights.
The explosion came like flash too
quickly for any one to tell anything about
il. %
Miners have long looked upon tho Fair
lawn mine as dangerous one on account
OF the rapidity with which gas accnmu.
mites there and the inadequacy of the
means to ventilato.