Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-11-24

Explosion 90 a Coal Mae Results iR Great
Loss of life,


shaft of the Pittsburg & Cherokee mine,
near that place last week. The com
pany had more orders than they could
fill and in the attempts to keep up had
been running an unusually large force
of miners. Yesterday morning 164 men
were lowered into the mine. At $50 p.
m. terrible rumbling noise was heard
above and black cloud of dirt, slate
and dust shot up into the air from the
mouth of the shaft, tearing away the
tracks upon which the cages were hoist
ed, and filling the shaft with debris.
The explosion occurred on the east side,
and is attributed to the inexperiencs OF
some Of the new men. Before men out.
side could recover their senses one Of
the miners appeared at the air shaft
nearly sufocated. He was followed by
large number of others who escaped,
the number is not known. About ~
O'Clock the fan house was repaired and
fresh air WAS pumped into the mine,
driving back the poisonous gases and
avsrting suffocation. Attention was then
turned to raising the cribbing so that
the cages could be lowered.
At 2 g. m. the cage was ready to de
Scend and the first part was lowered into
the shaft. Owing to bad air there they
could not stay very long. On the first
return of the cage it contained a num-
Der of uniniured. but badly dsmoralized
men. The bottom of the shaft was bad
" damaged, and it Was difficult to get at
the dead. They were piled together at
the bottom. While the living and badly
wounded were hoisted to the top, and at
p. m. nine had been rescued. About
this time the party struck an entry con-
tanning twelve more dead. BY o'clock
this afternoon twenty-five dead and nine
wounded had been found, with twenty
i've missing, who are supposed to he
dead. A large number of the killed are
French and Italian miners. Impromptu
hospitals were prepared in the black
smith shop near by, where the most
heartrending scenes were witnessed as
themanSled and badly burned men were
carried in. Two men died while being
carried into the hospital. The casual
ties are now placed at tifty-two dead and
eight injured.
A special from Cherokee, Kas., to the
POst-Dispatch says ninety bodies have
been recovered from the mine, and it is
believed there are still forty six below
the surface.
Another dispatch says: The develop
ments of yesterday have only added to
the horrors in No. shaft of the Chero-
kee 4 Pittsburg Coal company. The
citizens of Girard and Pittsburg re-
sponded nobly to the call for assistance,
and every citizen in the latter city Of
Tered his services for the unfortunate
xyiaEiry,g Nf 81, ISgnrk,r IL. L.
and dreary night thousands of men, wo-
men and children thronged about the
main shaft waiting anxiously for some
titlinGs OF the condition of the men
beneath the clouds of sulphurous smoke
and suffering death. Now and then
some poor woman learned that her hus-
band was among the victims, and would
break the stiffness of the night by n
heartrending vail of sorrow that melted
the strongest hearts with pity. The
rescuing party did noble work during
the night, and when morning came many
willing hands came to their relief
Throughout the entire day the great
cage, which had been repaired, made
regular trips, bringing to the top of the
shaft the mangled and torn bodies of the
unfortunate miners. Up to late hour
last evening thirty -four dead bodies had
been recovered, most of them so badly
bruised and burned as to be unrecog-
nizable by either friends or relatives.
Robert Prichard, Scotchman, and
Frank Meershlinger, a German, were
found near the main shaft at an early
honr this morning in dying condition
and brought to the top Both died be-
fore 4 o'clock. a temporary hospital
has been provided, and neighboring
barn aud blacksmith shop served rs a
morgue. There the bodies of the dead
were placed before the inspection Of
friends.
For hours after the explosion Ind
snuifed ont the lives Of nearly hundred
men, the scene Mt the pit was distress
ing. Poorly clad women with babies
the darkness by the light cast by the
bonfres, like haggard, uncanny beings
from another world. Some shrieked
above the storm and muttered as they
fell helpless on the shoulders of stronger
neighbors. Others were mad in their
despair, and tore their hair and gar
inents and would have dashed headlong
into the tomb but for the strength ex-
hiblted by the miners from other shafts
One poor woman whose husband and
two sons were in the pit, lay her three
youngest children beside the blazing fire
and then fell in Mysteries among them.
She lay unnoticed in this position till
morning when she was removed to
her home raving maniac. At one time
the crush Of women and children was so
great that it was feared that violence
would be necessary in order to clear
way for the rescuers. The poor creatures
fought each other in their despair and
in some instances inflicted severe pun
ishment. AS night wore on the work OF
recovering the bodies continued until
the floor of the engine house was strewn
with mangled men. Their bodies were
placed in rows upon the ground where
the rain and snow beat upon them. Most
of the victims were shockingly mutt
lated, some being so horribly disfgured
as to be unacceptable. All were Gov
cred with blood and dust and many
were almost stripped Of their cloth
ing. There was nothing left of the
first man brought up from the dread
full hole but bleeding trunk. for his
extremities had been blown off Many
OF the searchers tainted. AS fast rs the
bodies were broupht IN tho st1rfoca thara