The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-28
DEATH IN A SHAFT.
Fatal Firedamp Explosion In a
Kansas COlliery.
Many Entombed Miners Meet a
Dreadful Fate.

A terrific mine explosion, that broke win
dows in the little village Of Pittsburg, kan.'
and spread CONSERVATION among Its lnhaolt
ants, occurred at dusk. For a few mo-
ments the startled people scarcely dared to
stir out Of their buildings, the violence OF the
shock having been 50 great as to hurl dishes
from their shelves and demolish chimneys.,
The explosion occurred on the east side, and
is attributed to the ineXperience OF some OF
the new men. Before the men outside could
recover their senses, one OF the miners ap-
peared at the air shaft, nearly sufocated. He
was helped out and followed by others untll a
large number had escaped; how many IS not
known. There was plenty OF help at hand ana
those at the top devoted their attention TO
rescuinp their entombed companions. The
fan house, only slightly damaged, was first
repaired, canvas being tackled over the
holes that had to be closed. About II
o'clock the fan house was ready and fresh
air was pumped into the mine driving oack
the poisonous gas. The company had more
orders than they could fill, and IN their
running an unusually large force OF
miners. On the fatal morning 164 men
were lowered into the mine. At noon the
shots were fred all right, and later
the miners descended for afternoon duty. AT
$50 they were ready to fire their shots again.
The first shot had been fired, but bsfore
man could be hoisted terrible rumoilng
noise was heard above. and black cloud OF
dirt slate and dust shot into the air from The
mouth OF the shaft, tearing away, the TRACKS
upon which the cages are holsted ana nlllng
the shaft with flying debris.
Attention was then turned to repairing tne
cribbing so that the cages could be lowered;
Men lowered into the shaft, by rope and
bucket, could accomplish nothing. At A: M.
the cage was ready to descend, and tho first
rescuing party were lowered into the shaft.
Owing to the bad air they could not remain
long. On the first return Of the cage it con-
tanned number of unin iured but badly de-
moralized men. The bottom OF the SHAFT was
badly damaged and it was difficult to get at
the dead. As found they were piled together at
the bottom, while the living and badly
wounded were hoisted to the top. At A.
H. five had been rescued aud at p. n. four
more were brought out alive. At this time
they struck an entry containing twelve more
dead, and at 3 P. NJ. twenty five dead and
nine wounded had been found, with many
still missing who were supposed to be dead:
A large number Of the killed are French and
Italian miners
A temporary hospital was prepared IN
blacksmith shop near by, where the most @
heartrending scenes were witnessed as the
mangled and badly burned men were carried
in. Late that afternoon ninety bodies had
been recovered from the mines, and it was
believed there were still forty-s!x entombed.
There is scarcely cottage in that town or
in Frontenac that is not in mourning.
Nearly every family in the two mining vii
lapes has lost a relative. The stores were
closed, and the blinds of the cottages are
tightly drawn. The only place Of business
open was the little undertakers shop, which
has been ceare OF its stock OF coff1ns.
Streamers of Grape tutter from the doors of
cottages at every STEP and the village oell
was to.led without intermission from sunrise.
For hours after the explosion the scene at
the pit was distressing Poorly clad women,
with babies clasped to their breasts, came
through the darkness in the light cast by the
bontires. One poor woman, whose hus-
band and two sons were in the pitt lald her
three Youngest children beside blazing fire
and then fell in Mysteries among them: She
Law unnoticed in this position until next
morning, when she was removed to her
home.
The bodies of the victims that have been
brought to the surface are all shockingy
mutilated. Some are so disfigured as to be
unrecogniZable. There was nothing left of
one man but bleeding trunk, the head and
Che arms and the legs having been blown off,
Many of the searchers tainted at their work.
Some of the victims were found buried be-
meath immense weights Of slate, while Others
were discovered in groups and in all kinds of
positions. Two men who have not yet been
identified were so tightly locked in each
others arms that it was with great difficulty
they were torn apart.
Only four mon escaped from the mine
alive and uniniured. The latest estimate Of
the number Of miners in the pit at the time
OF the explosion is 16j The explosion is now
said 70 have been caused by FIRE damp:
The principal difficulty in ascertaining the
names of the victims of the horror lies in the
fact that there was larger number of new
men who we're not known to the Pittsburg
people, and many may never te identified