Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-11-14

A Pittsburg, Kas., dispatch of the 9th
says: The most dreadful disaster in
the history of Kansas occurred at 5
o'clock this evening. When the men
were preparing to leave off their work
at shaft No. 2, at Frontenac, suburb of
Pittsburg, a terrible explosion was
heard that shook the earth for great.
distance and completely shattered the
shaft Upon investigation it was
found that $50 men were within the
mine at the time of the explosion. Be-
Ing liz feet below the surface, it is al
most certain that ali are dead at this
writing, The only exceptions were two
men who were IN car coming up and,
being near the top of the shaft, man
aged to escape. Pittsburg is in the
center Of the coal mines of Southeastern
Kansas and is about 100 miles south of
Kansas City on the Fort Scott & Gulf
road.
The explosion broke windows in this
village, and spread CONSERVATION among
its inhapitants. The violence of the
shock was SO great as to hurl dishes
from shelves and demolish chimneys.
Half an hour after the explosion the
villagers who were preparing to 90 to
the mines were startled by a ragged,
bleeding man, who almost staggered
Into the arms of searchers. He said
that shaft No. at Fontenac had been
destroyed by an explosion and that all
OF the men In the mine at the time ex-
cept himself and Dane, whom he left
bleeding at the mouth Of the pit, were
undoubtedly dead. Horses were quick
ly harnessed to wagons, and in a few
minutes the villagers were hurrving
through fierce snow and sleet storm
which Was raging.
At the mouth of the mine the tremen-
dous force Of the explosion was appar-
ent. There were huge seams In the
earth and the timbers ofthe hosting ap.
paratus were shivered and burned. Foul
gases were escaping. The Dane, who
had escaped with the man who had
alarmed the villagers, lay in the mud
with his face covered with blood. For
long time it was thought he was dead,
but he rega1ned consciousness in few
hours and is now at his home He can
not speak and does not know what
caused the explosion. His clothes were
in ribbons.
The man who reached this village
with the first tidings OF the disaster. and
who accompanied the rescuers back to
the mine, said the men were about to
quit work for the day when the ex-
plosion occurred. Together with the
Dane, he had ridden in the car to the
top OF the shalt when the earth seemed
to snap beneath him, and the next
thing he realized was the splashing OF
the snow and water upon his face as he
lay with his comrade in the wreckage
from the mine. There were $50 men In
the mine at the time of the explosion.
and as they were at work 112 feet below
the surface it is believed that not one
survived the shock, as the explosion
must have destroyed everything in the
pit.
Big fires were built near the mouth OF
the pit and beside these blazing piles
the wives of the entombed miners
placed their children, while they them
selves tried by all kinds of entreaties to
induce the miners from the other shafts
to enter the pit and rescu their rela-
tlves. One rescuing party stated down
the shaft at o'clock, but was forced to
turn back, owing to the foul air. An
other attempt was made at 8 O'Clock,
but the plucky rescuers again were
forced to abandon their work. They
could hear no sound from the chambers
below and this leads old miners to be-
lieve that all of the men in the shaft
have persisted. Other attempts viii be
made to reach the entombed men be-
fore morning. Those who started down
the shaft early in the evening say that
the shock has DESTROYED whole drifts,
and that it is probable that the men in
the lower Levels are buried beneath
tons of slate. Black damp is supposed
to have caused the explosion. Most of
the miners at these shafts came origi-
nally from Illinois and Pennsylvania.