The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-16
Dls...r.as nias Explosion.

The ohlcers Of the Kettle Creek Coal Mining
company belonging to Wiliamsport, Pa,
ore IN receipt Of information that a terrible
explosion occurred ut their mines located: M
clinton county on the line Of the Philadelphia
Erie railroad. The superintendent, George
L. Miller, upon hearing a heavy report pfst
ceeded to the spot, when he ut once saw that
q. violent explosion had taken place.
Ihe necessary arrangements were quickly
made to. carry the mir to the fitce'
work, and men entered the mine to
occurred. An appalling state of affairs. .yas
found to exist inside Of the twenty -One men
who had been working in the drift only three
or four had escnped death or injury. At tho
md OF an hours hartl work fourteen dead
bodies were recovered from the drift. Two of,
those who were injured subsequently died
iound out In the woods, where they had been
blown by the force Of the explosion through
the air SHAFT. The totai humber of killed e,r
FATALLY injured was found to bescvcntecn., All
butfour Of them were Hungarians or ltaliaie.,:
The force Of the explosion was shown n
the mouth Of the drift. Everything possible
was done for the injured by the mine physi-
clans. The bodies of the dead were taken
charge Of by an undertaken and prepared for
interment.
:, Il y Thought thatin making a blast q,
''gas feeder was struck, filling the chamber
with gas which coming in contact with
naked lamp produced the explosion. A "gas
feeder" Is q pocket Of gus imbcdded in the
coal. AZ soon as n pick In struck into it The
gas escapes and II anything iSnitrs m explo--
sion follows. It is generally conceded TINT
there was g6oa Ventilation and the mines W ,rc
FULLY supplied with mir appliances. The s,l-,
Perintendcnt says the accident could not have
been foreecen, and that no blame attaches to
any one.
Many rumors are going the rounds, and
among them is one that the direct cnusr of
the explosion was the inexperienced Use Of
dynamitci in the mines. In conversation with
one Of the drivers who escaped il was Icarncd
that an Italian had gotten 100 sticks of
the deadly stuff from tho s,orrkccrcr
in the morning, and had also gotten
100 cnps and had returned after
u fuse, bnt ns there were none in stock it ,s
supposed that he Ind tried to set il off in
some other way, thus causing the explosion,
In n blacksmith shop near tile scene of the
disaster laid the rhnrrel and unrecognizable
remains of August Pierson. who was blown
out through the air shaft fifty feet in the mir,
and some of his clothes can bc sec,, hanging
to u limb OF tree near by. Next to him il
Mike Currens, who was blown 200 feet ont Of
the mouth OF the mine, and was found dead
in ditch still clinging to the handle of his
shovel.
John Farrell, n mule driver, tells this story:
was behind pushing the ear, and in sticking
up my head, saw Il flash. Immediately
dropped to the ground, moving quickly ns
escaped uninjured. My mule and Swede
miner along side the animal were killed in
stantly. felt but little Of the effects of the
explosion. and its force must have been nll
above me, although all the timbcrs at the
mouth Of the shaft were carried ont 200 feet
beyond the mouth of the drift.