The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-11-15
A Mine Disaster.

KANSAS Cry, Nov. ga special from
Pittsburg, Kansas, says:
The most dreadful disaster in The history
of Kansas occurred at 5 o'clock this even.
ing, when the men were preparing to
leave off their work at Coal shaft, No. 2,
at Frontenac, suburb of Pittsburg. A
terrible explosion was heard that shook
the earth for a great distance and com
pletely shattered the shaft. Upon inves.
tigation it was found that 100 men we're
within the mine at the time Of the
explosion. Being l12 feet below the
surface, it is almost certain that all are
dead at this writing. The only excep-
tions were two men who were in the car
coming up, and being near the top of the
shaft, managed to escape.
Pittsburg is in the middle of the coal
mines of southeastern Kansas, and is
about one hundred miles south of Kansas
City, on the Fort Scott and Gulf road.
ST. LOUIS, November 11.-Dispatches
from Pittsburg, give the following as
some of the incidents of the mine horror
at that place:
-Four hours after the explosion snufFed
out the lives Of nearly one hundred men
the scene at the pit was distressing.
Poorly clad women, with babies clasped
to their breasts, came through the dark.
ness by the light cast from bonfres, like
,haggard, uncanny beings from another
world. Some shrieked above the storm
and muttered as they fell helpless on the
shoulders of strong neighbors. Still
others were mad in their despair and tore
their hair and garments, aud would have
dashed into the tomb headlong but for
the strength exerted by miners from
other shafts
One poor woman, whose husband and
two sons we're in the pit, laid her three
youngest children beside blazing fire
and then-fell in Mysteries among them.
She lay unnoticed in this position until
morning, when she was removed to her
home raving maniac.
At one time the crush of women and
children at the shaft was so great that it
was feared violence would be necessary
in order to clear a way for the rescuers.
The poor creatures fought each other in
their despair and in some instances in.
ficted eevere punishment. As night
wore on the work ,ofrecoveripg the bodies
continued until the floor Of the engine
house was strewn with mangled men.
Then the bodies were placed in lows upon
the ground, where the rain and snow beat
upon them. Most Of the victims were
shockiDgly mutilated. Some were so dis
figured as to be unacceptable. All
were covered with blood and dust and
many were almost stripped of their
clothes
There was nothing left of the first man
brought up from the dreadful hole but the
bleeding, pulpy trunk. His head and
arms and legs had been blown off. Many
of the searcbers tainted at their work.
Others, stimulated by brandy and the
.entreaties Of the women, continued at
their bloody task. all through the night.
Some Of the victims were not dis6gured.
Those in the chamber were least affected
by the shock, and died of sufocation. As
fast as the bodies we're brought to the
surface, there was rush made to identify
them, dozen women, in many cases, being
engaged at one time in scanning the
bloody face of some unfortunate There
are still about fifty bodies in the lower
levels. Some of the victims we're found
buried beneath immense weights of slate,
while Others were discovered in groups
aud in all kinds of positions. Two men,
who have not been identified, were so
tightly locked in each others arms that
II mo, ,p;tb oraot ri iff1nu1iv fhov uaro torn
apart. Their eyes had been blown out
by the explosion, and their faces so horri.
bly, crushed that the bones were ground
into the flesh.
= Henry Menix, who lives in the Jack
sonville district, Telfair County, Ga, is
90 years old, has never taken dose Of
medicine and not missed eating meal
on account OF sickness in sixty years.
He can do goodg work in the field
yet, and says be never stops work on &C
count of hot weather, but does not like to
get vet