The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-11-15

LOOK place WnlCQ knocked all OF the miners
on their faces, hurled masses of coal upon
them and shook every part Of the mine.
One hundred and sixty-four men
were in the mine, and of that num-
Der about half were uninjured and found
their way to the air shaft and escaped.
The explosion was heard in every part Of
Frontenac and Pittsburg, and in incredi-
bly, short time the road leading to the mine
was thronRed with wives, mothers and
daughters Of the miners with locks of ter
ror depicted upon their faces fastening to
the scene.
Hundreds Of citizens and miners Joined
the throng Of anxious relatives about the
shaft, and as q fortunate miner emerged
from the air shaft in safety he was seized
by the wife, mother or daughter
and carried of home. On account of
the air fan being damaged and the
shaft blockaded by the debris the work
Of rescuing could not be begun un-
til after midnight when a rescuing party
descended the shaft and began searching
for the living. The most horrible sight
met their gaze. The dead lay in piles in
every entry on the north and west sides,
while the passageways were strewn
with dead men, mules and wrecked
carts The air was bad, aud num-
Frustrated and had to be carried out, but
their places were supplied with ready vol
unteers. In some entries every man was
dead and mangled and burned in the most
horrible manner Here and there in pro-
tected spots man was found yet alive,
and he was quickly carried to the surface,
where large force of physicians had been
organized to receive him.
Only fourteen Of such were fou nd, but
the last one was not rescued until after
daylight yesterday morning. They were
all terribly burned and the greater part of
them will yet die. Arrangements were
then made to bring up the dead, and at
noon that work was begun and carried on
rapidly. Thirty-six bodies were found in
three entries on the north and west sides,
where the work had to be stopped
until other parts of the mine could be Sc
cured so that it could be explored and the
dead recovered. 1t will require three days
to get all the bodies, and, as many are
burned and mangled beyond recognition,
the names of all the dead will never be
learned. The portions not explored con-
tain large number of bodies, which will
swell the number lost to nearly eighty
Various causes are assigned for the &C.
cident, but the best informed of the
miners agree that it was the result of an
overcharge OF powder imperfectly put in
by an unskilled miner in the third entry on
the north side, where French and Italians
were employed. In that part of
the mine the damage of the explosion was
greatest and not a single person in the en-
tries near escaped death and their bodies
were horribly manglcd. The desolation in
Frontenac is complete and general. One
half Of the homes in that little village have
lost their bread winner, and the piteous
cries of the stricken ones are sad Incl
dent of the calamity. Many of the families
are destitute, and a subscription for their
benefit was started, and $400 subscribed in
few moments by employees in shafts Nos.
and 8.
One of the men who escaped said that he
ran through the main way to the air shaft.
The miners had gathered in lunches, and
all were engaged in prayer, not even try
ing to escape. Shaft No. 2 was opened
about two years ago, and is 100 feet in
depth and employed full force of about
200 miners, and is the largest of the three
owned by the company at Frontenac
The miners censured the company for
employing incompetent miners, which
they say made the operation of the mine
so dangerous that many Of the best min
ers had quit it and gone to other mines at
Wear City and Esenhere. About a week
ago defective blast was fired, and it was
only an accident that an explosion did lot
occur then. A number of the miners pro-
tested, and several refused to go into the
mines again.