Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-06-17
SUFPOCATED
Terrible Fire Damp Explosion
at Dunbar, Pa.
OVER THIRTY MEN ENTol6BED.
Desperate Efforts in Progress to Recover
the Bodies.

The Mine on Fire and Consuming the
viOtims-Dwo Bodies Only Rescued.
Awful Scenes at the Mouth OF the FIam-
Ing Pit-Parsnts and Relatives Mad with
Anguish-Names OF the Victims.
DUNBAR, Pa, June 17.-Thirty-ons
miners were killed by an explosion Of
gas in the coal mines at Hill Farm,
owned by the Dunbar Furnace Company,
and located one mile west Of this
place.
The explosion occurred at 1890 q. m.
were taken out. The others are still
entombed in the mine, where a fierce
FIRE is raging.
Desperate efforts are in progress to
clear the way to recover the bodies, but
30 far without avail. A rescuinR party
of 100 men, headed by Mine Inspector
Keigley, of this district, spent some
time in the pit, but had been able to
rescue but two bodies.
The men, it was evident, had died
from injuries sustained from the force
badly burned. Their features are dis
torted and disAgured, and tho corpses
could only be recognized by tho
clothing.
F1fty-eeven miners were at work
about 5000 feet from the mouth Of the
slope when tho explosion occurred.
Near the point at which the heading
started an air hole had been drilled
recently in which gas and water had
accumulated.
A miner named Patrick Kerwin psne-
trated this airhole, six inches in dia-
meter, with his pick, whereupon a
strong stream of water gushed out.
Kerwin, alarmed, sounded the danger
signal. His assistant, Patrick Hayes,
started hurriedly for the main entrance,
and had scarcely moved, whom the foul
gas was ignitad from his lamp. The
explosion that followed was terrific.
What little air there was in the place
drifted to the heading situated to the
followed swiftly, and before the thirty
one men could DO alarmed all hope of
escape was shut off by the;dames.
The twenty-six men employed in the
left heading were notified Of the danger
in time to save their lives, although
their escape was thrilling and was
accompanied by the Widest confusion.
It was at point near where the explo-
sion occurred that the two bodies Of
Hayes were found. They had evidently
attempted to escape through the flames.
Mad With Anguish.
Thousands of people gathered at the
| mouth Of the mines hhis morning.
children and swesthsarts Of the unfor7
| tunates, and a strong guard of police
was necessary to prevent many OF them,
mad with anguish, from rushing into
the deadly hole. Wives, widowed by
| tho calamity, stood about lily clad and
sors-footed, lulling to sleep tnsir babes
In arms. Mothers wrung their hands
and cried aloud for their boys. while
children from 3 TO Is years of age hur-
Of the escaped minors In the hope of
finding their fathers or brothers.
Their suffering was pitiable. and
while the authorities of the company
we're exerting all their energies to re-
cover the bodies, tho total absence of
Information regarding tho fate Of the
| missing mon made their distress moro
unconsciously from many of the punched
lids in the unhappy crowd.
List of the Victims.
Following is full list of the missing
| miners;
| Brigner, Joseph, married.
Brigner, Richard.
Ferney, Milt. married.
| Moss, Barney.
Eagan. Peter, forty-four years old.
McGuill, Robert, single.
Cavaner, Martin.
Cope, John, married.
Cope, Andy, his son.
Devlin, Pat, married.
Debanney, John, married.
| Debanney, John, his son.
| Joy, John, married.
| Davis, David, married -,
Davis, Thomas, (son.) :,
| Cahtll, Pat, married.
| Cahill, William, single.
| Courtney, Pat, married.
| Courtney John, his son.
| South, Dan, married.
Shearn, James, single. d
| Shearn, Danny, single.
| Hays, David. -
Hays, William, his son. -,
MoCleary, James, married.