Huntsville gazette., 1890-06-21
A CARNIVAL Or DEATH. \

M1ne-Thirfy-One Lives Lost as the Re
suit of an Explosion of Fire Damp
Providential Escape of Twenty-Six 9th
ers = The Community in the Vicinity
Completely Unnerved by the Calamity.
DUNBAR, Pa, June 16.-Thirty-on
miners were killed to-day by an explo-
sion of gas in the coal mines at Hill
Farm, owned by the Dunbar Furnace
Company, and situated one mile west of
this place. The explosion occurred at
half-past ten o'clock in the morning.
The bodies of two of the unfortunates
were taken out. The others are still
entombed in the mine, where a fierce
fire is raging. There is no doubt that
all are dead. Desperate efforts are in
progress to clear the way to recover the
bodies, but SO far without avail. A
rescuing party of one hundred men,
headed by Mine Inspector Keigly, of
this district, spent the afternoon in the
pit, but up until late tonight had been
able to rescue but two bodies. These
had died from tho force of the explo-
sion and are badly burned Their feat
ures are distorted and disigured, and
they could only be recognized by their
clothes.
Fifty-seven miners were at work about
five thousand feet from the mouth of
the slope when the explosion occurred.
Near the point at which the heading
started, an air-hole had been drilled
recently. Gas and water had accumu-
lated in it. A miTer, named Patrick
Kerwin, pene trated this air-hole, six
inches in diameter with his pick,
whereupon a strong stream of water
gushed out. Kerwin, alarmed, sounded
the danger signal. His assistant,
Patrick Hayes, started hurriedly to the
main entrance, but had scarcely moved
when the foul gas was ignited from his
lamp The explosion that followed was
terrific. What little air there was In
the place drifted to the heading at the
right of tho main entrace. The lire
followed swiftly and before the thirty
one men could be alarmed all hope OF
escape was shut off by the flames. The
twenty-six men employed in the left
heading were notified of the danger In
time to save thoir lives, although their
escape was thrilling and was accom-
panied by the widest confusion. ..
Alta point near where the explosion
occurred the bodies of Daniel Sheiran,
fire boss, and David Hayes were found.
They had evidently attempted to es-
cape through the flames.
The following is a full list of the
missing miners:
Joseph Brigner, married.
Richard Brigner.
Milt Ferney, married.
Barney Moss.
Peter Eagan, forty -four years old.
Robert McGuill, single.
Martin Cavaner.
John Cope, married.
Andy Cope (his SOM.
Pat Devlin, married.
John Debanney, married.
John Debanney (his SOM.
John Joy, married.
David Davis, married.
Thomas Davis (his SOM.
Pat Cahill, married.
William Cahill, single.
Pat Courtney, married.
John Courtney (his SOM.
Jack Mitchell, married.
Dan South, married.
James Shearn, single.
Danny Shearn, single.
David Hayes.
VIM. Hayes (his SOM.
James McCleary, married.
Thomas McCleary, married.
E mer Dewey, single. .-
Joseph Bigley, aged thirty, wife and
two children.
Barney Maust
Emanuel Maust (brothers).
John Mitchell, married.
The explosion was one OF the most
disastrous and deadly in the history OF
the coke region. In the Leisenring dis
aster, in 1888 twenty-three men lost
their lives. At Colonel j. A. Reed 8
works at this place two years earlier,
| We men were killed while at the
| Youngstown works, year later, some
fourteen lives were lost.
This latest calamity has -unnerved the
community, and the inhabitants are
wild with excitement. Thousands of peo-
| pie gathered at the mOuthof the mines
| this afternoon. Among them were par
| ents, wives, children and sweethearts of
| unfortunates, and a strong guard OF po-
lice was necessary to prevent many OF
them, mad with anguish, from rushing
into the deadly hole. Wives, widowed
by the horror, stood, ill-clad and sore
footed, lulling to sleep the babes in
| their arms. Mothers cried and wrung
their hands for their boys, while chill
| dren from eight to ten years OF age hur-
ried about, looking into the blackened
| faces of escaped miners, in the hope oi
] finding their fathers or brothers. Their
| sufferings were pitiable, and while the
| authorities of the company were eX'
erting all their energies to recover the
bodies, the total absence of informa-
ton regarding the fate Of the missing
men made their distress more severe
and means and groans went up'uncon
seiously from many of pinched lips II
the unhappy crowd.
These works furnished coke for the
Dunbar Furnace Company, which own;
them. George Parish, of Wilkesbarre
is president of the company; Samuel
Dickson and j. G. Bullitt, of Philadel
| nb;a are among tho heaviest stock hOld