The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-06-20
THE NINE TERROR.
Exploding Gas Again Does Its
Work of Death.
FLAMES CUT OFF THIRTY ONE MEN

A Miner Lets the Pit Fiend Loose with
His Pick, and I'm an Instant the Vic
Tins are Face to Face with Eternity
Attempts at Rescue Only Result I'm
Recovering Two Cbarred NOTES.-The
Pit Mouth Surrounded by Bereaved
Women and Chiidren-The List of the
Entombed.
DUNBAR, Pa, June 17.--Thirty-one min
ers were killed yesterday by an explosion
owned by the Dunbar Furnace company,
and located one mile west Of this place.
The explosion occurred at 1890 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 little doubt
that all are dead. Desperate efforts are
in progress to clear the way to recover the
bodies, but so far without avail. A rescu-
ing party of 100 men, headed by Mine In
spector Keigley, of this district, spent the
afternoon in the pit, but up until late last
night had been able to recover only two
bodies. These had died from the force of
the explosion and are badly burned. Their
features are distorted and disfgured dnd
they could only be recognized by their
clothes
How the Calamity Occurred.
Fifty-seven miners were at work about
5000 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 accumulated in it. A miner,
named Patrick Kerwin, penetrated 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 for the main en-
trance, and had scarcely moved when the
foul gas was ignited from his lamp. The
explosion that followed was terrible.
Thrilling Escape of Twenty-Six.
What little air there was in the place
drifted to the heading to the right of the
main entrance. The fire 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 EN-.
ployed in the left heading were notified of
the danger in time to save their lives, al
though their escape was thrilling, and was
accompanied by the widest confusion. At
point near where the explosion occurred
the bodies of Daniel Siberian, fire boss, and
David Hayes were found. They had evil
IDENTIFY attempted to escape through the
flames.
Men Who Met Their Doom.
Following is full list of the missing
miners: Joseph Brigner, Richard Brig
ner, Milt Ferney, Barney Moss, Peter
Eagan, Robert McGuill, Martin Cavaner,
John Cope, and Andy Cope his
sony, Pat Devlin, John Debanney, John
Joy, John Debanney, Jr., David Davis and
Thomas Davis (his sony, Pat Cahill, Will
lam Cahill, Pat Courtney and John Court
ney (his SOM, Jack Mitchell, Dan South,
James Shearn, Danny Shearn, David
Hayes and William Hayes (his SOM,
James McCleary, Thomas McCleary, Ell
mer Dewey, Joseph Bigley, Barney and
Emanuel Maust (brothers), and John
Mitchell.
Giuen UP All Hope.
At midnight last night the smoke and
gas from the right shaft poured up the
main exit, and after trials almost beyond
human endurance the rescuing party
gave up all hopes of ever recovering their
comrades, bodies from that entrance and
turned their attention to the Ferguson
mine, one and a half miles away. They
are now striving to penetrate from that
mine, but the flame and smoke balk every
effort. The universal and unwilling YER
dict from the old miners about the shaft
is that the entombed men have either been
killed outright by the explosion, or later
by suffocation.
The Men Probably Suffocated.
The latter seems to be the more proba-
BILE, at least, in part, as soundings were
heard from the entombed men as late as
! o'clock yesterday afternoon. These grew
weaker and weaker, however, and half an
hour later even the most hopeful of the
willing rescuers could hear nothing.
Relief for the Sufferers.
The officers Of the furnace company
have been notified of the disaster and the
authorities here haue been instructed to
do everything in their power to relieve
the distress of those who have suffered by
the calamity. The Scottdale Rolling
Mill Company has sent force of men to
aid the rescuers and today they closed
down their works and sent all their en-
ployes. The loss by the explosion cannot
now be ascertained. 1t will be heavy,
however, and the owners are fearful that
tho works will have IN he Abandoned