The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-06-18
RTY- TWO LIVES LOST,
rt-Rending Calamity in a Penn
sylvania Coal.
Mine.
-
lie DISPLAYS OF hEROIsM
the Miners in the Right Drift Cut
off and None
Saved.
Dreadful Confiagration Raging
in the Doomed
Mine.
DISPLAYS OF nERolsM

~EhuiVl AeoSlhS
in the Doomed
Mine.
brSBAR, Ia, June 18.-This morning
En:1O, a sullen, shivering roar shook
lonely miners dwelling on his farm
FFayette county near this place. Hun
Ids of afrighted persons who knew the
nd too we'll feared another mine disas-
and they reasoned far too we'll. In a
Omeut the fearful news had spread that
J Hill farm mines, owned by Philadel
lila parties, had exploded. A score Of
liners houses ear the fatal hill shook
4 a moment and then poured out their
Ienzied inmates by hundreds.
VOLUMES OF smoke.
A rush was made to the mouth of the
n. but ingress was, impossible IS smoke
dense volumes was coming forth. Fit.
miners had gone to work this
borping and we're in the slope when the
xplosion occurred. OF these so, eigh-
peu were IN the left heading. Those in
he left heading got out all right. All
70 others were cut of and not one escap-
HI. Their names are Joseph Bryner,
married.; Richard Brigner, Milt Farley,
parrled; Barney Maust, Emeul Maust,
Pat Courtney, aged 40 years. married;
leo Courtney. son aged II years; ] W
Mitchell, aged 40 years, married; Joseph
bigley, aged 80 years, wife and two chill
5ren; Peter Eagan, aged A years, mar
fed; Robert McGill, single; Martin Ca
kene, single; John Cope, married; An
brew Cope, single; Patrick Dew
Inc. married; John Delaney, mar
fed; John Joy, married; John Delaney,
David Davis, married; Thomas Davis,
son; Patrick Cahill, married; VIM. Ca
hil, Pat Courtney, married; John Court
pey. son; Jack Mitchell, married; Dan
Sbearn, single; ]. W. Hayes, aged TO-;
James McC1eary, married; Thos. Nc
ECleary, married; Elmer Denny, single.
HOW THE CALAMITY OCCURRED.
At Z this morning the gang turned in
lat the mines, the smaller gang drifting
loft to the left, while the large one-32 in
Enumber-drifted to the right and de-
(scended some 800 feet from the surface
land at least a mile from the opening.
These two drifts are connected, but con-
nection ia from the main stem half q mile
from the entrance. The mines 1t seems
had been somewhat troubled with water.
An air shaft had been drilled from the
surface to the juncture Of the right and
left shafts, where the water seemed most
abundant. As the miners branched of
from this point they knew that an airhole
had been drilled there that had not yet
been broken into the mine, but they did
not know that the shaft was to be broken
into today. A miner named Korwin had
been left IN the right drift near where
that branch joined the mlne's exit. In
/ the course Of his labors he broke into the
! perpendicular shaft. The moment this
was broken into a flood Of water gushed
out and Kerwin and a man named Landy
standing by yelled out for some mi to
save the men in the right drift, a the
water poured down hill in a stream and
he feared they would drown.
A BRAVE YOUNG MINER.
Young David Hays, who had seen the
affair, leaped forward at the call and
turned down the left drift IN a stream Of
water to warn his conrads. just as he
passed, the mir shaft that had been broken
in two, the rush of water had changed tt
an ugly roar which blanched the cheeks
Of the men who stood behind and towards
the light. The flow Of water had chang.
ed to q deadly volume Of flre.damp ane
as young Hayes swung by the shaft the
flash of the blazing light was still see1
through the shaft from end to end. II
seems that the daring youth carried ar
open, burning miners lamp In his ha
and he had hardly taken a step beyond
the roaring shaft, when the lamp ignitet
the fire.damp and he sank a corpse 10
ward the men he had hoped to save; VIII
were now certainly doomed. In an In
stance an vnquenchable fire sprang up II
the mine just between the main entranc
and on the right drift forever shutsnI
up the 80 men imprisoned.
RENDERED DESPERATE.
Poor old David Hayes, the father q
the mistaken hero, was driven mad b
the fate of his son and dashed into tn
sulphurous smoke and strangled with frs
damp, only to fall blindly by the side Q
his son and to be drawn out an hour LATE
with James shean. Both were recol
nized only by their wives. :.
The fire, famed by the air from tn
main drift and from the fatal shaft itsel
soon sprung into an awful ~confiagratio
and Pat Kelly, who was arlving = m y
explosion seemed nothing but a blindinI
strangling smoke and gas that followe
him like a flend to every door Of u
shaft and poured out after him, wavin
as it were, a black flag of woe y 81
tress to this hitherto prosperous mimi
town.