Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-02-07
A GAsExpLosIoN KILLS SIX.


rOism.
WILKEsBARRR, February 2.-The Not
tingham Colliery, at Plymouth, was the
scene of fearful explosion of gas at Q
o'clock yesterday morning, by which six
men were almost instantly killed, and at
least one so badly injured that his death
is certain. The victims are:
THE KILLED.
John Humphreys, John Crossing, David
j. Williams, John Williams, Edward
Morris, Powell Schultz.
THE INJURED.
Joseph Jones, fatally hurt; Thomas
Duke, badly bruised; James Dunstau,
badly burned; Peter Lynn, bruised and
cut; John Thomas, cut and bruised
badly; David Fox, burned and bruised
John Dennis, cut and bruised.
Every one of the injured men are mar
ried, except John Thomas, who is young
man, Very few details as to the killed
could be learned,
THE DEAD BODIES NOT RECOVERED.
Saturday evening, up to 10 o'clock, the
bodies of but two of the dead had not
been recovered. There existed, however,
no hope that they could be found alive.
On Friday notices were posted at the
head of the shaft announcing that the
colliery would resume work on Saturday
and at the regular time in the morning
the men gathered around the mine. They
were greatly disgusted and enrage d, how
ever, when boss Berkheiser informed them
that the colliery would not resume, that
all he wanted was few men to get up
the coal that was already loaded in the
mine and two gangs of men for lumber
ing. The men were not backward in
expressing their disapproval and disgust,
but their remonstranoes only resulted in
eliciting curses and abuse from Berkheiser
$50 home, you starving curs," he
said, with an oath, {" go home and starve
there. There is no work here for you to-
day."
The timbermen were divided into two
gangs and sent one into the fifth and tn
other into the sixth lift of the West gang
way. They were in charge of fire-boss,
George Dunstan, who directed them
where to put the timbers and how to
stand them.
A few minutes before nine o'clock,
Dunstan, who had been with the gang of
men in the sixth lift, left them to go with
the fifth lift, to see how they were getting
along. He had been gone about ten or
fifteen minutes whe the explosion oc-
Cured.
The gas was first fired in the outlet
opening into the fifth lift, and, as the men
IN that lift had not yet seen Dunstau, it is
believed that it was he who fired the gas.
On his way from the lower to the upper
lit he must have passed through the out
let, and it is believed that as he was pass
ing through there he encountered stand
ing body Of gas which took fire from hi:
naked Fight.
The violence of the expulsion was ter
rife, the men on both lifts were dashed
about as though by cyclone. They
kne nothing from the moment the ex
pl9son took place, In the upper, or fittl
Eft they were also wrapped in flames anC
were horribly burned. In the lower lif
I, there was no fire, but the conclusion was
felt in its full force, blowing props ant
timbcrs, shattering cars that stood on TIN
track like match boxes aud dashing tn
men about as If they were straws. Tn
rush of air was so violent tina. on its wa
up the lower air shaft down on the 1ats
stopped the fan at the head Of the shat
and blew the engineer, A. II. kocher
through the door of the farmhouse.
FLocKING TO THE SCENE.
Like wild-fre the news spread tha
there had been a terrible explosion in til
old Nottingham, and that several me
had been killed and injured. As soon
this became known, the people of th
town and those residing on the hills hac
of the colliery, began to flock toward th
mine. BY noon fully three thousand pee
ple were gathered around the colliery an
excitement ran high, There were man
women in the throng and some OF ther
had friends and relatives among thos
who had gone down in the mine, an
their grief and agony was heartrendin
TO witness.
Mine Inspector G. NJ. Williams, of thi
city, arrived soon after the disaster too
place, and at once entered the mine an
took charge of all measure for relief.
Soon after the disaster the officers b.
gan asking for men to go down the min
and help clear up, and get out the kille
and wounded. In marked contrast to til
unusual action of them in such cases NJ
voluteer came forward. The men wei
deeply enraged at the action of the Boz
Berkhciser in the morning, and ais
seemed to feel that the whole disaster WI
attributable to bad management. The
would not stir; 'Berkheiser begged an