Evening journal., 1890-05-17
TWENTY-SIX LIVES LOST
Horrible Fate of the Miners at
Ashley.
FIRE BOSS ALLEN RESPONSIBLE

His Naked Lamp Caused the Explosion.
The Daring Deed of Inspector Williams.
scenes In Che Chamber of Death--BIack- |
sned and sfangled Bodies Recovered.
W1LKRsBARRE, Pa, May 17.-It Is now
known that twenty-six miners perished In
the disaster at Ashley. 1t was through the
daring efforts Of Mine Inspector Williams
that the terrible fate of the imprisoned
miners was learned. After numerous at
tempts to enter the mine through the newly
made opening the officials concluded that
che air currents must be changed and left
| with their workmen for this purpose.
Being matter requiring considerable
time, Inspector Williams became impa-
tient Of delay and with A. Bednigo Rees,
Of Nanticoke, made another attempt to
penetrate the workings Gas abounded de-
| spite the strong air current drawing
| through the gangway and their safety
lamps glared and hickered In manner
telling of fearful danger They persisted
| in their attempts, however, and followed
the gangway 800 feet. Waiting but a mo
ment for the air to clear they advanced
down steep incline of 90 degrees 800 feet
| further, when gas became so peatiful that
they again paused. Finally, advancing 800
feet through the main gangway, they came
to large chamber which proved a veritable
chamber Of horrors.
In the Chamber of Death.
BY the faint glow Of their safety lamps
the two men discovered on every side Of
them oorpses, blackened, burned and.
mangled. The mine inspector, STOPPING
with his lamp, examined and counted the
bodies-nineteen In all Here lay a man
with his head missing: there boy stripped
Of every shred Of clothing and covered with
wounds; another lay nearby with one arm
and foot blown of Dead bodies Of mules
lay crushed to jelly by mine cars, which
were scattered about in spill nters. Pausing
but long enough TO, ascertain the number
Of dead, the two men hurried back TO the
open air and summoned help. Stretchers
: and sheets were brought, ropes provided
and rude sled built to draw the corpses
up the steep incline.
, Removing the Dead.
Q Soon II o work of removing the dead
7 bodies wls under way and terrible scenes
4 were witnessed as they came TO the surface.
!. A strong guard Of men held back the
: women who pressed forward madly to
enter the mine. In short time four men
appeared bearing body on stretcher
The women tore away the blanket but saw
only blackened and charred remains
Other bodies were brought out as fast al
possible and at noon all but five of thosi
who were In the mine when the caye-ii
occurred had been found The excitemen
was intense and the streets in the vicinit
of the mine were completely blocked wit
people, many of whom came from okhe
towns.
re UnequaIed Scenes of Pathos.
The scenes Of the entire morning IN th
m town have never been equaled in the pitt
ful spectacles presented since the grea
Q Avondale disaster many years ago, whei
Du over 100 miners were burned TO death 4
guard OF special policemen is found neces
: sary to keep the pressing crowd away fror
the morgue. At / o'clock two more bodie
had been brought out of the mine and tn
search for the others was still progressing
Refused to Care for Their Comrade.
o. The first body was that of Hungarian
. who was taken directly 20 his boardin
house. His fellow countrymen refused
receive the body, but It was taken in an
u deposited In spite Of their protests. AT
oclosk last evening he still lay there vi
cared for, an unsightly object. AS soon {
~ the company learned that the bodies wei
" being removed orders we're given that a
the dead should be taken to an undertal
ing establishment and made "a presentab
as possible. They were then later In u
afternoon removed to their homes, and u
company will see 70 their proper buris
All the morning tho dead wagons pli'
back and forth between the mine openiI
and the undertaker's morgue. No pen q
describe the blood curdling scenes at 9
mines. the morgue and at the undertaken
establishments. The dead are being pl
pared for burial as fast as they can
handled on such an occasion. Many OF .
bodies have no heads, others are entire
nude, and most Of them are mangled al
dis1gured.
Those in charge Of removing bodies fro
the mines have found considerable al
Guilty In Identifying many Of the victim
Every working Is fllled with explosive gas
and fire damp,
Fired by Aliens Lamp.
The three men who were rescued sept
ated from the others and advised them
follow. but they refused. They then walk
along the gangway on their way out Of I
= abandoned opening through which the r
y cufng party entered. When about $50 Il
from the surface Aliens naked lamp
fire to the gas and the explosion occurri
In the meantime the others who refused
follow were waiting distance of 800 Il
4 still further in the mine for the rescui
llL party to enter by the slope and rescue tn,
by digging away the debris of the fall
1t Is presumed that they were overcoi
by the after damp Of the explosion a
rendered unconscious They did not KIN
Of the opening for which the three m
wers making and consequently waited
vain for the rescuers from the other siI
The number Of men still in the mine is
n yet uncertain, as Thursday was hold
y, and most of the miners were idle, no recC
being kept Of those who were at work. I
,it its families Of the dead miners are in extrei
are want, some of them being without a da
} Of food in the house, and now that the he
Of the house is gone they are without cred
, The company will, however, look after tn
y wants.
pie The Cause of the Cave-in.
cam The cause Of the cavern is believed to
-eep the excessive amount of coal removed, I
ny eftfipipnf bpinU loft IN earry the sinner