New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-17
ALL DEAD IN A NINE.
,wF11, FATE OF THE ENTOMBED MlNLHS
AT ASHLEY, Penn.
,,v PERISH IN An EXPLOSION OF GAS CAUSED
MINE Boss's FATAL RECKLESS
SEss-THEIR BODIES BROUGHT
TO THE SURFACE.
,,x 1yI,snAru TO THE TRIBUNE

TO THE SURFACE.
,py TELEGRAPH TO THE TKIBUNE1
vvrrosharre. Penn. May 16.-Thc men IN the ASH
.r mine are all dead. and also one ol inc .'oo "i'
= as broucbt ont last evening. The pooles OF
w" -, =. ,orssbed have been recovered John Alen
,istaDt mine foreman who was one OF the
- hrourht ont alive last evening dc' at D
,.,ocr This morning. The other t"o Ihcll' Nn''"'"
-; o,d Robert Roberts are doing well ana VIII proo-
a,I live Survivors of more than thrty men ana Ooys
MY Nv ,,to of the Others was determined about
o'clock this morning. After sV,' o"o'U,' ~ P'"..
- their lives would pay the penalty for the
-. accidcnt or want Of caution, the exploring
-. q, 8 o,clock this morning reached the gahgWay
nron which the were expected to be found AS
,tcv advanced along II they became convinced that
az the entombed men had remained in the gang
r,v only their mangled bodies would be found
. v,olent explosion of gas had taken place. Every
,hirc was wreck and confusion. The rails were
49,, mn tmbers charred and blown down and
masses of rock blown from the top and sides. The
.ynIorjnc party groped their way on by the feeble
urbt of safety lamps their progress constantly de-
layed by gas and afterdamp. shortly after O'Clock
t three lead Of the exploring party, Mine Inspector
Williams AbednecO Reese, superintendent OF tho
Nanticoke and J. t. Richards assistant inside super
intendent came upon three bodies lying in a heap
and half buried beneath mass Of rubbish. They
were mangled the flesh burned black AID totally I'M
recognizable. This sight but the precursor
nj one more horrible, for within 1OO feet
Of the gangway found the bodies of sixteen moro
Of the entombed men lying Just where they had been
blown by the force of the explosion. Their death
uu,t have been instantaneous. When the shock
came they were at the same moment harlef uncon-
scious like sr,ws. against the sides and wrapped In
the intense heat of the burning gas Not one but
was torn and mangled. bcsoe> being bun.d and
scorchcd some hal every particle of clothing blown
or burned from them. Others stil had their clothes
Or but limbs were missing their bodies mangcd
and crushed ty roci and bc,ri~. body found
without a head, and the most dicent search failed TO
reveal ii.
Aang If ;hc hundred men upon whom was placed tho
day Of cNticatng th,s Manrlcd bodies and bringing
ten 10 the surface >Ckencd and gave up their places
10 Others hard ned to such sights.
From carly dawn great crowd had assembled
a.oIuG the opening in the hillside. hoping soon to
! .r good moss, from their imprisoned friends or
rhtye,. but uAcn word was sent ont that the men
hi ali been found dead il sent chill through
e. ry heart For the first time since the moment the
>..cr became known tie grief and agony that filed
rany br.4,. broke out and The So-s and Wallng OF
b.o.e,hca..cd women were heard on all sides Win
prompt cn.r-y tn, olIc.as % the company completed
te aria.. .caIs,.> iJr the bringing up and disposal
0. ,h. bod AH.GlaHccs and stretcher' were pro
c-.d from C n.i- orng colliercs and large numbers
o. bl rlcjs To coyc, tie di Ir.roi bodies hu"o-t
I'd
TIE n,le and about 80 . lis, body Wa, brought go
.. surface 40 attempt was made idenuiy Il.
Iour i.ea took the stretcher and the dense crowd
ourd the entrance parted To allow the burden 70 pass
trr1ush. /; placed in one of the waiting am
bilsnc.s and CARED 20 J. b. Grahams undertaking
e~,n shmcnt. hll The morning every fifteen or twenty
ni1u.cs. wes this sad repeated the bodies
brought W ard sent away. Il is believed thcro
a. still two or tlIco men IN the mine. They must
haze been caught by the fali Of rock in the p"er
vo..ines and buried under hundreds of tons Of
coal ard rock.
~ G7hams undertaking place the spectacle all the
morning and afternoon touching 10 the last de
e~c 4 Gordon OF guards placed around the
Ila.e and none unless he helper in the work
Or came TO identify the dead admitted in the
premises =, the amb,auCes arrived the muficd
forms were taken and laid side by side in the open
space IN front Of large barn by where they were
carefully examined for identification. but in nearly
evey case it was only by the clothes by some pc
ouiary distinguishing mark that identification was
possible They then taken into tine barn. laid
stretchcr and washed and attended 10 as well as
possible some Of the incidents heartrendins
some woman-a vile, mother or a swectheat-wOUd
recognize after close scrutiny the form Of what had
been but hours s,alwart man happy
boy As fast the bodies Identified and prc-
pared for burial they placed in collins and taken 10
ihc:r homes. but IL was almost evening before the a>t
one Lad gone and the crowd Of many hundreds that
=
There can be no question that but for fatal mis-
ta.e made by John Allen, the assistant inside boss.
who was taken out alive last evening, but died this
morning, many all of the entOmbed men would
have been rescued alive The Other Two survIEcgS.
lrau and Roberts, have told how IL happened. nen
tn cavcn occurred the were all at work In their
were found except a few company hands, who wei',
81 work in the gdnGwdy laying track When the blast
air rushed through the workings. putting all the
ght, out. The men from their chambers and
COlgIegatcj i'm the g1ngway. Here consultation was
he'd exploring parties sent TO examine every
means OF outlet but found all blocked. several hours
wCrc spent in these fruiticss efforts. Then Allen
advised jlat they make effort % get out through
Old workings into of which the opening from tn
hillside made. The majority refused try this.
believing il dangerous and decided u remain whore
tAcy until help came. Alcn, Fran and Roberts,
Started of, however. They made their way along the
pan-way and entered several OF the Old chambers
tho air much better than they expected The only
g1t they had wa, safety lamp carried by Rob rte
FINALLY they entered the chamber into which the open
Ing was made. They had only gone in few yard,
when Allen, judging the air good said he would Nght
his naked light Roberts protested, saying il VIZ. to-
sNuck match and lighted his lamp. As he stood
ny It's fame fired the gas. There a slight ex-
posiOn in the chamber and the three thrown
down unconscious whcrc they But this blazing
gas must have fired the that had accumulated IN
brge quantities In the ganCway. and the terrific
Posion followed that hurled all the other men 10
instant death. The total number Of those who have
NAT there may be even more.
HAIL, RAIN. WIND. LIGHTNING FROST