The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-02-05
UNDERGROUND HORROR
APPALLING DISASTER IN i
NNSYLVANIA COLLIERY
Explosion of Fir. Damp-Every Man Met
Instant Death -Efoiies Friehtfully Man
gled -Pitiflul Stockholders OF Assist
iuce-SixtY five bodies Eecoxered

ance-Sixty-iiy Bodies Recovered.
IYouncw0od Pa.) Dispatch.
by an' explosion of gas at Mammoth
Mines No. !, 10 men were killed. Sixty
five bod CO were recovered. The mine
is on fire. and il is believed the unfortu-
natr dead will be crcmatrd before it is
possible to reach them. IN army of
men is at work i'll The pit crdrayorng To
stay The ire and recover thc'doad i.o:iicS.
They are making !it:in Roadway, how
ever. carload OF cottins was received
this evening.
On" hundred and ten men were ciu-
pioycd in that part Of the mine in hich
the explosion occurred, and not one was
left Ia tell the sorry Of the disaster Not
more than fifty men were Killed b, the
cNpIoS ,on The others were overcome
by he aFtcr-e!amp While some Of tie
bodies were horribly burned. torn. and
mutllatcd. others Wcr" found with The IT.
teeth cliHchrd "ti tn" iron rail Of tn pit
read. Other, were found with their
faces plunged into She water. Not i
itw kn"it as II III prayer when their an
tIinc.y end came.
J. lr"-lu~S Sheath was identified only
oy his gum,hoots. He must have been
nearest the explosion. His body was
~ At''i't ittit III NtIt flN Oh pieces. HIS
head was pulled from his shoulders
Both his I";r> We're torn off. His CLOTH
Ing was ripped into shrcdS THAT part
| Of his body recovered WAS roasted and
hlackrn,d. lis mutilatrd BODY was
found where The explosion is supposed -
have occurred His safety lamn vas
shattered into nnmbrr!"ss pieces Ills
| left hand clutciiing his lamp was found
| over one bundled feet from he trunk Of
| his body. ami ON" IF his gum-buut~ was
| found fifty yards away.
| One OF his feet with part Of the leg n
| tarhcd WAS picked mp. When tie parts
| of his body w,re collie. I'll amt sent III Il
/ sheet to the pit mouth they were iieu;i.
| fled by an engineer Who recognized til.
| gnm-hoDts
All tn. officials of the Frickc Coke
| Company AT" in Tie dark Is Ia tn" ca1l~,
| of the explosion Fire. Boss SHEATH in.
| spcrtrd the mine before work was Lc.ui
| this morning, and his written r"port.
| flied :. few hours before he was killed set
| forth that the mine was safe at titar
! time.
When the volunteers entered til" mine
Il sight impossible to picture met them
| Bank cars. mules. ani-more terrible
| tlai. ali-m n were piled in Il compact
|
| and not Il living thing was in the Wrc k
| age It was almost ~ solid as the Goa
| itself, 50 terrific was the force If III
| explosion. This obstruction was r.
| moved with difficulty. and they entered
a chaml cr of horrors. Tie first obj"c
| they discovered after leaving the mali
| entry Mas a gum boot. In it WAS the lcs
of Il man Farther on they found ;
| human lead. but nowhere III SIGHT wa,
| the trunk that bad borne it bat a few
| minutes before. After walking a dis
| lance. surrounded by dangers unseen
| but more terrible than can be- imagined
| they found the trunk. The ragged l"ct
| with the blood uozjn@ frnm 1t told tn
| story of tile appalling disaster Work
| ing their way in. til" band found til,
| bodies str,Wn along Ii" Cangway.
| Every man in the headings where til,
| explosion occurred was killed. Non,
We're injured and lived. Dead bodir:
| were brought up every few minutes. ant
the crowd at tn" shaft mouth >impl,
| fell hack Ia allow tn" men carrying I'll,
| str"tCherS room In pas. Every corps
| Wa covered. and no one even venture,
I" inquire which body it was. tur it wa
| known that every one in that parI %
the mine II the time of tl' rNiio>iut
| was dead
| John ". Bell. siro boss at Hrcla NJ
/. sad: "Abnut TWO Gears agn th"r
was am explosion Of "a at this mine
ana o!ie mau was burned IL death y
sal, ty lamps were used here | dom
know whether "r not The fire boss d
| hiS duty. but let lis Inc charitable enough
to hope lr did. There wa too mucl
work here for one fire boss any how
| They discharged one couple Of week
age 10 reduce expenses. and one MAJ
| has teen forced IL do the work.
| General Manager Lynch nf the II. {
Frckc COX Company is on the seen
| helping to dcNi,c means 10 rrScuc tn
| persisted Workncn. His assistance
Invaluable. ;s he has many years rN
pcri"ncc i'll mining operations. Til
mammoth plant embraces 500 ovens. on
of the largest plants in the coke Regions
but it is hard Of access. 1t is situate
near the United Works. where an cNplu
sion recently destroyed the entire. shaft
The affair has east a gloom over Ia
entire coke region. and Tonight hun
jrcdS Of miners are tl0ckIng To the seen
| of the disaster Offering assistance. Tn
appalling loss of life in the Dunbar di~
Gster is more than uycrSitadowcd h.
the destruction of life in this mann
!
10 describe the scenes at the mines
Horror is piled on horror. The new
| spread throughout the entire coke regi0,
and everybody Was awr-strick"n Th,
only man who escaped was Mine Eo>
| Eaton. Among those killed are John
beverage and j. BulcS. formerly of thi
place. The former resided here fO
many years and was held in high esteem
by everybody lie was a roadman i'll til,
shaft. EyMine Inspector keighiy, tn,
Superintendent of tho fatal shaft. i
nearly distracted 1t is n singular fac
that misfortune seems to have followed
him. His experience in the Hill Farm
disaster resulted in his rendering hi
! resignation as mine in>pc tor.
Master Workman Peter Wise address
cd the following letter to the miners an,
cookers of the region tonight:
To the Members OF the Knights of Labor an
| Workinsmen of the Coke Region:
| The sad news of a disastrous explosion Il
Mammoth mines has just reached me. am
fear many families have been left desti
tute. therefore appeal t. you tn prompt
| ly render what aid YOU can to assist III
families of your brethren who have &c
killed. The Master Workman and commit
tees at each works will kindly take the mat
ter in hand and act as Il relief com
mittee. Let the committee select "chec
member" and each miner run as man
| wagons as he can under the circumstance
contribute, and arrangements will be mad
with the companies 10 pay the amount, All
thus prompt aid can he given. Drawer
can adopt the same plan, aud day men ca
| runtribut from their day work, and hay
the same deducted in the office. This nj
will be separated and apart from any pub
| lie contributions, and will be foTwarde', t.
diStric officers, who will apply it to the rc
lief OF those for whom it is contributed.
| PETER WISE, District Master Workman.
Wise and Otherwise.
CONSCIENCE is a Judge placed in he in
terror of our being.