The sun., 1891-01-28
Dreadful Disaster in Mine No. | Of
the FriCk Coke Company.
SIXTY BODIES RECOVERED THUS FAR.
Fire Damp, Hitherto Unknown There,
Caused the Catastrophe.

Men Went TO WORK. ana All Seemeu
sArs-Thoso In tho Communicating Mine
Got Out safely. aud Twenty Brave fci.
lows Ri.kea Their Lives TO snve Their
Those who Were Not
Killed by tho Explosion Dicd from tho
Poisonous Gas--Pit,ral Sccnes.
YouNowoop. Pa. Jan 27.-we want volun-
teers to 90 down the shaft" yelled . grimy-
faced man at the entrance to the Mammoth
NJ. / mine Of tho II. c. Flick Ceke Company.
. little after O'Clock this morning. as lie
flashed his torch in the countenances OF scores
Of men with blauched faces who crowded
around.
There was no lack OF responses. for down In
tho earth lay tho bodies OF more than hun
dred Of their comrades. About 0 o'clock there
had occurred the worst disaster over known in
hitumlnons coal miro in tho State OF Penn
sylvania. Mammoth was the scene OF tho
catastrophe.
1t is situated on tho Sowickley branch o; the
Southwestern Division OF tho PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad. There are two mines. No l and No.
2. belonging to tho Frick Company. No I Is
entered by a shaft 107 feet deep. and No. = is
entered by slope. The mines are connected
by interior workings.
Fire damp. the droad OF coal miners. was re-
markable here for It's absence. No trace OF it
nau ever p0eH lOuNu III lueSe mines. anu IOt
that reason the common coal digeers' lamp
was used.
Early in the morning Fire Boss Wm. Smith
had made his tour OF the mines in accordance
with the laws OF the State, and had found ev-
ervthinv apparently in order.
Tho men wore ordered to work. One hum
dred and ten OF them. 1t is estimated, went
down the pit shaft. where in short time they
were to meet death. They went down with
laughter and with tests.
A RUMBLE LIKE DISTANT THUNDER.
few minutes after o'clock there was a
dull rumble like distant thunder mutterinHs
behind distant hills. Then cloud Of smoke
and dust shot up tho shaft OF Mammoth No.
1 100 feet above tho tall derrick.
1t slowly settled and for few moments
there was silence. Then the workers from
Mammoth No. began pouring out OF the
slope. All rushed toward the shaft Of No. l.
Many OF these men had been bruised and
shaken up by the force Of the explosion. but
none We're injured seriously.
Superintendent George Keiehlsy called for
| volunteers. and at once twenty mon stepped
forward and were lowered down tho shaft in
tho cage. which had not been injured by the
explosion.
When the party reached tho bottom OF the
shaft one glance and tho odor OF tho deadly
fire damn told the story. Death was stalking
in the underground corridors. The party
returned to the top Of tho shaft.
and the ventlaing fan. one OF the
most powerful In use at any coal mine.
was at once started up at its utmost speed.
Again Superintendent Keghley and his party
went down. The force of tho explosion was
visible on every hand.
Tho coal wagons used In tho mines were
splintered to pieces in some cages. and In
others several had been jamned together in u
solid mass. Mules were secn which had been
driven against the ribs OF the workings with
such force that their bodies lost all rescm-
bance to living reality.
THE BODIES OF THE MINERS.
Here and there lay human bodies. S"me
were mutilated. and all were blackeucd by the
flame which had swept through the works.
The bodies OF those who had been killed by
the effects OF the explosion lay in distorted
attitudes, while those OF the others who
had apparently escaped the fame and con-
| cussion. but had rushed from tho rooms in
which they were working into the fats. and
had succumbed to tho stealthy suffocating fro
damp. lay in sleeping attitudes. Some lay at
full length. with heads resting upon their
hands. as II asleep Others were face down.
ward. with their heads in pools OF water.
One man had climbed into a wagon which
ner bucket by his sido had lain down as II to
dream.
Enough had been seen for sxper enced
miners to know that all the mon in flats Nos 2.
g. and 4 Of tho No. Mammoth Mino hul per-
ished.
A GENERAL CALL FOR AIr.
General Manager Thomas Lynch A. once
notified the managers OF the other coal mines
belonging to the Prick Company. and sent
messengers to Mount Pleasant. Greensburg,
scottsdale, and surrounding towns for ply
sicians
Doctors Wilson, Painter. Brown. Myers. Me-
Cormack. and Clark at once responded and.
while they could render no aid to tho
dead, took charge OF the Arrangement
O! the bodies. attended tho rescrers
who were overcome. while working in the mine
still foul They helped in many instances 10
distinguish traces OF humanity in the heaps OF
debris.
The Mammoth plant embraces 500 ovens. one
OF the largest plants In the coke regions, but 1t
is difficult OF access. 1t is situated near the
United works. whore an explosion recently de-
stroyed the entire shaft.
Tonight hundreds OF miners are flcckng TO
the sceno OF the disaster Offering assistance.
The appalling loss OF life In tho Dunbar
disaster Is more than overshadowsd Ly
the destruction OF life In this calamity.
The news spread throughout the entire coke
region with great rapidity. and every ono was
awe-stricken. Coffns have already been Or
dered for eighty persons from Mount Pleasant
undertakers. and 1t Is understood that the
Frick Company, the owners OF the plant. will
hear the expenses. The only man who escaI cd
from the fatal mine was Mine Boss Eaton.
Among those killed are John Beverage ana
James Boes. formerly OF this place The
dad he
held In high esteem by everybody. lie was o
road man IN the shaft. Ex-Mins Inspector
Keichly. tho superintendent OF tho fatal shaft.
is nearly distracted.
1t is singular fact that misfortune seems 10
have followed him. His experience in the
Hin Farm disaster caused him to tender his
res alton as Nine Inspector. Master Work.
man Peter Wise. ex-Master Workman II.
ID. Kericet. James Mcbride. Nike Dis
ILL., . L-- d.