Morning journal and courier., 1891-12-07
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH. From All Quarters. EIGHTY MINERS KILLED. Terrible Explosion of Fire
 Damp in a Co|liery. sAWTELLE's HEAD FOUND IN MAINE. Opening of the Fifty-Second
 Congress To-Day. A BIG BATTLE FOUGHT IN CHINA. More Cranks Heard from
 in New York.
sAWTELLE's HEAD FOUND IN MAINE.
4 BIG BATTLE FOUGHT IN CHINA.
TERRIBLE MINE ACCIDENT.

HI NCV A VI hs
 TERRIBLE MINE ACCIDENT. Awful Explosion of Fire Damp
 Nearly Eighty Men KflIed-Eight
 of the Victims Rescued-Heartrend-
 ing Scenes Around the Shaft.
 PARIS, Dec. 6.-An explosion of fire damp occurred at noon today in one of the numerous coal pits near St. Etienne, in the department of the Loire. According to advices so far received eighty men per ished in the pit.
 Later advices say the explosion occurred in the Puits de la Manufacture, belonging to the St. Etienne ,Colliery company. Dense volumes of evil-smelling smoke issued from the mouths of these and 8 connecting pit and soon crowds of rels- tives and friends of the imprisoned work men gathered about the entrances and prepared for the work of rescue. To-day was being observed as a fete day and e comparatively small number of men were at work in the mine. If the accident had happened on an ordinary working day the loss of life would have been appalling. At their first attempt to reach the imprisoned men the rescuers were driven back by the foul fumes shat poured from the shaft, and for nearly an hour nothing could be done to aid the miners in the pit. In order to disperse the smoke the cage was lowered and drawn up, again rapidly number of times, and at length the shaft was sufi- ciently cleared to enable the rescuers to descend in the cage and begin the work of exploration. The main gallery was feund to have collapsed, thus preventing the es cape of the imprisoned men. After work ing several hours in relays the rescuers had cleared away portion of the debris, and few minutes later they came across the bodies of four miners. The men, although unconscious, were still alive and quickly sent to the surface where they soon re- vived. Several doctors and a number of ambulances were summoned from St. Etienne and a supply of restoratives pro- cured, so that the promptest assistance might be given to all who should be brought from the pit alive. Soon after wards another rescuing party, which had entered the connecting pit, sent to the surface four more victims, all of whom were quickly restored to consciousness. The second party of rescuers, however, found it impossible to reach the other i'm prisoned men and there is hardly doubt that all of the latter have succumbed to the poisonous fumes.
 The work of rescue will be resumed to- night, when it is hoped the gases will have dispersed.
 Midnight-It has been ascertained thas seventy-three miners have perished. The wives, children and relatives of the en- tombed miners still surround the mouth of the pit, and the most heartrending scenes are witnessed as the bodies of the victims are brought to the surface.
 HIRAM AwTELL,s HEAD FOUND The Murderer's Confession Leads to
 Its Discovery The Skull Taken
 From a Pile of Brush in the State
 of Maine.
 GREAT FALLS, N. H., Dec. 6.-The head of Hiram Sawtell has been found. Last Tuesday morning Isaac Sawtell made a full statement of the killing of his brother, drawing map on which he marked the spots where the crime was committed and where the body and head were buried, the latter wrapped in the dead mans under clothes. In this confession he said that the day he met Hiram he drove to- ward the hut near which his brothers body was found. As he drove down the lane leading to the hut Hiram became frightened. Isaac had previously told Hiram that if he did not sign over certain | property to him he would kill him. As Hiram jumped from the carriage | Isaac shot him. Taking the plan, Lawyer | Eagerly, of Isaac's counsel organized a searching party which started out Thurs day morning. The search was continued all of that day, but it was unsuccessful, | and another interview was held with Isaac in which 1t was shown that Isaac had erred regarding the location of pile of wood which was an important landmark in the search. The search was resumed Saturday morning and at 12 o'clock a mound oi earth was found, covered with pile o1 brush. Upon digging into this mound { roll of underclothing was found. Dr Grant of this place was summoned and or his arrival the roll was taken from thu ground. Wrapped in @ linen shirt ant fragments of an undershirt was found 8 human skull. Not trace O.
 the features remained. An examina
 ton of the skull showed hole bacl
 of the left ear, apparently made by bull
 let. The hole was half an inch in diamete
 and extended to the right side of the era
 nium, where the bullet made it's exit, leav
 ing hole an inch long and three quarter
 of an inch wide. According to the testi
 mony of tho government witnesses wh
 claimed to have heard the shots fired b Isaac, only three reports were heard. Thre
 bullets holes were found on the body, an the one in the head would tend to sho' that the murderer shot his victim fou times. The skull is in the possession o , Lawyer Eagerly and will be produced $ the hearing Monday to corroborate Saw , tells claim that the murder was done i | Maine