Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-02-06
Mining Catastrophe i'm Pennsylvania.

Mining Catastrophe in Pennsylvania.
a terrible mine explosion occurred at the
Mammoth mine of the II. G. Frick coke
company at Mammoth, Pa. Tuesday morn
ing. About l25 miners were at work in
the Inflated mine at the time of the ex-
ploslon; one hundred and seven bodies
have been taken out and ii Is estimated
that at least seventeen more victims are
still in the pit After the explosion the
news of the awful fate Of the scores of
miners at work IN the shaft spread rapidly
among the mines and the miners homes.
Cour.ers carried the dreadful news hither
and thithcr, and families were dashed
from the comforts of home into the depths
of grief and despair. The scenes at these
miners cottages can readily be imagined
by those who have known grief in its more
formidable forms, but no artists pen can
correctly picture II.
Within an incredible short time the en-
trance to the shalt swarmed with an eager
anxious crowd OF men, women and children,
some of whom could only with great diff
Guilty be kept at safe distance. AS the
bodies of the victims, mauglcd by the terri
BILE force of the eXpios ion or burned almost
out of human semOance, were brought up
from the yawning depths, the crowd of
watchers pushed forward TO the pit mouth
for one glimpse of recognition. Hearts of
wives and mothers stood still in the fear
that loved ones might be among the dead
The more dislnterestcd ones qualed before
the scene. Tears courscd down bronzel
and bearded cheeks and were dashed away
! by brawny hands that had swung the pick
| for many years. The rcscuing party pre-
ceeded with their grim task, and the crowd
of watchers silently looked on. IL was one
of those scenes which, once witnessed. re-
mains forever impressed upon the memory
of the spectator.
An Official of the Frick company said
ut may never be known how or why the
explosion occurred. The accumulation OF
/ fire damp was probably the cause, but it
was never known TO exist in any quantity
before in fact it may be said that the
Mammoth mine has been free from damp.
There is theory that pocket OF natural
gas was reached and that the operation of
the ventilating fans now prevent any ac-
emulation OF it. 1t is not necessary that
everyone in a mine be killed when an ex-
plosion occurs. The explosive may stay in
one particular section, and may not per-
meate the entire nine, unless the volume
is 50 great as TO force il 10 every part OF
the pit. In this case the gas was confined
to one portion and tho miners who were
in other localities escaped.
The disaster has some remarkable feat
ures. 1t was as deadly, as sweeping and
complete as the sinking Of ship IN mid
ocean. Its history is TO be told by those
who do not know IL, for there is no tongue
of all those that wagged in the openings OF
that part OF the nine where the disaster
occurred to describe the details. 1T
comes 10 you like some whrlwiud. with
blue tints of u rainbow, and when il bursts
into flame it passes over your body like q
great log. God does not often let a man
live to tell what has happened 10 him. Ii
it catches you upright you are like leaf
in "A tornado, aud it bends the ribs Of slate
in the openings like the ribs oil a straw
rick" That was what a miner who has
been in the coal mines thrty-iive years
says of the after damp" the "blacli
death" of the darkness, and the silent,
| echoing paSsageways where men
delve. Never in the history of
American coal mining has there
| been such an unexpected acct
dent with such complete humiliation of
all within its reach. The Mammoth mine
has been notable always as being particu
larly free from gas. Hundreds of safety
gauge lamps were provided for the miners
! by the company. but were never used as they
were regarded as unnecessary. In their stead
| the men wore the familiar little open-flame
/ lamps on their hats, those small coffee. pot
/ shaped affairs of tin which are fastened
above the forehead in the headgear Of the
workmen, Just as the peasants Of Europe
, wear their leaden images Of the saints TO
| guard them in the toll, Deadly saints
were these that the poor fellows at Mann
moth appealed TO, and today not man
would dream OF entering the mine with one
Of them upon him. The mine boss put the
night shift TO work and found nothing 10
arouse his suspit ION. FIRE Boss Smith, Il
man who had worked in mines in Great
Britain and this country for thirty years,
made hts usual careful inspection OF all the
rooms and headings at the CUSTOMARY time
between 2 and o'clock in the morning.
His duty was to enter every place where
men worked and 10 mark upon the wall of
the room or heading the sign of his
approval-the figures of the day of the
month.
The Michigan Central railroad company
earned 49, 3o3, 039. 80 during the IL months
ending January |, 1921. This was about
s7,400, 900 more than it earned in 1890, an
increase OF nearly 10 per cent.
Mrs. John Fogel, ~ years old, Of Bay
City was thrown TO the ground Monday
and had her left shoulder broken, by the
driver of horse car starting the car, from
which she was alightng, too soon.
The Muskegon car company filed chattel
mortgages for SCI. 900, Tuesday. to secure
its creditors. There is a movement on
foot to rcorganize the company on "a solid
basis with $500, 600 capital.
John Vooel and John porront NJ Musle-