The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-01-28
", Superintendent Laird. Captain shoon-

maker.
Following them came physicians and IN
certekers from Scottdale, Mount Pleasant
aud Greensburg, and after them the digni-
ned form OF Father Landing, or Scott
dale, came IN light, and soon he was among
the bereaved with words of sympathy and
e9ndolence. besides urging the men assem-
Dled to greater work to rescue any who
might be alive and imprisoned. Amongthe
physicians who came we're: Doctors Will
Others from the surrounding towns. Their
services were not needed. for every man IN
the headings where the explosion occurred
was Killed. o were injured and lived.
Dead bodies were brought up every few
minutes mnu and tho crowd st the shalt
tho men carrying the s%tretchers room to
pass. Every corpse was covered. and no
one even ventured to inquire which body
IL was, for they knew every one in that
part OF the mine 1T the time Of the ex-
plosion was dead.
THE SUPERINTENDENT STORY.
Superintendent Keighley has been in three
big fatalities in this region, but this 10
larger than any. He said: mo man liv-
ing knows the cause of the accident and IL
never will be known for q cor
tainty. About three hundred feet from
the bottom Of the shaft we encountered
q fall OF rock In tho gangway. which was
caused by the explosion. Empty cars com-
pletely wrecked, were piled up against it.
into the dip where the men were
working and then we were constantly
falling over dead bodies. Not 30 many were
killed by the explosion, but the dreaded
after-damp came On the poor fellows. and
they succumbed to ii. This 10 evident from
the fact that only Q small proportion of the
dead taken ont were bruised in any
way. never knew before that there was
gas IN that. This makes the explosion all
the moro terrible
John w. Bell. tire boss ct Hecla No. /,
SAID: About two years ago there was IN
explosion of gas at this mine. and one man
was burned to death. No safety lamps were
ueed there. / don't know whether OF not
the tire.boss did his duty. but let us be
was too much work here for one fire-boss,
anyhow. They discharged one q couple of
weeks ago to reduce expenses, and one man
has been forced TO do the work.
John Boles. whose brother is in the fatal
shaft. was here this evening and relates
this morning we heard q loud report
in the direction of the shaft. We
Immediately started to the opening only TO
md Q suffocating volume OF smoke and gas
gushing therefrom. and at once knew
Whist was wrong. We began the work
of ~subduing the flames and clearing
the shaft of gas. This we accomplished by
starting the large fans: / am convinced
that every man who was in the
shaft at tho time was killed either
BY falling timbers or by the after-damp.
Not one was left to tell the story Of the
disaster. Not more than fifty of the men
were killed by the explosion. The others
were overcome by the after-damp and
while some Of the bodies are horribly
torn. burned and mutllated, others were
found with their teeth clinohed on the
iron"
The news of the explosion was received
by Mr.. III. Z. Frick, In Pittsburg, this after
noon Mr.. Frick was filled with consterns-
ton at the extent of tho disaster.
He said: I'VE have never had An
accident like this in any of our mines. The
Mammoth plant was thought to be in the
safest of hands when we ave it in charge
Of Mine Inspector Fred Keighley. No ex-
pense has been spared to make our mines
as safe as possible"
Twenty five trimmed cofins were ship
ped from Pittsburg to Mount Pleasant this
evening. Another lot of s~eventy-ive has
been ordered for shipment tomorrow morn
inR.