The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1891-01-29
From Yesterdays Explosion
in the H. c. Frick Coke
Company's Shaft.
The Volunteers Who Went 10 ihs
Relief Behold q Sight Im-
possible 10 Picture.
Over One Hundred Mem Killed ]
the Disaster---The Sick
b. ~ sning Details. II

|. ScoTrDALE, Pa. Jan. 2g.---E3y an ~
> plosion OF fre-damp In the Manner
: shaft OF the III. c. Frick Coke commas
to-day, eighty sturdy miners were uxh
! cred into eternity and number sars
! onsly inlnrad. The explosion occurs
this morning, shortly after 8 O'Clock, an
Is supposed was the result or the Ign
tionof min6F's Oh lamp. The aftaT
damp. which followed the tire-dasnp "a
piosions suftoeatsd nearly every work
man. Few men, realizing the .evfn
situation, Tell 90 the ground, therebs
preventing the gas striking chem. Thn
persons not killed are In such a critics.
1 condition that their deaths are momen.
tarily expected
Up 10 this writing City bodies hays
been recovered, all without signs OF life
The hre which broke out after the exs
piosion was soon extinguished by tho
immense fans which were put ID opera
tion. The gas has about all been driyerA
/ from the pit and the work OF reseufne
the entombed miners commenced. The
mammoth plant embraces 500 ovens, one
or the largest plants In the coke region.
but IL Is hard OF access. 1t IL situated
near the United works, where the ex-'
| plosion recently destroyed the entire
shaft.
The affair has cast u gloom over the
entire coke region, and Tonight shun..
dreds OF men are flocking TO the scene OF
the disaster, Offering assistance. The
appalling loss OF life In the Dunbar n
more than overshadOwed by the destruo-
ton OF life In the Mammoth calamity.
The news spread throughout the entIrel
coke region with great rapidity aAd
everybody was awe-stricken.
Collins have already been ordered for
eighty persons from Mt. Pleasant under
takers. No one escaped from~the mine
In a condition to tell the story OF the
awful disaster. 1t Is estimated there are
sixty wives and families left wholly de-
pendent ON the charity OF the world for
sustehanee by this disaster. In fact,
they are almost penniless, as the plant I
had not been running full for some time,
ana work had been exeeedingl glv sgeRa4 Is
10 supply the widowed mothers and |
children with the necessities OF life. The |
Frick company will act literally I'm this
direction, and Master Workman Peter
Wise has sent an appeal for aid tO the
miners aud eOkers Of the region.
This evening a partial STORY OF the
disaster was obtained. An unexpected
flow of gas was struck and miners work
ing in the headings connected with fats
2, aud were all killed Tho fire boss,
as Is his duty, had been IN the mine and
examined the working places His .
maRgled body lies at the mOrgue. The
only evidence that he attended 10 his /
duties are the regular certificates of In
spection received from him this morning,
which guaranteed the mines safe. The
miners knew these certificates had been
filed out and went to work. They
never returned. Superintendent
KeiRhiy, who was the mine |
inspector in the Dunbar district
when that horror occurred, was at the
mine when the explosion took place. He
Immediately called for volunteers and.
gathering few about him, descended
the shaft. Before doing so he notified
General Superintendent Dinch, and that
gentleman ordered all the mine superin-
tgHdBHts In the region To the scene.
When the volunteers entered the mine,
a sight impossible to picture met them
The balk cars, mules and. more terrible
than all. the men, were piled In a com
pact mass against the ribs or walls OF
coal, and not Lying thing was In the
wreckage. II waS almost as solid as the
coal itself, so terrific was the force of the
explosion. This obstruction was re-
uONeQ Win ulWtHlk1 Abu tn61 EnIgTBu
the chamber Of horrors.
The first object they discovered after
leaving the main entry was q gum boot.
In II was the leg OF q man. Further on
they found a human head, but nowhere
In sight was the trunk that had borne II
hut few minutes before, After walk
ing u short distance, surrounded by
dangers unseen, they found the trunk.
A ragged neck, with blood oozing afrOm
IT, told the story OF the appalling disas-
ter. Working their way In, they found
bodies strewn along the ganRway. One
unfortunate met death while on his
knees In prayer, with bis hands clasped |
and eyes uplifted. His body was found |
In this position. IL was u pathetic piCt-
ure. While all this was occurring the .
people OF the region were concentrating !
at the scene of the great disaster. Women |
aud children, relatives Of the unfortu-
nate victims. rushed 10 the mouth OF the .
pit, shrieking and sobbing, and thesconc |
was one never 20 be forgotten.
Following them came physicians and |
undcrtakers from Scottdale, Mt Pleasant !
and Greensburg, and after them Father |
Lambing, of-Scottdale, who went among .
the bereaysd with words or sympathy !
and coincidence, besides urging the men |
10 greater work 10 rescue any who might |
be- alive and imprisoned. The services |
OF physicians were little needed, for |
every man In. the headings where the |
explosion occurred was killed None |
were Injured and alive. Dead bodies |
were brought up every few minutes.
Every corpse was covered and no one !
even ventured to inquire which body II
was. for they knew that every one In
that part Of the mine, at the time Of the
explosion, was dead. Superintendent
Keighly was sorely distressed. He bad
been In two other mine disasters. Dun
bar and Youngstown, bnt this was far 4
worse He said
. NO nfan living knows the canse of the
aecident aud II ney4zwilf be known for
q certainty. Noksmany were killed
by the explosion4 4bEt the dreaded after
damp came and &he unfortunates sue
cumbed 10 L. MAk Is shown BY the fact
that only those Bodies In the immediate /