, 1891-01-28
OVER 100 KILLED.
Frightful Explosion Of Fire
Damp in a Coal Mine.
One Hundred and Ten Miners
Lose Their Lives.
Not a Man in Condition to Tell
How it Happened.
Sixty Families Left in Desti-
tute Circumstances.
Fipo Ppaokc INT prauantinn
Fire Breaks Out, Preventing
the Recovery of Bodies.

into eternity and a number seriously IN
jured. The explosion occurred this morn
ing, shortly after 9 o'clock, aud it is sup
posed was the result OF tho ignition of a
miners oil lamp. The atterdnmp, which
followed the fredamp explosion, suffo-
Gated nearly every workman. A few men,
realizing their awful situation. fell to the
ground, thereby preventing the gas
striking them. The persons not killed
are in such a critical condition that their
deaths are momentarilY expected. Up to
this writing fifty bodies rave been re-
covered, all without a sign OF life.
The fire, which broke out after the ex-
plosion. was soon ~extlnguished by the i'm
mense tans which we're put in operation.
The gas has about all been driven from
the pit and the work OF rescuing the en-
tombed miners commenced. The Nam
moth plant embraces 500 ovens, one OF
the largest plants IN the coke region, but
it is hard Of access. 1t is situated near
the united works, where an explosion re
Gently DESTROYED the entire shaft. The
affair has cast a gloom over the entire
coke region, and, tonight, hundreds of
miners are hUcking TO the scene of the
disaster. offering assistance. The ap
palling loss OF life in the Dunbar disaster
is more than overshadowed by the de.
struction of life in the Mammoth disaster.
The news spread throughout the
entire coke region with great rapidly,
and everybody was awe-strickeu. Collins
have already been ordered for eighty per-
sons from Mt Pleasant undertakes. No
one escaped from the mine in condition
to tell the story Of the awful disaster. IL
is estimated that there are sky wives
and families lett wholly depend
ent % the charity of the world for
sustenance by this disaster. In fact, they
are almost penniless, as the plant had not
been running full for some time. and
work has been exceedingly scarce. Every
shi-- soss'Ilv -in lie IesoTUeu TO 10 suTpiy
the widowed mothers and children with
the necessarles Of life. The Prick com
pany will ac; literally in this direction,
and Master Workman Peter Wise has
sent an appeal tor aid to the miners and
cookers of this region.
At midnight il Is stated that no men
were killed IN the explosion. Sixty bodies
have been taken out so tar. TIE mine is
again on fire and it is feared that all the
other bodies will be cremated.
This evening a partial story OF the dis.
aster was Obtalned. An unexpected flow
of gas was struck, and the miners work
ing In the headings connected with flats
Nos. 2, 3 and 4 were all killed. The fire
boss, as is HE duty. hal been in the mine
aud examined the working places His
mangled body lies at the morRue. The
only evidence that he tttended 10 his
duties are the regular certificates of in-
spection received from him this morning.
whish guaranteed the mines safe The
miners knew these certificates had been
filed ont and went to work They never
returned
Superintcnl lieut. Keighly, who was mine
Inspector 10 the Dunbar district when that
horror occurred, was ut the mine when
the explosion took place He immedi-
ately called for volunteers and gathering a
few about him descended the shaft. Be-
fore doing SO he notified General Superiu-
tendent Dinch, and that gentleman
ordered all the mine superintendents in
the region to the scene.
When the volunteers entered the mine
a sight impossible to picture met them.
Bank cars, mules. and, more terrible than
all, men we're piled in a compact mass
against the ribs or walls of coal. and not
a living thing was in the wreckage, il was
almost as solid as the coal itself, so ter
rifle was the explosion This obstruction
was removed with difficulty and they on
tered the chamber of horrors The first
object they discovered after leaving the
main entry was a gum boot: in it was the
leg OF a man. Farther on they found a
human head, but nowhere IN sight was
the trunk that had borne it, but a few
minutes later, after walking some dis
lance, surrounded by dangers unseen, they
found the trunk. The ragged neck. with
the blood oozing from IT, told the story of
the appalling disaster. Working their
way in they found bodies strewn along
the gangway.
One unfortunate met death while on
his knees praying, with his hands clasped
and his eyes uplifted. His body was
found in this position. 1t was a pathetic
picture. While all this was occurring the
people of the region were concentrating
at the scene of the great disaster. Wo
men and children. relatives and friends of
the unfortunate victims, rushed to the
mouth OF the pit, shriekinR and sobbing,
and the scene was one never to be forgot
ten.
Following them came the physicians
and undertakers from Scottdale, Mount
Pleasant and Greensburg, and after them
came Father Lambing OF Scottdale, who
went among the bereaved with words of
sympathy and coincidence, besides urging
them to greater work TO rescue any who
might be alive and imprisoned. Services
by physicians were little needed for every
man in the headings where the explosion
occurred was killed. None were injured
and lived. Dead bodies we're brought up
every few minutes. Every corpse was
covered and no one even ventured to in
quire which body it was. for they knew
that everyone in that part of the mine at
the time of the explosion was dead. Supt.
keighly was sorely distressed. He had
been In two other mine Observation-Disclosures
and Youngstown-but this was far worse.
He said; mo man living knows the
cause Of the accident. and it never will be
known for a certainty. Not so many were
Killed by the explosion, but the dreaded
after-damp came and u~nfortunates sue
cumbed to it. This is shown By the fact
That only those bodies in the immediate
vicinity of the worst w~reckage were
nutilated."
One of the foremeR connected with the