Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-07-30
FIFTEEN miners KILLED.
An Awful Explosion in a COlliery
Near Pottsville, Penn.
Supposed TO Have Been Caused by the
Deadly Gas.-Fourteen of the
Dead Bodies Recovered.

A fright ul explosion occurred in the York
Farm col isry. by which fifteen men we're
killed fright and the death ofthe sixteenth
is expected.
Thus not one OF the men working n the vi
entity OF where the explosion occurred will 10
alb 70 tell the tale of the disaster, excepting
L'ewellyn, the man who FIRST noticed the
pre- enee of gas and the unusual running Of
coal, and who by sttickly complying with
collery rules, hal gone to inform the ere
boss Of these unusual indication, and was thus
ab'ent from he vicinity OF the explosion. lis
Story IS that he and his buity f" Oh islian
Hornicker, whose body was buried In the
mine, hld fir, d shot with battery in breast
No. !, on the second lift, and Immediately
ihere was a strong rush Of gas aud run of
Goa.
III gas rushed up the sitway, connect ng
The hrst aud second lifts. AID was gated, il
is supposed, ~ one OF the safety lamps that
was either upset and broken or faulty, and
the terrible explosion followed whereby the
men working m the immel ate yicinity we're
aheete rs above mentioned and the ga e
ways hlled with fallen rock, coal and timber.
covering up the DO lies OF some OF the men
All the bodies have bern received except pR
Il rrisou and Horn cker.
} be Farm Gallery is owned and operated
by the Lehigh Valley oal Company and The
mia ielp ia and Reading abroad Company,
IeStees. -Four years ago the Lshigh company
purchased these workings which at that lime
and for forty years rvvious had been aban.
dpned and w-Te tilted with water. Theope
tons IL 1873 was owned aud wo ked by Ben.
Jhmin Poii, at hat time deep m ming or min
much he n ~ afa Law al
and inlS10 he works were abindopsd and
aiiowel 70 hil up with wafer Immense
quantities Of coal were known TO exist Ia the
iower levels, which could be reached by sink.
ing the workings deeper and II has been the
Obj ct OF the new owners of the NO kings to
get at this coal. Seven millions Of doilarH
have already been expended by the COMPANY
IN cleaning thea andon-d gangways OF water,
retimbrriny and in driving tunnels to inter.
sect the @ereut VEINS, and great success bA.
rewarded their efforts. The risk g. The con.
tention with gas, waich exists IN great quan.
uties, IN operations once abandoned sgreat
anu many mine explosions have occurred the
past f-w years by which miners working AZ
In place have been riously injured. and a
Jew Instances where death has followed but
this accld mt is beyond all parallel. In thi,
mine are many small Coulter gangways, some
Of which ars not s. readily cleared OF gas. and
IN some pl ce' old ghngways long abanioned.
e. led leader, exist which have been Closed
iof yeas AMI IN which Immense quantities Of
gas have accumulated. 1t was while tunnel
ing nat one OF the leaders was struck, and as
soou as the FIRST opening was made the gEs
rushed oIt IN volumes. Safety lamps which
a'e us entire y IN these Hor Sings, were Of
no avail sud It was from one OF these safe
es' the gas was exploded.
A. soon rs entrance could be made 10 the
mine numherlesa men volunteered their ser.
VIC s,hut none but the most tried were selected
. a-d iLeY Of oare set to work.