Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-14
BURIED IN A MINE.
A Dozen Lives 1mperiled by an Ex-
plosion Of Gas in a Gangway.
LONG SEARCH FOR TIE MISSING,
Several of Whom Are Found in an Un
conscious Condition.
TIE LIST OF THE DEAD AND INJURED
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE prsr.rcH1

SHAMoKIN, Oct. 13.-By an explosion of
gas at the Sterling mine this morning it is
probable that 13 men have been killed.
The explosion was caused by a fall of rock
in an old breast, driving body of gas down
a gangway, touching naked light.
William Mack, sitting on the bumper OF
mine wagon, saw his four mules killed
and the body of Thomas Ogara hurled past
him like fash. Twenty yards beyond,
Daniel Reed. another driver, saw his two
mules Drained by falling rock, and he was
scorched by volume of fire lighting the
gloom for 100 feet While 80 men a quar-
| ter OF mile in the rear wondered at the
loud report, another body of the gas tore
along the smoking gangway, and, meeting
all of flame in an alcove, ignited with
terrific force, causing great falls of top,
creating the po wer of tornado and causing
lamps to 60 out and closing different pas
sages.
Up to 6 o'clock this evening the missing
m en- had not been reached. They are i'm
prisohed between two falls, and the black
damp Which arose Immediately after the
explosion had been so strong that the
officials and experienced miners have faint
hope of finding them alive.
Desperate Efforts to Enter the Mine.
At great peril men are taking turns in
forcing their way to where the men are
supposed to be imprisoned. AT 4 o'clock
the inside foreman was brought out, over
come by gas, and taken home in special
train. He SAYS the men are certainly dead
When the second explosion came men
grouped along different routes to get out of
the place before the black-damp set in.
Falls were occurring along the line, and
many were the hairbreadth escapes. In a
few minutes the bottom of the slope was
filled with terrified men. The huge engines
started to work, and for halt an hour drew
half-smothered bodies to the surface Then
count was made, so men being missing.
News reached the town of the explosion
and that six bodies had been recovered
while the remainder were entombed.
Doctors, ambuIances, special train and
hundreds of people flocked to the scene. By
this time all the so, except thirteen, had got
out, including the injured.
Some of the Men Manage to Live.
O'Hara's BODY had been recovered at l |
o'clock. Halt an hour later the two Nc |
Call brothers rang to come up. They were |
almost dead, having been wandering through |
old workings and carrying two tainting |
Polishmen along. The party finally ran /
up against a small opening through which |
they worked their way.
AT 2 o'clock IRVINE Edwards was found
fainting in ditch. His experience was
thrilling. Having lodged many falls he
escaped the fire by jumping in a ditch and
dead mule. He brought tidings of the miss
ing having been with them when the sec
ond explosion came. His comrades ran up
a passage which was quarter of a mile
nearer the foot of the slope. He would
have followed, but lost the way, and finally
struck the main gangway.
Superintendents Monroe, Shref1er and
j Jefferson, who had been summoned, called
for volunteers. A number responded, but ten
were sufficient for the first attempt AS the
wagon went down great cheer went up
Bad air soon drove the men back, but others
,ook their places. Whenever one would
play out another would respond.
The Hard Work of Day and Night.
The main object was to brush the gas back
and establish an air current. In this at
Tempt small progress had been made up to
lusk. The great quantity of black-damp
renders it impossible for anybody to live
where the damp is thickest, and unfortu-
nately it hangs in body near the point
" here the men are supposed to be penned
up.
Everything in the power of the company
S being used to push the work, and there is
10 lack of men to enter the mine Crowds
If men. women and children wait for news
at the entrance of the slope. The
work will 20 on until the men are found,
lead or alive.
Late tonight the rescuers succeeded in
the gangway, finding the re.
mains OF miner named Minstock. Twenty
ards farther two miners, McDevitt and
3itcavage, were discovered. alive but un-
onscious. They were removed to their
ZONES.
List of the Dead and Injured,
The following are the names of the dead | !
nd injured.
)ead-Thomas O'Hara, married.
'robably dead-Benjanin Thomas, married. |
samuel Collins, married: Patrick Nc
Dewitt, Isaac Denner, single; Joseph Kel-
chic, married; Michael Watchook, single.
Charles Bit cavage, single, and Joseph
Minstock. married. - {
njured-Horace Price, door boy. terriblv
cut and mangled; Samuel Rogers, loader.
cut and bruised; William Mack, server. cut
and mangled; Daniel Reed, driver. skn;I
fractured, burned and cut, will probably
die. ~