New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-02
DEATH IN 4 BURNING SHAFT
TEN MINERS SUFFOCATED AT SHAMOKIN
PENN.

VAIN ATTEMPTS TO FIGHT THE FLAMES AND TO
RESCUE IMPRISONED MES-THE SHAFT BE-
COMES A ROARING FURNACE AND TIE
WATER FROM NFIGIBoRING
STREAM DIVERTED TO FLOOD 1T.
GBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
Shamokin, Penn, April las result of the
exploding of lamp in the hands of Hun
garan miner ten men lost their lives at the
Nelson shaft near this place early this MORN
ing. The dead as follows:
:"ss HE SR !0f Single
nEETSAE Fl S6 single E2aI htIL ,oSS SHn sns
puTrIAY NchoIas married SiiPis, Frank Single
The ifated miners Were all residents OF
Shamokin or Springfield, a village adjoining the
borough. The Red Ash and No. 10 veins are
separated by 200 feet, the former being en- top.
An air passage connects the two veins. At 6:3o
o'clock Patrick Malankey entered the No. 10 vein
and went into small wooden structure twenty
feet from the bottom OF the shaft TO put on MS
working clothes He found Hungarian seated
on bench trying 10 fill miners lamp with OIL
1hc wick was blazing. suddenly the lamp eX-
plodcd, and flaming oil was spread in every dlrcc-
ton The Hungarian stupefied from irlSh'
and was in danger Of burning alive MaiahK"s
seized and pulled the man into the gangway anu
rushed back to the waslhouse.
The roof was ablaze, and fire sprang ont to
the gangway roof John Kelly and George i'ehhlh-
ger appeared from chamber and the parry
tried TO extinguish the fire, but owing to lack
of water and hose their efforts proved una
yaling IIurrsdly informing the miners Oh l'',
lit they signalcd the engineer, ana 'he h's".
20 IN. surface was begun. Once out. some OF
tbe men thought of the air passage leaning "
t,o Pod ,sb and knew that were the occupants
no, ;rrormed some would surely die. A gallant
hand of rescucrs was lowered "nei
,ho c,gc stopped nj the Red Ash' o'
foot from the surface, they found the 'un,c' "i.o
with smoke. which had come up from W. ~
l.yel \ couple Of r'scuers jumper U" w.
and tried TO walk through the smoke w'iio" s''"
deuscr every minute few dead ih"''
stumbled over and the men reluctantly peSa"
treating. aware that if any men were oacA LII '"'
tunnel they could not live, as there were ho '
~ this particular side of tn" lift Two ni"l'S WI,
round croping in The darkness on the east sie "n"
they were hoistcd in the cage ihirN h"
I,,.r , fcy miners from the Red Ash came up the
travelling way, having started from 'he e"s' S,u7
I'm the apncarance of the first odor of smoke
They said that fully ten men were III 'ne Sou.''
.ido Of .he vein, where the smoke continued to
pour increasingly.
Messages were sent to this place for doctors
and rho Mine Inspector, Brennan, who was out
Of town. Superintendent Gay and lot OF SUD-
bos,., selected a number of courageous men ana
boarded up the mouth of the shaft; the air was
then turned from No. 10 VEN ana Tie shiohc
from the Red Ash was sucked up.
in
.t.rtcd to cxplorc the tunnel IL was risky work,
A. a great sulphur explosion was imminent WIN
CHEEKY words to each other they pressed forward
and finally reached two corpses lying In each
other's arms They were the Biennln brothers,
with f., distorted and hands urlfted as II
in prover. A dozen yards back lay John Ryan, Dy
=, pllar. He was dead. Three feet away were
,he bodies of Ships and Ginter. The grewsome
.r,,,n continued until every par; of the vein
had been touched
Canvas was procured and each body was
conveyed TO the foot of the lift it was securely
wrappcd A great crowd had collected at the
surface and when the whte-robed corpses reached
thc ron and were laid in the carpenter shop for
identification the scene was heartrending in the
extreme. Father Joseph Koch was present and
comfortcd parents, wives and children OF the
dead men. All hal met death through sufioca-
tion from smoke. A., A. oo;,.od
great impetus and finally shot up to the Rcd
Ash vcin The men struggled herocally 70 SUP,
due the flames. II the air passage was DiocKeu
ga. would instantly accumulate ana cause i. !.
terrible. explosion which would hurl everybody
in thc shaft 10 eternity. The brave men toled
steadily. but made little Roadway; No. 10 VEN
was bnrning at a terrific rate, and every nilnute
aide1 strength to the river Of fire inundating the
Red Ash vein. At noon the officials sai1 the
fire. WAS beyond control. So great had the IRE
bccomr that no one could enter the shaft. \
consultation was held with view OF hghtlnS
the conha !ration. The decision was not given
ont but the opinion of experts was tIlat .he
onlv remedy lay in hoo1ng the valuable work
n"s with Carbon Run Creek. This evening the
water was turned In. A., u
The Operation is one of the best IN the re-
zion. employing about 500 men ana p3ys. IL
is owned by j. Langdon N Co... OF Elmira.
Three years ago their Immense breaker, covering
thr shaft. was destroyed by fire. The place Is
worry gaseous and miners dreaded to work there.
The loss amounts to $4,000. No inquest mas
a. vct been ordered, Coroner Raker waiting upon
Tho INSPECTOR, who will arrive Tonight from
Lykens. A., .,rr;bI. calamity
will be- buried Tuesday.