The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-25

"
VIM. ZECOR, American, married.
HOW THEY PERISHED.
At fifteen minutes to l o'clock this after
noon a fire was noticed by some of the
drivers on the sixth north level, and notice
was given to the men inside who were
working in different places, some in the
breast about the level and others along the
gangway, as soon as it was known there
was fire. Many Of the men in the gang
ways rushed back to notify the miners
further in, while. others rushed out and
reached the main shaft 1t is certain that
all the men In the breast reached the gang
way in safety. In all, about seventy men
were at work in the sixth level north, and
of that number about forty fingered at
breast GO. where the fire originated. and
made an attempt to put out the fire. The
breast was burning fiercely, and before the
miners knew it the fire had communicated
to breasts 60 and 81. Several of those who
fingered at the burning breast g. took
warning and fed, hut all who remained
were overcome and asphyxiated II is evil
dent that all the men had time to come
out, for those who worked In the furthest
breast reached the shaft in safety, while
those who were nearest the shaft and, con-
sequently more removed from danger per-
ished. They evidently believed they were
in perfect safety from the fire, but while
they fingered the smoke oozed in from out
side places further soutl
The bodies were all found south of breast
62. They were all found along within
space of five hundred feet. Several men
were badly bruised and one colored man
was taken out with O. broken neck, their
wounds indicating that they had thrown
themselves against postH and timbers of the
gangway in a wild and desperate endeavor
to escape, but the majority of the bodies
bear no marks at all, not even scratch,
and their features are IN quiet repose, indi-
eating that their death had been a speedy
and painless one.
RESCUERs At WORK.
AS soon as the alarm whistle sounded
from the engine house people began to
crowd around the mouth of the slope and
the cry "The mine Is on fire. quickly
spread throughout the town. Among the
first to reach the scene was Superintendent
Ramsey. He tried to appear unconcerned
and as though he didn't believe any lives
would be lost. but crowds Of people who
lived the track soon persuaded him
to the contrary. When the superintendent
called for volunteers 20 go into the mine
there was great excitement. The first man
to volunteer was George Smalley. a negro,
who, with two others, was lowered down
the l,1O0 foot slope TO the sixth level. There
he met men from the sixth level south
who were doing all they could to rescue
the men from the north end. Others went
down from the surface and found the
body of the first man in the gangway
about one thousand feet from the slope
The body was that Of John O. Anderson
and was pulled to the top of the slope Its
arrival the surface was the first init
nation TO the men. women and children
that anyone had been killed. Consequently
when the body came up there was a wild
scramble to discover It's identity Mean
while the miners from the other levels
were carrying the work of rescue in the
mine.
NJ. d. Story, one of the rescuers who
went in from the surface, proceeded along
the sixth gangway after finding the first
body. Then the rest OF the miners were
found scattered along in a row. At one
place eight men were lying together and
in another one man was found under
mule, five mules in all being dead Story
says that the men were all lying in the
middle of the gangway with their faces
their heads completely and thus escape the
deadly smoke and gas. He could not be-
lieve they were dead, and turned them with
their faces up they could breathe. He
was soon satisfied, however, that they were
really dead. Nearly all the bodies were
found south of the burning breast.
John c. Story brother of NJ. D. Story,
was at work in the sixth level south when
a boy named Chapman gave the alarm
that Breast 62 was on fire. Story says he
tried to escape by the Greenriver and
auxiliary slope, but finding this impracti-
cable returned. He made up his mind that
he would go out via the May slope. Reach
ing the May slope he met others from the
sixth level south who were going on to
the north level to do what they could to
rescue their imprisoned comrades and he
joined them, working steadily for two and
half hours before coming to the surface
He thinks every man in line with the
deadly smoke was killed in two minutes
In the rescuing party from the south sixth
level was John r. Johns, a gas tester
who Is now numbered among the dead
His boy, Evan Johns, Is also dead. The
bodies Of father and son We're found lying
side by side, showing that the father had
remained in the gangway. until he had