The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-10-10
FOUR MEN
MISSING.
The Fire at Luke Fidler COlliery
Beyond Control.
SOME THRILLING INCIDENTS
Efforts Of a Rescuing Party to Save the
Men in the Mines Were UnSucceSS-
ful-Origin of the Fire.

Special to EVENING HERALD.
SHANoKIN, Oct. 1O.-The fire in the |
Luke Fidler colliery continues raging |
with great fury and it is feared that |
nothing short of flooding of the mine
will extingui3h the flames. Even that |
resort may prove of no benefit and the |
mine may be totally destroyed, as the |
flames have secured great headway and
are spreading rapidly throughout the
workings.
Four men have lost their lives by the
fire. A fifth barely escaped death and
was only rescued after efforts of the most
heroic character on the part of Superin-
| tendent Morris Williams and Mine In
spector Edward Brennan.
The men who met their deaths were
Irwin Burlington, a carpenter; John Girze
and George Brown, laborers and Anthony
Robert, a driver, the latter being but six
teen years of age.
The fire was first started at about S
o'clock on Monday night, but the true
situation of affairs was not realized until
several hours afterwards. Even after the
| fire started the man who was responsible
for it, Burlington, did not appreciate the
real danger until he returned to the mine
| for his tool box and then he lost his life
The first report that the fire was caused
by the explosion of a mine lamp was not
correct. 1t was caused by the use of a
naked lamp by Burlington when working
in the.midst of very dry timber, and was
gross carelessness on the part of the
workmen, as lanterns had been supplied
for the work.
A gang Of men were at work repairing
the wood work of a subterranean shaft,
which is about two hundred feet deep and
located about three hundred yards from
the main shaft, which is sunk from the
surface 1t was at this subterranean
shaft that the fire started.
1t is quite clear that the naked lamp
on Bufington's cap ignited the dry timber
in the shaft, but he did not discover the
fire until after he came out to the main
shaft, changed his boots and went back
for his tool box to go to work at another
place.
| As Burlington was returning to the in.
side shaft he was met by dense clouds of
smoke, but he forged ahead until he
reached his tool box, which he placed
upon his shoulder and started out for the
main shaft as fast as his burden would
allow. 1t would seem that the unfortu-
nate man Travelled some distance, when
he realized that death was oyertakiug
him and tossed the box from his shoulder
and started to run with all his might.
1t was too late, however, as he did not
proceed far before he succumbed to the
smoke and sank to the ground, dying
from suffocation. His body was recovered
about an hour later.
Meanwhile the watchman of the colltery
: had given the alarm and all but five OF
the fifty or sixty men at work in the mine
reached the surface without injury.
Superintendent Morris Williams and
Mine Inspector EdW ard Brennan were
among the first on the scene after the
alarm was given, and they headed a
rescue gang with the intention of reach
ing the inside shaft. After travelling
tsome distance from the main shat
Messrs. Williams and Brennan found the
p ostrate body of miner named Evans
The man was barely alive The Super
intendent and Inspector personally
picked up the victim and carried him tt
the main shaft and after about an hours
work succeeded in restoring the man t.
consciousness. He is still alive, but in {
very critical condition.
The rest of. the rescuing gang pushed
on towards the burning shaft until they
found Buffington's body. They were un
able to go beyond this point and wer,
obliged to retire and leave the other foui
men inside to their fate,
Burlington was beyond all human aiC
when he was found. He had beer
, smothered to death by the smoke from
the burning timber.
Men who succeeded in escaping from
the mine say the flames rushed up anC
down the subterranean shaft with tire
mendous fury, burning every stick o
timber in their flights. The head gear
ing pulley and ventilating fan which
were at the top of the inside shaft drop
ping to the bottom burning mass.
The smoke from the burning timberi
has almost filled the entire workings Of
the colliery and it is with great difficulty
that men can get within several hundred
feet of the place where the fire started
Up to this time there have been no ex
periences with mine gases, Search fol
D the missing men is utterly impossible.
A large force of men are at work max
ing arrangements to extinguish th'
flames They are making efforts to ge
oulm forward to the two bore holes whicl
lead to the workings from the surface t
the top of a subterranean slope on eithel
side of the inside shaft, 1t is intended