The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-10-11
GREAT fire RAGING.
Luke Fielder Colliery, at Shamokin,
Pa, Ablaze as the Rusult Of
j M ~
Negligence. -.
ONE DEAD, FOUR ENToMBED.
Nfty-tiye Other Employees Have a
Thrilling Escape From an
Awful Death.
ONE DEAD, FOUR ENTOMBED

man dead and four others enclosed in
the mine with all avenues of escape cut
Oh; and the most disastrous mine fire
ever known in the Western anthracite
coal fields, now raging at the Luke
Fielder colliery, is the result, in brief.
of q carpenters negligence. Fifty.five
other workmen who were employed in
the mine at the time of the accident.
had thrilling escapes. as they were com:
PEELED to grope their way through
smoke and noxious gases in order to
reach the fresh air and safety. The
foqr men who are still missing have
been snlothered before this, as all parts
Of the big mine are certainly filled with
Smoke and Deadly Afterdamp.
The fire started in the airway of No.
1shaft and Irving Burlington, whom the
co4iery people hold responsible for the
.dlAster, is dead. His body was not
SbIFned. as death was due to suffocation.
l1eorge Brown, a miner, and his Polish
helper, Anthony Bobertick; Robert, a
driver boy from Luke Fielder, and an
other Polish laborer whose name is not
u known by the mine officials. are in the
3nille and no hope is entertained of re-
Covering them,~ The mine is now a
mass of flames and cannot be ap-
preached from any direction. 1t is
feared that the inside workings will
haze to be flooded, which means many
mouths of idleness to the 900 employees.
Caused by Neglisence.
Superintendent Morris Williams of
the Mineral Railway and Mining com.
pahy, informed an Associated Press
Representative that while Irving Buf.
fiugton, John Anderson, Jr.. and others
were engaged in retimbering No.
shaft, the former disobeyed orders by
lighting his naked lamp in the air
course for the purpose of testing the
saiy A spark set fire to the timber, that
dry - powder. and thu zluxTent
carried the flames up and down the
saft like lightning. Burlington was
advised by his fellow workmen to make
good his escape, but he neglected the
warning and returned to the bottom of
the shaft in order to exchange his gum
boots for his shoes. This delay cost him
his life. Superintendent Williams.
Mine Inspector Brennan, Inside Fore.
man Heher and Arthur Kennedy aud
all OF the underbosses at the Fielder and
Cameron mines .,-
!; Formed Three Relief Parties
and entered the mine to rescue the 60
imprisoned workmen by way of the
coal run workings through No. air.
way, The latter opening proved god
send to the men, as it is to this channel
that most of them owe their escape,
The smoke spread through the inside
workings with great rapidity and
alarmed the men and boys doing night
duty in the mine While the. impris-
oned men were rushing through the in
side workings in search Of an airshaft
for an outlet, hundreds of their friends
gathered about the mouth of the shaft
and as the farmhouse was destroyed by
the flames, the cries and means of the |
mothers, wives sisters, and children Of |
the imprisoned employees sent chills
through the hearts Of many hardy
miners, who were waiting for an oppor-
tunity to assist their doomed comrades.
This mine connects with the Hickory
Swamp colliery of the Union Coal
company, and it if it has to be drowned
out, it will compel both mines to shut
down for year or more.