Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-10-10
FIVE BURNED IN 4 MINE.
The Negligence of a Carpenter
 Caused the Disaster.
HIS NAKED LAMP FIRED THE GAS.
An Explosion In the Luke FIdIer CoiIiery Is Followed by the Most DIsastrous Firo In the History of the Pennsylvania Am thraeite Region


 SHANoKIN, Pa. Oct. fo.-The most dis istrous mine fire in the history uf tho an- .hracite regions of Pennsylvania started 1t the Luko Fidlcr collicry from tho naked amp of workman.
 Five persons arc known to be dead. They arc George Brown. miner; Irwin Burlington, carpenter; Michael Buzofis- kie, laborer; Anthony Colbert, driver boy, and John Gierze. laborer.
 The fro started in the air way of No. shaft, and Irwin Burlington, whom the solliery officials hold responsible for the disaster. Is dead. His body was not burn sd, us death was duo to suffocation. George Brown, a miner, and q Pole, Anthony Bobert, a driver boy from the Luke Fid- CT, and another Polish laborer. whose 1ame is not known by tho mine officials, Arc in the mine. and no hope Is entertain sd of recovering them. Tho mine is now | mass Of flames and cannot be approach s6 from any direction. It Is feared that ;ho inside workings will haye to Do food sd, which means many months of idleness 70 the 900 employees Superintendent Nor .is Williams of tho Mineral Railroad and Mining company informed n rcprcscnta- iivo of the press that while Irwin Bufling- 7on, John Anderson, Jr., and ottsrs wero .ngaged in rotimbcring No. snaft the .ormer disobeycd orders by lighting his naked lamp in tho air course for the pur- pose of testing the air. \ spark set fire to .ho timber, that was as dry as powder, and :he current carried tho flames up and town the shaft like lightning. Bufling- .on was advised by his fellow workmen to make good his escape. but he neglected to heed their warning, and ho returned to .he bottom of tho shaft in order to cx- change his gum boots for his shoes. This delay cost him his lifo. and his dead body was recovered in the tunnel today.
 Relief Parties Organized.
 Superintendent Williams, Mine Inspect or Edward Brennan, Inside Foremcn August Hehr and Arthur Kennedy and all of tho under bosses at tho Fidlcr and Cameron mines formed three relief par ties and entered tho mino to rescue the 50 imprisoned workmen by way of tho coal run workings through No. air way on tho mountain and down tho new shaft. Tho latter opening proved q gOdscnd to the men, as It Is to this channel the most of them owe their escape
 Tho smoke spread through tho insI!o workings with great rapidity and alarm cd the men and boys doing night duty in tho mine. While the imprisoned men wero rushing through the inside workings in search of m air shaft for m outlet hun | lrcds of their friends gathered about tho mouth of tho shaft. and as the fanhousc was destroyed by the flames the crics and moans of the mothers. sisters, wives and children of the imprisoned employees sent ChilIs through tho hearts of many hardy miners, who were awaiting for an oppor- tunity to assist their doomed comrades. Two of the men were overcome by the smoke while making their escape, but the | Coal Run rcscuing party succeeded in car ! rying them ont and restoring them to con | sciousncss. Tho gangs of wOFkmen can 1 not get to any point near the fro on ac- | count of the smoke and gas, SO that the flames cannot be fought with any success.
 It has been decided to drown out the
 Are but 1t will require six weeks to i'll the inside workings with water. Opera
 tions cannot be resumed at this mino fol
 at least two years. It employed 9OO men
 and boys and Its payroll averaged S2I,
 900 per month.