The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-24
PERISHED IN THE MINE.
GREATEST FIRE IN THE AN
THRACITE COAL REGION.

IdhAUllI OUAI h1QlUN,
Seventy Men and Boys Face Death at
Shamokin Because One Of Them
Disobeyed 0rders-Six Saved In a
Bucket-The Property Loss is
100000.
The most disastrous mine fire in the his
tory Of the anthracite regions Of Pennsylva-
mia started at the Luke FIdler colliery,
Ehamokin, from the naked lamp OF a
workman. Five persons were killed. They
were: Irwin Burlington, carpenter; George
Brown, miner Michael :Buzofiskie, laborer ;
Anthony Colbert, driver boy; John Gierze,
laborer. --.
Burlington, with number OF, other car
penters, was at work half way down the shaft
ealking up holes In the side of brattice, which
connects the shaft with the air passage. 1t
Is the rule, when doing this work, for the
men to use lanterns, but In this case the rule
was disregarded, and naked lamps were SUBJ
stftuted.
Detecting q leak, Burlington placed his
lamp to the draught, and the fame immedl-
ately caught the boards, which were saturat-
Cd with oil, and was taken into the air
chamber. Realizing the awful consequences
Of his act, the man at once started for the
bottom OF the shaft to notify the workmen
employed there Of their danger, his compan-
Ions, In the meantime, rushing up the shaft
to safety.
When Burlington had notified the work
men below he stopped to exchange his
rubber boots for pair Of shoes, and the
delay In doing this cost him his life.
Burlington staggered to within thirty feet
Of the door of the passageway. which led to
tho open air. but here he was overcome by
smoke and fell. His body was found next
morning. The other bodies were In the
mine.
Michael Colder, one OF the inside officials.
was at the bottom or the shaft when the
alarm was given, and he at once notified the
more performed like duty for those en-
pioyed In No. slope. Golden told the men
Of an opening by which It was possible to
reach a new shaft, and leading the way for
the seventy men employed In this portion OF
the mine Golden made for the passage,
which was safely reached, although It was
nearly filed with smoke.
The iron bucket used to hoist the men
holds about six persons. This was quickly
nllsd, and in response to the frantic signal
given BY those below the engineer began to
hoist. Nearly ten trips had been made when
II was discovered that number were MISS
ing, among them David Edmonds and Harry
Evans. They had succeeded In get
ting half way up the old shaft when he
smoke forcedthem back. The travelling ,7ay
10 the east of the shaft was then tried With
better success, although the smoke was very
strong. When nearly half way to safety,
Evans, who is but boy, gave out, and to
save his young comrade from certain
death, Edmunds picked him up and sue
eeeded In reaching the open air.
Two miners, whose names could not bo
obtained, seeing that escape through the old
SHAFT was impossible, and that their retreat
In the direction OF the new one was covered
with smoke, groped their way back further
and succeeded In reaching in safety an
opening which came out on top ofthe noun
tain ,s .|
Several other men ran toward the Coal
Bun workings and made their escape In that
direction. Among the last to escape from
No. 8 slope was Hungarian, who e1citedly
,old the men at the bottom OF the new shaft
ing to be hoisted that there were three or
four fellows overcome by the smoke while
getting out OF the workings, and that they
Wsre nearly dead. -
Somebody suggested that party be
formed to go back and rescue them, but It
was clearly seen that the course would be
suicidal, 30 1t was abandoned, and the suf-
1erers were left to their fate.
surface and an enumeration had been made
Il was found that four workmen, In addition
to Burlington, were missing.
When the report OF the disaster reached
Springfield and Shamokin men, women and
children, who had relatives working at the
mfnes rushed to thescene and soon the air
was .d1led with thelamentatians Of those who
sought their dear ones.
The fire had been scarcely started min
ute before up through the air passages shot
Q sheet Of flame twenty feet high. In three
minutes the fan house was q mass of black
! ened cinders. The flames by this time were
creating havoc with the workings below,
and In addition to the timbers. which were
nearly all on fire, the beds of anthracite
:Were beginning to ignite, and the whole
mine In the vicinity OF the bottom OF the
shaft was soon seething furnace.
-! The Shamokin Fire Department began
,ouring water into the mine within an hour
alter the fire started, but without any per-
eeptible effect. Outside Foreman Francis
Kohlbreaker, accompanied by number oi
men, went inside to see II It was possible to
re. out the thirty mules, and it was not un.
m Kohlbreaker and several OF his COM
panions had been overcome by the smoke
that the plan was given up. All the animals
are dead.
One thousand men employed at the Luke
, Fidler Colliary and another thousand were
/ given employment at the Gimlet and Hickory
Ridge colleries. These men will be idle for
many months. The latest plan adopted by
the officials to quench the fire is by pump
ing all available water into the mines, and
thus drowning 1t out. This, however, will
take months to accomplish, and 1t Is safe to
say that this valuable coal operation is prac-
t1caily ruined, entaillng a loss Of about
ann nm