The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-10-10
GREAT FIRE RAGING.
Luke Fielder Colliery, at Shamokin,
Pa, Ablaze as the Rusult of
Negligence.
ONE DEAD, FOUR ENTOMBED.
Fifty-fve Other Employees Have a
Thrilling Escape From an
Awful Death.
ONE DEAD, FOUR ENTOMBED.

SHAMoKIN, Pa, Oct. 10.-One work.
man dead and four others enclosed in
the mine with all avenues of escape cut
of, 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 a carpenters negligence. Fifty-fve
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
four men who are still missing have
been smothered before this, as all parts
of the big mine are certainly filed with
Smoke and Deadly Afterdamp.
The fire started in the airway of No.
shaft and Irving Burlington, whom the
colliery people hold responsible for the
disaster, is dead. His body was not
burned, as death was due to suffocation.
George Brown, miner, and his Polish
helper, Anthony Bobertick; Robert,
driver boy from Luke Fielder, and an
other Polish laborer whose name is not
known by the mine officials, are in the
mine and no hope is entertained of re-
covering them, The mine is now
mass of flames and cannot be ap-
preached from any direction. 1t is
feared that the inside workings will
have to be flooded, which means many
months Of idleness to the 900 employees.
Caused by Negligence.
Superintendent Morris Williams OF
the Mineral Railway and Mining com.
pany, informed an Associated Press
representative that while Irving Buff
fington, John Anderson, Jr., ana 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
air. A spark set fire to the timber, that
was as dry as powder, and the current
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 and
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. 8 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 vas destroyed by
the flames, the cries and means of the |
mothers, wives sist: =, 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 viii compel both mines to shut
down for year or more.