The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-04-23
A Blaze Which May Prove
Very Serious.
OFFICIALS ON TIE SCENE
Five Lines of Hose Fail to Make An
Street and as Last Resort the Course
of = Creek Is Turned Into the Mine.
Diagram Of the workings.

st. Nicholas colliery is attacked by fire
of the most stubborn kind and a very dis
astrous results is feared. The flames are
inside the mines and have thus far
thwarted all efforts at extinguishment
At two o'clock yesterday morning the
fireman in the boiler house caught on to
peculiar odor and upon following it
found that the source was at the head of
the hoisting slope, and was that of fire.
He at once gave the alarm and at the
same time sent one of his assistants down
the slope to ascertain the cause. The as
sistsnt soon returned and the colliery
alarm of fire was given by the whistle.
1t takes about blast and a half
to get the ordinary miner out of his bed
when he realizes that the blast is out of
the line of that which tells the watch
man of the hour, and, of course, the
whole OF st. Nicholas was soon upon its
feet
The fire had started in the pump house
in the second level (not counting the
water leveD of the hoisting slope. The
fire had already gained good headway
before the alarm was given. A general
alarm was sent out and many willing
hands responded. Connections were made
and five lines of hose were soon in play
Twelve men made the first descent to
make the hose connections and when they
returned to the surface their faces were
as red as a lobster's sides. The heat be-
low was intense and many of the men
more or less felt the effect of the gas.
Indeed, many of them vomited after re-
turning to the surface.
For fourteen hours the five streams of
water were kept pelting upon the raging
flames with no effect and finally it was
decided to turn into the mine the course
of the creek which flowed near the
tender slope, which is sunk at a con-
siderable distance west of the slope where
the fire ragged, but which was depended
upon as n channel to drown the mine
When a reporter visited the scene he
found many mine officials discussing
methods by which the flames could be
overcome and among them were John
Neith, of POttsville, general mine super
intendent for the z. & r. @. & L. Co ;
Mine Inspector William Stein, John j.
Davis, district superintendent William
Broughall, district superintendent Ed
ward COyle, inside foreman; William
Sauerbrey toutside foreman Rees Tasker
superintendent of the Gilberton district :
William Richards inside foreman of the
Boston Run colliery George Richardson
inside foreman of the Ellengowan col
liery Patrick Brennan, inside foreman
of the Suffolk colliery; James Mcdonald
inside foreman of Maple Hill Thomas
Lawrence, outside foreman of Bear Run ;
Ralph b. Platt, inside, and Samuel Platt,
assistant inside foreman of Bear Run !;
Jesse Major, outside foreman of Boston
Run, and Thomas Williams, outside
foreman at Ellengowan.
1t was not until 4:30 yesterday after
noon that the officials really became
anxious. 1t was then reported that seven
Of the breasts east of the slope were on
fire and that the flames probably ex-
tended to the ninth breast. Then it was
decided to run the creek into the mine
and try to drown the fire