The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-07-25
FRIGHTFUL FATE.
A Pennsylvania Colliery the Scene
of a Terrible Tragedy.
Eight Men Blown to Pieces by the Explosion
OF Two Hundred Sticks OF Dynamite
Agonizing Scenes Mt the Mouth
of the Shaft.

hAZELTON, IA, July lo.-lne lnOSl
horrible accident which has ever oc
Cured about the mines in this region
took place at No. yesterday morning.
Two hundred sticks of dynamite ex'
ploded among crowd of men who were
preparing to go to their days work.
All of these unfortunates were scat
tered and torn into fragments. The ex,
act number killed is not positively
known at this writing, but it is placed
between eight and eleven.
The true cause of the explosion will
never be known, as none of the men are
living.
The men were descending the slope
at the time and distributing themselves
in the various chambers and gangway
where they are employed at the bottom
of the slope. Charles O'Donnell, who
looked after the explosives and supplies
of the leaders and other company work
men, was dealing out dynamite and
caps to the leaders and the starters.
The latter came to him in groups usu-
ally, and between eight and ten Of
these worlSmen were standing about
him at the time.
The driver boys were cleaning and
Harvesting their teams in the stable,
about 100 yards from the bottom of the
slope. These boys were the only per-
sons who were in the vicinity at the
time, and the first intimation of an
accident they received was the terrific
report of the explosion. Although the
explosion took place three hundred
yards below the surface the shock was
felt over an area of surface extending
three miles south and in the adjoining
mine, No. ? Stockton.
Men and women foclled about the
dark slope mouth in hundreds. Wives
and sweethearts of the unfortunate
men ran aimlessly about crying for aid
and for their loved ones. Rescuing
parties were formed Immediately. A
number of miners were lowered into
the pit and on the return cage assembled
the men and boys who had escaped the
terrible catastrophe. They were Gag
erly besieged by anxious friends, butto
the friends of the men still below they
could offer no consolation. kilograms
were sent TO Hazleton and surround
ing towns Many of the men employed
in No lived at Hazleton and the re-
port created great excitement in that
city. Crowds of people hastened TO the
slope and added to the excitement
which was already agonizing. Super
intendent Rodericli was early ON the
scene and with party of miners de-
scended and the work of collecting the
remains commenced. From time TO
time men came up from below to get
fresh air and revive their spirits.
The work was too sickening for them
TO continue. With the arrival of each
man from below the excitement became
Standing about the open
ing to keep the people back were guards.
1t was 10 o'clock before the workmen
got the remains of the victims suffic-
iently together to arrange for hoisting
them TO the surface. Eight rough boxes
were taken down the slope. From the
mouth of the opening high trestle
work extends TO the tower OF the break
er. AS the remains were too mutilated
for the friends OF the unfortunate men
to recognize them, it was decided to
hoist the boxes to the top of the tower
and then carry them from there TO the
railroad thus keeping them away from
the crowd.
II was II o'clock before the first black
box was hoisted slowly up the slope
and as it emerged from the darkness a
loud wall from the relatives arose The
scene was heartrending in the extreme.
II was repeated until the last Of the
victims was taken out at noon. Charles
0Donnell was the only one who could
be recognized.
To learn the names of the others IL
was necessary to fird the living men.
Seven boxes were brought up con-
tanning the fragments of the victims,
so far as the portions of a body could
be recognized, while the eighth box
was filed with human flesh for which
no attachment could be found. The
names of the victims as furnished by
the mine foreman are:
Charles ODonnell, aRed 25, married,
Andrew SabOl, aged 3S, married
John PrimbOne, aged %, single.
John Keohled, aged 23 single.
Anthony Morcavitz, aged 25, married
John Krinock, aged %, married.
John MaetOfsh, aged ~, married.
John Brlzzon, aged %, single.