Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-08-30
A GAS EXPLOSION.
A Terrible One Occurs In the
Franklin Mine at Washington.
THiRTl.SEyEy MINERS KILLED,
trOllable-All the Bodies Recovered
The Affair Was at First
Treated ~ q Joke.

FRANKLIN, WASH, Aug. 25.-A terrific
gas explosion occurred on breast sixty
two, on the sixth level Of the Franklin
mine yesterday afternoon. Sixty-two
miners were imprisoned and thirty
seven were killed. The Rre was soon
extinguished and the work Of taking
out the bodies began. All were re-
covered. About half the miners were
negroes, having been brought from the
east four years ago to replace the
strikers. The mine is owned by the
Oregon improvement Co. and produces
the best coal in the state Of Washing
ton, The damage to the mine is not
large.
At 19:45 o'clock o fire was noticed by
some Of the drivers on the sixth north
level and notice was given to the men
inside, who were working in different
places, some in the breast about the
level and others along the gangway.
as soon Us IL was known that thero
was fire, many Of the men in the
gangways rushed back to notify the
MINERS farther m while Others rushed
out and reached the main smart II
IS certain tnat all inc men IN inc
breast reached the gangway IN safety.
In oil about seventy men were at
work IN inc sixth lever north, ana OF
.hat NUMBER about iorty fingered AZ
breast SIX, where the tire originated,
and made an attempt to put out the
nre. Inc breast was burning nerceiy'
ana peiore tne miners knew II the nre
naa communicated 70 breasts Sixty ana
slx'y-one ana pegan 10 issue from
pfeasl sixty-ohe IN that iihmeoiate
vicinity, several OF those VINO fingered
~ 'he burning preast slx'y''wo .ook
warning ana ped' ou' aiiwnoremaineo
were overcome ana aspnyxiatea' :,
~ IL evioent that az the men hao
time 70 come out ior tnose az work In
safety wh;le tbosa Who wsre naorest
the shaft and conseopentlv m ore 70.
moved from danger ner;shed Tbev
evidently believed thew were in no rfect
safety at thc Ara hut wb,le thev lin.
oered tho SMOKE ooyed ont from some
outside nlace further south and tha
bodies ware ali found south ~ breast
s;xtv.two Tbev ,yara ali fonnd alopg
within a snace - soo taat
AZ soon rs Tho alarm whistle sorndod
from tbe engine house neonle heran IN
crowd around the mouth Of the slonf
and the crv. "the mine Is ON Are
ouicklv snread throuvhout the town
Among the t,rst 10 reach tbe SCENE yas
Sunerintendent W r Ramsey He
tried to onncar unconcerned and as
tbo,,ob bo really did not believe any
lives would he fost Int oro,vds ~ man
women and cbildron Of hotb oolors
who livad near tha tracl, rorrdahout
hecom;no raassrred NJ the core,oss and
ooodnatnred manner of the sunerin.
tendent beoan @ trcat the affair as n
buge iore laucbing and iolring eaoh
other
In a short TINA ho,vevor vora came
for boln ard ,hsn ,vben tbe sune,;r
tandort aallsd tor voi,,n,aars 20 rp into
ia nina thore ,ras Graat ovc,,emor, p XII,
Tho erst man n volrntssr ,ras cooroo
W smallev n nonro who Yyi,h tSo
others was loyered down the ion.
Foot slone 10 tbe siytb le,el Tbere he
,sa, ,.a, fmaa, .,,a s;vth lorol sa,,,h
~ W. ,,a,a an,nn a., ,hau oo,,d 81 vac
o,,o ,,,ar an tha narth s;da ot,ha cana
,.,i o.ha ,,',,a,.s M VS. ,s ,,',,,. ~ as,',, w s.n,,,
~ 49, s,,uf,aa and tasnd tho hodu - tha
s.s. "s ,nar I T., ,ha aan'n,a', ,hoy. ooo
saat H. ,non, .ho sia,,e 1e Wy
iee. III iioli Wv .,op''
une urFVal oI tne ooay on the sur
face was the first lntimatlon TO themen
and women and children on the surface
that any one had met death. Conse-
ouently when the body was carried
awav there was n wild scramble tn Ais,
aora, ,,s ,dont;tv When /, vos sornJ
e. ~. s.s,,,ans w ,soso has,aaad ,,,,,h emns
tions from mothers, fathers and chill.