Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-08-30
THIRTY SEVEN DEAD
DISASTER IN A MINE IN WAsmyc
TON STATE.
An Explosion Of Gus Which KIN. -.
Miners Out of the O2 Imprisou.s
Many Nntionnlities Represent,
Among the Victims.

Seattle, Wash, Aug. 25.-Aterritic 90,
explosion occurred in Brest sixtv.tMss
on sixth level Of the Franklin minc w" ".
Franklin near this city this Afternoon
SiXty-two miners were imprisoned ami
thirty-seven We're killed. The fire was
soon extinguished and the work of tak s
ing out the bodies began. Ali were 20.
covered. Following is Il list of 7C..e dead
whose bodies have been recovered.
Frank Willis, colorcd, married; John
w. Pugh, Wich., married; Ed Maxwell.
colored, single; Il. w. Jones, coloraI
John Frantalli, Italian; Joe Dawson
English; H. Il. Roberts, colored; John
Irving, colored; Joe Cassell, italian.
Swede; Andy Engdahl, Swede; ANDY
Greer, colored; Joe L. Bessie, Italian.
Ike Clements. colored, married; .';te
Harri, Italian, single; Robert Mic.
Coskcy, Pole, single; Evan u. Jones
WEIGH, single; Peter Hay, Scotch, mar
ried; Louis Farr, Italian, single; Phil
de Mari, italian, married; John Stran
drige, American, single; John f. Jones
Welch, married; John Anderson. Swere
married; William Secor, American
married: John Morris. WEIGH
married; John Ball, English, single;
Chris bunker, American single; Charley
Strains, colored, single; Jacob Olson,
Swede, single; Evan Hughes, Wclch,
married; Rocco Tetti, italian, single;
d. D., Jones, Welch, married; a. ].
Jones, colored, married; w. H. Jones,
colored, single.
About half of the miners We're
negroes having been brought from the
east four years ago to replace the
strikers. The mine is owned by the
Oregon Improvement company, and
produces the best coal in the state Of
Washington. The damage to the mine
is not large.
Several men were badly bruised and
one colored man was taken out with a
broken neck, their wounds indicating
that they had thrown themselves
against posts and timbers Of the gang
way in a wild and desperate endeavor
to escape. But the majority of the
bodies bear no marks at all, not even
a scratch and their features were in
quiet repose, indicating that their death
had been aspeedy and painless one. As
soon as the alarm whistle sounded from
the engine house people began to crowd
around the mouth of the slope ana the
cry 1.-THE mine is on fire." quickly
spread throughout the town. Among
the first to reach the scene was Supt.
w. T. Ramsey. He tried to appear I'M
concerned, and as though he really did
not believe any lives would be lost
crowds of men, women and children
of both colors who lived near the track,
roundabout, becoming treasured at the
careless and good antured manner Of
the superintendent began to treat the
affair as huge Joke, laughing and jok-
ing each other. In short time, how
ever, word came for help and when the
superintendent called for volunteers to
20 into the mine there was great ex-
element. The work Of recovering
bodies then proceeded.
AS soon as the dead arrived at the
surface they were taken to the old
engine house where they were laid out
in rows on the floor, covering almost
every inch of space. The sight was one
that chilled the people with horror,
Thirty-seven men without scratch on
them, still dead. All had been lively
and happy few hours before, with
their families, their friends little dream
ing that death was near. The few who
escaped, upon reaching the surface
were greeted with cries Of joy, while
all the evening men were shaking each
others hands, happy that th' ere not
among the dead,