Evening journal., 1895-10-08

Damp Into the Shaft Only Go Find Fit
teon Ilfeiess Bodies--The Party Had Been
Shut In and killed by the Explosion.
wItKEsBARRE, Pa. Oct s.-A terrific
explosion OF gus occurred in the Dorrance
nine operated by tho Lohigh Valley Coal
company which Is situated IN the north
western part OF the city.
IL Is thought that the number of VIC
Tins viii number 80. All night long the
rescucrs worked, and finally, at 2:l5 o. clock
this morning, came across the main body
Of the mon who were In the mine. Every
man was dead The exact number Of.
bodies found has not yet been learned
AT S O'Clock last night Ave men, all
badly burned were brought TO the sur
face They are.
Robert Blanchard, aged 80; William
Miller aged 2i; Michael Moss, George
Lady and Joseph Murphy.
Tho first two are members of the en-.
gineer corps Moss and l.nfy are labor
ers and Murphy Is driver. Miller and
Blanchard are so badly burned that they
cannot live.
Blanchard gave his version of the ex-
plosion 60 reporter rs nc lay on a cot in
the hospital. shortly before o'clock tho
engineer corps decided to mako survey
of portion Of the old abandoIed work
ings known as the Baltimore section and
which underlics the grounn of the Wilkes
barre Baseball club, ono i1ilo distant from
the main opening of the mine. Tho
party, which was in charge of Firo Boss
Daniel Reese, who Is an expert ON mine
gases, consisted of William Jones, William
Cahill and Llewellyn Ovens. blanchard
q. a..
work that had been started in the morn
ing. About 10 minutes aftor the party
had left Miller and Blanoharr- he axplo-
sion occurred. Both Miller anIBlanc hard
were knocked down by It's force. Flying
timbers also struck Miller breaking both
his arms.
After being knocked down Mil en- and
Blanchard remembered nothing unt 81 they
were revived at the hospital. Blanchard
thinks one OF the engineers, or probably
the fire boss, set fire 10 body Of gas In
the old workings and that all Of the party
must have been instantly killed.
When blanchard was found, he " as be-
ing slowly roasted to death. The gls had
sot fire 60 his clothes, and they had becn
almost burned of his body when tlss res
cuers came upon him. Miller, wiki his
broken arms, could render him no q ssist-
ance, and Blanchard was so pinm I'd by
debris that he could not make use q ( his
hands
At0 O'Clock Moss, Iany and Murphy
were brought TO the surface. Ther TOO,
were badly burned and were taken to the
hospital
Fire Damp Delayed Rescuera
At midnight the rescuors had made
N.Iras AZ .sI.a
roach the scene of the explosions Fire
damp made its appearance shortly after
o'clock, and IL was necessary 20 do consid-
erable brattico work, which proceeded
very slowly.
There is q strong suspicion also 'shat the
explosion caused heavy fall in the old
workings, and that this viii further re-
tard the work of the rescuers TO is now
admitted by the mno officials the there
is no hope OF finding the ongineer corps
alive
They all perished in the cNpios ion, and
II they were not killed outright they were
suffocatod by the fire damp. Il he super
intcndont Is Of tho opinion that they
were killed by the force Of the explosion
and their bodies probably bu1 ned TO n
erisp. All but eight miners an laborers
hnye now been accounted for Whether
these oight perished with tho engineers
will not be known until later.
superintendent Chase thinks, however,
chat tho list Of dead will not number
more than seven or eight. Thcso may be
put down as follows.
William u. Jones, mining engineer,
aged 2l, OF Wilkesharre.
william Cahill, mining engineer, aged
20 OF Wilkesharre.
llewollyn Owens mining engineer,
aged "a, of Pittston.
Daniel Davis fire boss, aged 3S.
Thrso unknown men, probably Hun
garian laborers
AT midnight 10 was said at the hospital
that Miller and Blanchard were resting
easily, but little hope is entertained for
their recovery.
Michael Moss one Of the injured min
ars, died at the hospital at I o'clock this
morning.
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