The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-10-08
ANOTHER Mine HORROR
Terrific Explosion Of Gas Under
Wilkesbarre, Pa.
EIGHT NEE PROBABLY. KILLED.

-Four 0thsrs Seriously injured, Two Of
whom, II Il Feared. VIII Die-Tho
Cause Of tho Acoidont VIII Probably
Never be Known.
wnxEsBARnE, Pa. Oct Shortly after
B O'Clock last evening terrific explosion
Of gas occurred In the Dorrance mine,
operated by the Lehigh Valley Coai com
pany, which is situated In the northwestern
part OF tine city. 1t is not yet known how
many men were In the mine. The officials
are very reticent, and II is almost impossi-
bio TO get any information from the levels
OF the earth where the resouers are at work
Az 8 o'clock five men, all badly burned,
were brought to the surface. They are:
Robert Blanchard, aged 10 years; William
Miller, aged 81; Michael Moss, George
I.afiy and Joseph Murphy. The first two
are members of the engineer corps. Moss
and Lafly are laborors, and Murphy is n
driver. Tho injuries of Moss were so &C.
rious that he died at the hospital at ]
O'Clock this morning. Miller and Blnnch.
ard are so terribly injured that they cannot
survive.
Blanchard gave his version Of the explo-
sion TO reporter as he lay on a cot in the
hospital. According to his statement,
shortly before 8 o'clock the engineer corps
decided to make survey OF o portion OF
tho old abandoned workings known as the
Baltimore section, and which underlie the
grounds of the Wilkesbarre Baseball club
one mile distant from the main opening OF
the mine. The party, which was in charge
Of Fire Boss Daniel Reese, who is an OK.
pert on mine gases, consisted Of William
Jones, William Cahill and Llewellyn
Owens. Blanchard and Miller were left
behind to finish some work that had been
started in the morning.
About twelve minutes after the party
had lefu Miller and Blanchard the explo'
sion occurred. Both Miller and Blanchard
were knocked down by its force. Flying
timbers also struck Miller, breaking both
his arms. After being knocked down
Miller and Blanchard remembered moth
ing until they were revived nt the hosf ital
Blanchard thinks one of the engineers, OF
probably the fire boss, set fire to body oi
gas In tho old workings and that all OF
tho party must have been instantly killed
When Blanchard was found he was be
ing slowly roasted to death. The gas had
set fire 10 his clothes, and they had beer
almost burned of his body when the res
ouers cano upon him. Miller, with hi,
broken arms could render him no assist
anoe, and Blanchard was SO pinned dowr
By debris that he could not make use o
his hands.
At midnight the rescuers had made verI
little headway in their efforts to reach thu
scene of the explosion. Fire damp mad
Its appearance shortly after 8 o'clock ant
II was necessary to do considerable brat
tioe work, which proceeded very slowly
There is a strong suspicion also that th'
explosion unused heavy fall In the ole
workings and that this will further retart
tho work OF tho rescuers.
10 IL now admitted by the mine official
chat there Is no hope of finding the engi
neer corps alive. They all perished in the
explosion, and II they were not killed out
right they were suffocated by the fir
damp. The superintendent is Of the opin
aon that they wore killed by tho force o
the explosion, and their bodies probably
burned 10 a crisp. AL but eight minor
and laborers have now been accounted for
I. Superintendent Chase thinks, however
chat the list Of dead will not number NOR
than seven or eight. These may be pu
down as follows: William l.. Jones, min
ing engineer, aged 81, of Wilkesborre
William Cahill, mining engineer, aged 20
wilkesbarro; Llewellyn Owens, mininl
engineer, aged "a, Pittston; Daniel Davis
FIRE boss, aged 8s; three unknown men
probably Hungarian laborsrs.