The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-02-19
FIVE OF THE
VICTIMS DEAD
Dreadful Result of the West Bear
Ridge Explosion.
SEVEN MEN ARE INJURED {!
There Were Twelve Victims in All.
Four Are at the Miners Hospital.
No More Deaths Expected.
SEVEN MEN ARE INJURED /!

No mine accident in this section of the
anthracite region since the accident at
Raven Run, when ten men lost their
lives, has caused as much sorrow and
gloom as has been brought about by the
explosion at West Bear Ridge colliery,
near Mahanoy Plane, yesterday. Tue
hand of death is felt from Ashland to
St. Clair, and the accident is mourned as
most deplorable one. The people of
Mahanoy Plane feel the blow with Sc
verify and in gathering on the streets to
discuss the accident many gave way to
their feelings. The people of Girardville
are also deeply affected, as she loses one
of her best known and most popular
citizens, Thomas Durkin, by the accident.
Durkin was brother.in. law of ex
County Commissioner Bowes.
The dead men up to the present time
number five. They are Peter Greenbach,
St. Clair Benjamin Redding, Mahanoy
Plane; Thomas Durkin, Girardville;
Joseph Pitts, Preston Hill, and Peter
Kline, Ashland.
The injured men number seven, and are
Anthony Myers, William Goff, Edward
Davis, William Davis, Daniel Davis
William Mime and John Leamy. The
injured men are at the Miners Hospital
at Fountain Springs.
1t has been remarked as strange that so
many of the leading mine off .ials should
have reached the scene of the explosion
in so short a time after it occurred. They
were on the ground within three-quarters
| of an hour after the gas exploded. This
was due to coincidence. The officials
had engagements in the Inflated
and neighboring mines yesterday
morning and two of them were
actually in the mine when the eT-
plosion occurred not being more than
| 200 yards away from the seat Of the fire
and the place where the explosion is
| supposed to have taken place.
John Veith, general mining superin
tendent for the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron Company; John Skeath,
division superintendent; Rees Tasker,
| district superintendent, and Mine In
spector William Stein met at the st.
Nicholas colliery Office at about 9:35
yesterday morning and were just about
| to leave there for Maple Hill colliery when
they heard of the explosion at West Bear
Ridge, which occurred shortly after 9
O'Clock. The party Immediately drove to
the colliery and found that Myers Gotf,
Mime, Leamy and the two Davis had
been rescued alive. Two of them were in
the colliery stable Office and were slightly
cut about the head. Otherwise they
appeared to be all right. The others were
in more critical condition.
The party of officials went down the
slope and learned there were five men
missing. Several attempts had been
made to extinguish the fire, which origi-
mated in the north dip monkey from the
effects of the explosion, which occurred
at about breast No. 26, north dip, third
lift, or Immediately inside of the first
sectional tunnel crossing from one dip to
the other. Right over this sectional tunnel
tunnel is driven connecting the north and
south dips, as return airway common to
both dips. Finding that the efforts which
had been put forth gave no satisfactory
results in exIinguisling the fire the rescu
; lug party of wurkmen turned their atteD
:, lion TO recovering the bodies of Green
. Ibtch, Re idlng Durkin, Pitz and Kline,
The attempt to put out the fire was made
first because it was deemed necessary to
extinguish it in order to recover the
bodies. The latter attempt was made by
reversing the air current, which enabled
the workman to get into the north dip
monkey, with some difficulty, and they
found the bodies of Redding Greenbach
Durkin and Pitz in the order named.
The rescuing party pushed on its work
as the recovered bodies were taken out on
, stretchers by other men. Two additional
manways were opened to admit sufficient
air, and shortly after Kline's body was
found.
With the exception OF those of Redding
c and enbach, none of the bodies seemed
= to be burned much. Redding and Green
bach were burned about the head ant
face. The top of Durkin's head wa
lmissing. which was no doubt caused by
4 the concussiou following the explosion
All the bodies were more or less cut, bui
/ evidently more by conclusion than other
wise Kliue's body was stripped of all los
clothing and the boots were blown clear
of one of the other bodies When four
of the remains were recovered the heads
0 were raped in the shirts, the garments
having been forced up like balloons by
the concussion.
Superintendent Veith took persona
charge of the rescuiug party as soon as ne
e reached the mine and conducted the wore
?. until all the bodies were recovered
There were some additional explosions
just before the rescuing party started lt'
work. but they did not amount to much
Ft.. .ha L,dfao had hppn recovered