Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-12-27
KILLED IN A NINE EXPLOSION
Deadly Firedamp Takes \ Number Of Vic
tins in Indiana.
MEN WERE AT WORK REPAIRING DAMAGES
Trcnsurcr OF the Company WINS Sup
crintendinG the Operation and
He Heads the List of
the Dead.
MEN WERE AT WORK REPAIRING DAMAGE

PRINCETON, Ind, Dec ga terrific
explosion of iiredamp occurred in the mine
Of the Maule Coal company, this city, at
$3.50 this afternoon.
1t was at first thought twelve men had
been killed in the mine, but when Dave
Nolan and James Turner and man named
Colgate and a colored man were taken out
alive just before midnight. it was thought
that the death list would be reduced to
eight or nine. The work of the rescuers
continues during the night, and will be kept
up by relays continuously. Meantime the
scenes above the mine during the night he
come more sad as the hours go by. The
families of the missing men remain at The
mine waiting for the cages that come up
the shaft. Their demonstrations of distress
are heart-rending. The dead are:
ROBERT MAULE, married, treasurer
Maule Coal company
JAMES RILEY, married
JOHN RILEY, married.
JOHN ERNEST, married.
THEODORE FABER, married.
ROBERT PONYLITE.
JAMES PONYLITE. his brother.
JAMES KRUGY, single.
JOHN HOLMES, married.
The four men rescued are:
Will Grill, slightly bruised.
William Booker, colored, cut and bruised.
Frank Turbie, badly burned and may not
recover.
Davis, colored, slightly injured.
The men were at work making repairs of
damages resulting from a similar explosion
last Sunday. Besides the regular miners
and blacksmiths, others were assisting in
the work, while Robert Maule, son OF
President John Maue and treasurer and
mine superintendent of the company was
experimenting the work. The mine has
been in operation but a short time and the
air shaft is not quite completed, and the gas
which collects in a portion of the mine was
ignited by an open lamp.
NINE ONE YEAR OLD.
One year ago today Princeton was jubiiant
over the striking of a seven-foot coal vein
by the Maule company. But tonight many
homes are scenes of great sorrow, made so
by the awful explosion of gas in the mine.
When the mine began work the finest ma
chinery was put in and 1t was
the intention of the owners to make il
the finest in the state. The air shaft
was not started until after the mine lad
been prepared to operate Work has pro-
crossed slowly and there is still about ninety
feet to eXcavate before II is completed. Gas
has frequently accumulated in pockets and
several men have been burned by small *
plosons, About two months ago a serious
explosion occurred in which one man was
killed and Frank Turbie who was injured in
today's explosion, was injured. The STATE
mine inspector investigated and work went
on with small force. 1t was well known
that gas accumulated and there was no way
to dispel 1t yet. The miners went to their
daily work without thinking Of the danger
they were constantly in. Last Sunday jet
of gas was fired by blast and it burned
all night In the morning the descent Of
tIA /, 4, Il, To-. n
explosion occurred, but fortunately theIu was
no ona in the mine. Today about twenty
men were engaged in repairing the damage
done by the explosion. when the fredpmp
again let go with terrific force. this time
with deadly effect. The escape of four mCn
from instant death seems already miracle,
when it is considered that the huge cages
were blown from the shaft bottom to the top
house, over 500 feet above, by the force OF the
explosion. These cages were wrecked so that
they were useless and an iron bucket was i'm.
provised for a rescuing party as soon as
possible after the accident. The first per
sons brought up were Turbie, Grill and the
two colored men, Davis and Booker The
first was badly burned and was carried to
an ambulance. Grill and Davis were appar-
emily uniniured. Booker was cut and
burned and had to be supported Afterwards
it was found his jaw was broken and one
eye was torn from its socket. All were
given medical attention. Then the rescuing
party began to bring up the dead The
scenes around the mine were most pathetic
Weeping piteously in anguish were wives
whom the crowd yainly tried to comfort.
Mothers, daughters, sons and other relatives
OF the men in the mine with blanched faces
stood wringing their hands and some were
kept from going down the shaft with great
difficulty. Slowly the work of bringing the
bodies to the surface proceeded. Ii was be-
lieved that the men still in the mine ere
all dead and those above waited only for
thar dan1