Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-11-06
NINE HORROR,
An Explosion Of Gas Costs
About Twelve Lives.
A TALE ONLY HALF TOLD
Two Of the Heroes Succumbeo TO
the Deadly Fire Damp, While
Searching for the Bod
les Of other
Victims.

A special despatch from Wilkes-barre,
Pa says "A terrible explosion OF gas &C.
Cured In No. 8 mine Of the Lehigh and Will
kes-Bsrre Coal Company, In South Wilkes
Barre, between / and 2 O'Clock Thursday
afternoon. Six men are known to be oeao
and three injured.
Il Is not yet known how many men were
in the mine at the time Of the explosion, put
u are reported missing and, 1t Ii believed
all Of them have persisted.
The cause Of the explosion will possibly
never be known.
The mine was idle for the day. Usually
there are from 400 to 800 men employed in
the mines. Had they all been at work when
the explosion occurred the loss OF life would
have been fearful The only men In tne
mine we're the company hands and the nrs
bosses, who were at work In the rock tunnel
changing the air course
David Williams, driver boss, was at the
head OF the slope, 500 feet away, when the
explosion occurred, and was hurled some
distance and injured. He was the only one
in that vicinity who escaped alive.
The explosion was SO severe that 1t was
plainly felt at the mouth of the shaft. The
roof of the fan house was blown oil and al
the airways and brattice inside were wrecked
and blown away. The alarm was promptly
given and hundreds Of men, women and
children rushed to the head of the shaft.
The grief OF the womankind, Who had hus-
bands. sons or brothers In the mine, was
heartrending.
The work Of organizing rescue gangs was
begun without delay. 1t was pertlous un'
dertaking, as the sequel proved, but no man
faltered. Fire Boss VIM. R. Jones and AS
sistant Mine Foreman John Joseph selected
the men for the first party, and themselves
led the way. All were overcome by the
broad aiter-damp, but not until they had
found Driver Boss David Williams
all except Joseph succeeded in reaching
the foot Of the shaft, and were removed to
the surface, but the old FIRE boss, Vim. r.
Jones, succumbed to the deadly fre-damp
and died In half en- hour after being brought
out despite the efforts of Drs. Stewart and
Petty, Eko did their utmost to revive him.
John Joseph, the other hero, became sepa'
rated from the first party, and the second
rescuing party found his body and removed
1t to the surface.
Superintendent laval and other officials
Of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company
were early on the scene anddid all in human
power to aid the men below. Large streams
of water we're sent down the shaft to estab
lish temporary air current while the wori
of rescue was in progress. laval believes
there may be six men inside yet, but an Ole
miner insists there are H. 1t Is the genera
supposition that all are dead.
On March g. 1890, in the same colliery
eight men were imprisoned and died 6efor'
they could be reached by the rescuing party
The accident occurred little after 2. d..
and was caused by an explosion OF gas. 4
feeder was ignited by the naked lamp oil
driver boy named Jameson, the coal was SO
on fire. and It was not extinguished until thu
mines were flooded.