The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-11-06
MINERS ARE KILLED
EXPLOSION IN A NINE AT SOUTH
WILKESBARRE, PA.
Four Men Are Known to Have Beea
Killed and Two Rescuers Lose
Their Lives, While Twelve Other
Miners Are Missing and Are Yin.
=. doubtedly Dead-The Explosion
Caused by q blast.

Wilkesbarre, Pa., Oct. 31.-A terrible
explosion of gas occurred In No. 3
mine of the Lehigh 4 Wilkesbarre
Coal company in South Wilkesbarre,
and six men are known to be dead and
two injured. 1t is not yet known how
many men were in the mine Mt the
time Of the explosion, but twelve are
reported missing, and it Is believed all
Of these have persisted. The dead who
have been brought to the surface are
William X. Jones, fire boss, married
with family: John Joseph, mine fore
man, with wife and five children. 9th
ers known to be dead. but who cannot
be reached because of the niue damp,
are: Thomas Owens, miner, married
and family; William Lacey, rock
miner, married and family; James
Heron, laborer, married and amily;
Joseph Worth, fire boss, married and
family.
The injured so fur as known are:
David Williams, overcome by black
damp and injured back; John Davis,
overcome by black damp. The cause
of the explosion will possibly never be
known. The mine was idle to-day.
Usually there are from 400 to 500 men
employed in the mine. Had they all
been at work when the explosion oc-
CURED the loss Of life would have been
fearful. The only men in the mine
this afternoon were the company men
and fire bosses, who were ut work in
the rock tunnel changing the air
course. The place was very gaseous,
and the men worked with safety
lamps 1t is believed the gas was
ignited by blast. David Williams,
the driver boss, was at tue head Ut the
slope, 500 feet away, when the ex-
r]osion occurred, and was hull ed some
distance and injured. He was the only
one IN that vicinity who escaped alive.
The explosion was SO severe that it
was plainly felt at the mouth of the
shaft. The roof of the fan house was
blown of and all the ailways Wee
wrecked and blown away. The 4 IL IN
was promptly given, and hundreds Of
men, women and children rushed to
the head Of the shaft. The grief Of the
women who had husbands. sons or
brothers in the mine was heart-rynd-
ing.
Rescuers Meet Death.
The work Of organizing rescue gangs
was at once began. 1t was Il perilous
MAMMA 0An1ASS as lhC SC4uc1 EGOtCu, Uut
no man faltered. The fire boss, Will
foreman, John Joseph, selected the
men for the first party, aid themselves
led the way. All were overcome by
the dread afterdamp, but not until
they had found the 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, William Jones, succumbed
to the fire damp and died in MALT an
hour. John Joseph, the other hero, be-
came separated from the first party.
and the second rescuing party found
his body and removed it to the sur.
face. A number of company men who
worked in a different part of the mine
reached the surface by the No. s shaft
and also by another opening. It is not
thought possible to reach the four men
in the rock tunnel until the air cur.
rents are opened.
the company were on the scene early
and did all in human power to aid the
men below. Large streams of water
We're sent down the shaft to establish
q temporary air current while the work
y, sSuS was Al progress. laval ne
neves there may yet be six men in
side, but an old miner insists there are
twelve. 1t is the general suposition
that all are dead. A rescue party of
twelve men, in charge of Mine fore
man John +. Jones. is slowly making
its way to the rock tunnel and build
Ing an air passage the entire distance
to insure safety. The mine damp is
very bad. and the work of rescue is
progressing at great risk.
On March 2, 1890, in this same col
liely, eight men were imprisoned and
died before they could be reached by
the rescuing party.