The herald., 1896-12-27
Brings Sudden Death to Eleven
Workmen
FOUR OTHERS ARE INJURED
As the Dreadful Result OF Explosion Of
Fire Damp .
The Industry Over Which All Prince
ton Rejoices Proves Cause Of Hid
eous Disaster-Pitiful Scenes
Associated Press Special wire

PRINCETON, Ind, Dec. 26.-A terrific
explosion of fire damp occurred in the
mine of the Maule Coal company, this
city, at $3.50 this afternoon, and as re-
suit eleven or more men We're instantly
killed and four were wounded. One of
the four men taken out alive is danger
ously injured. Besides the dead bodies
recovered so far, five or six others, names
unknown, are dead in the mine. The
dead are:
Robert Maule, married. treasurer
Maule Coal company; James Riley, mar
ried; John Riley, married; John Ernest,
married; Theodore Fabre, married; Da-
vid Nolan, married; Robert Ponylite,
James Ponylite, his brother; James
Krugy, single; James Turn and John
Holmes, married.
The four men rescued are Will Grim,
slightly bruised; William Booker (col-
ored), cut and bruised; Frank Duryea,
badly burned and may not recover; -.
Davis (colored), slightly injured.
The men were at work making re-
pairs of damages resulting from a similar
explosion last Sunday. Besides the reg
ular miners and blacksmiths, other were
assisting in the work, while Robert
Maule, son of President John Maule,
was experimenting the work. The mine
has been in operation for short time,
and the air shaft Is not quite completed,
and the gas which collects in portions of
the mine was ignited by an open lamp. d
One year ago yesterday Princeton was
jubilant over the striking of a aseven-foot
coal vein by the Maule company. But
tonight many homes are scenes of great
sorrow, made so by the awful explosion
- fv%& i. x~,g,, y +
gan work the finest machinery was put
in, and it was the intention Of the own
ers to make it the finest in the state.
The air shaft was not started until after
the mine had been prepared to operate.
Work has progressed slowly and there
Is still about ninety feet to excavate be-
fore it is completed. Gas frequently ac-
cumulated in pockets, and several men
have been burned by small explosions.
About two months ago serious explos-
ION occurred. in which one man was
killed, and Frank Turbie, who was in
5ured in today's explosion, was injured
The state mine inspector investigated
and work went, on with a small force. 1t
was well known that gas accumuplated
and there was noway to dispel it, yet the
miners went to their daily work without
thinking of the danger they were con-
Htantly in. Last Sunday q jet of gas was
fired by a blast and it burned all night
In the morning the descent of the cages
forced gas to this jet and a terrific eX-
'plosfon occurred, but fortunately no one
was in the mine. Today about twenty
men were engaged in repairing the dam
age done by the explosion when the fire.
damp again let go with terrific force,
this time with deadly effect. The es-
cape Of q part Of the men from instant
death seems alomst a miracle, when it is
considered that the huge cages were
~ %,,,, ~, 81 i, 49,
OF the house, over five hundred feet
above, by the force of the explosion.
These cages were wrecked so they were
useless. and an iron bucket was impro-
vised for rescuing party as soon as
possible after the accident The first
persons brought up were Turbie, Gill
and, the coIored men, Davis and Booker.
The first was badly burned and was car
ried to aAsapbulance. Gill and Davis
were APPARENTLY uninjured Booker was
cut and burned, his jaw broken and one
eye was torn from its socket. Then the
rescIing party began to bring up the
dead. The scenes around the mine were
most pathetic, Weeping piteously in
anguish were wives, whom the crowd
tried vainly to comfort Mothers, daugh-
ters, 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 pro-
eeeded. 1t was believed that the men
still in the mine were all dead, and those
above waited only for their dead.
State Mine Inspector Fisher will ar
rive tomorrow to investigate the mat
ter.
TWO MEN SAVED.
1t was at first thought twelve men had
been killed in the mine, but Dave Nolan
and James Turner and a man named
Colgate and a. colored man were taken
out alive just before midnight. 1t is
thought now that the death list will be
reduced to eight or nine.
The work of the rescuers continues
during the night, and will be kept up by
relays continuously, but there have been
no more bodies found dead or alive since
midnight. Meantime, the scenes about
the mine during the night become more
sad as the hours go by.