The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-11-03
MINERS ARE KILLED
EXPLOSION In A MINE AT SOUTH
WILKESBARRE, PA.
Four Men Are Known to Have Been
Killed and Two Rescuers Lose
Their Lives, While Twelve other
Mfners Are Missing and Are Tn
doubtedIy Dead-The Explosion
Caused by Blast

Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct. 31.-A terrible
explosion of gas occurred III No. b
miEe of the Lehigh & Wilkesbarre
Coal company in South Wilkesbarre,
and six men are known to be dead and
two injured 1t is hot yet known how
many men were in the mine at 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 K. 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 mine damp,
are: Thomas Owens, MINER married
ahd family; William Lacey, rock
miner, married and family; James
Heron, 1aborer, married and amilyj
Joseph Worth fire boss, married and
family.
The injured so far 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
GIIDIOy0u III Tic I1IlIC. I1uU tDCy u1A
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. It is believed the gas was
1(xy h CT David Villa
the driver boss, was at the head Of the
slope, 800 feet away, Whom the eX+
plosion occurred and was huflad 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 off and all the airWays we e
wrecked and blown away. The "a m
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-rCnd-
ing.
Rescuers Meet Death
The work Of organizing rescue gangs
was at once began. 1t was Il perilouS
undertaking, as the sequel proved, but
no man faltered The fire boss, Will
lam Il. Jones, and the assistant mine
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
We're removed to the surface, but the
old fire boss, William Jones, succumbed
to the fire damp and died in nalf an
hour. John Joseph the other hero be-
came separated from the first party,
and the second reScuing party found
his body and removed ii to the s;ir-
face A number of company men who
worked in different part OF the lnine
reached the surface by the No. 3 shaft
and also by another opening. 1t is not
thoUg ut possible to reach the four men
in t rock tunnel until the air cur
rents are opeHed.
Supt laval and other officials of
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
a temporary air current while the work
or rescue was III progress. LdWall ne
lieves 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 f. Jones. is slowly making
it's 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
liery, eight men were imprisoned and
died before they could be reached by
the rescuing party.