The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-27
ROBERT MAULE In THE LIST
FOUR OF THE LIVING so BADLY IN
JURED THEY MAY DIE.
The Mine Improperly Ventilated. and
n Warning Explosion Had Oc-
Cured Only Last Sunday.
pscial to the indianapolis journal.

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slant death of at least ten men, fatally in
juring perhaps four others and badly in
juring a half dozen more. \ force of men
have been rescuing the victims ever since
the disaster and are stfll at work at mid
night Those known TO be dead are:
ROBERT MAULE. married, treasurer
Maule Coal Company.
JAMES RILEY, married
JOHN RILEY married.
JOHN ERNEST, married.
THEODORE FABER, married.
ROBERT PONYLITE, married.
JAMES PONYLITE,, his brother, visitor
to the mine.
JAMES KRUGY, single.
JOHN HOLMES, married.
Eight men were still alive when brought
up but four and possibly six are thought
to be fatally hurt. Their names are:
DAVID NOLAN. married, burned and
mangled.
JAMES TURNER, single badly burned
and bruised.
FRANK TURBIE, a mass of bruises and
burns.
WILLIAM BOOKER, colored. jaw brok-
en- one eye torn out burned and bruised.
- DAVIS, colored, slightly injured able
to walk.
WILLIAM GRILL, bruised, but able to
walk.
- COLGATE, severely injured may re-
cover.
UNKNOWN MAN, colored, mangled; still
alive.
There were at least twenty men in the
The rescuers set to work at once, but it
was some time before any news from below
was sent up, and then it was in the shape
of mangled and bleeding bodies. The men
were at work making repairs of damages
resulting from a similar explosion last
Sunday Besides the regular miners. black
smiths and others were assisting in the
work while Robert Maule. the treasurer
and mine superintendent of the company,
and a son of President John Maule, had
descended short time before to superin-
tend the work. His wife, crazed with grief,
was at the mouth of the mine a few min
utes after the explosion, and had to be re-
strained from throwing herself down the
shaft.
The mine is connected, 800 feet below, by
telephone to the office of the company. To
see the wives of the imprisoned men cling
ing to the Instruments. ringing and beg
ging their lost husbands to answer was
more than strong man could stand.
Frank Maule. brother of Robert, manipu-
lated the throttle while the dead and dy
ing miners were being hoisted to the
top in a bucket. He stood with a
grip on the throttle, tears stream
ing down his face, with his dead
brothers wife with her arms around his
neck talking to him, warning him TO be
brave and be careful. At o'clock Mrs.
Maule was taken to her home. but all the
dead had to be taken past her residence,
and every time the undertaker's ambu-
lance would pass the house the distracted
wife would rush out and want to examine
the remains.
MAULES BODY FOUND.
At 1880 o'clock tonight the rescuers
found Dave Nolan. James Turner. a
named Colgate, and a colored man. All
are barely alive, but hopes are entertained
that they will recover. This makes eight
who were not instantly killed. Search was
then contiued for others in the mine. Ten
minutes later Treasurer Maule's body was
found and brought up while friends vainly
attempted to hold back his weeping
wife from sight of the mangled and
burned form.
The escape of eight of the twenty men
| from instant death is almost inexplicable.
when it is considered that the heavy cages
were blown from the bottom of the shaft
to the top of the house, over 500 feet above,
by the force of the explosion. These cages
were wrecked SO they were useless, and an
iron bucket was improvised for rescuing
party as soon as possible after the accident
The first persons brought up were Turoie,
| Grill and the two colored men, Davis and
Booker. The first was badly burned and
was carried TO an ambulance. Grill and
! Davis were apparently uninjured, and
walked off, saying they were all right.
Booker was cut and burned and had to be
supported Afterward it was found his jaw
was broken and one eye torn from it's
socket. All were given medical attention
by a corps of physicians.
Then the rescuing party began TO bring
| up the dead. The scenes around the mine
were most pathetic. Wives were weeping
piteously in anguish that the crowd vainly
| tried to alleviate. Mothers. daughters,
sons and other relatives of the men in the
mine. with blanched faces. stood wringing
their hands and, with the greatest diff
Guilty. some were kept from going down the
| shaft.
Slowly the work of bringing the bodies to
the surface proceeded all evening. 1t is
hardly to be doubted that the men still In