Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-30

Wilkesbarre, Pa, October pa ter
rible explosion of gas occurred in No.
mine OF the Lehigh and Wilkes barre
Coal Company, in South Wilkerbarre,
between one and two O'Clock this after
moon. SIX men are known to be dead
and two injured. Ii is not 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 perished. The dead who
have been brought to the surface are:
VIM. R. Jones, fire boss, married, with
family.
John Joseph, assistant mine foreman,
wife and five children.
Others known TO be dead, but who
cannot be reached because Of the mine
damp, are:
Thomas Owens, miner, married and
family.
VIVA. Lacey, rock miner, married and
family.
James Heron, laborer, married and
family.
Joseph Worth, fire boss, married and
family.
The injured so far as known, are:
David Williams, overcome by black
damp and injured in back and side.
John Davis, overcome by black damp.
The cause Of the explosion viii pOssi-
bly, never be known. The mine was
idle for to-day. Usually there are from
400 to 500 men employed in the mine.
Had they all been at work when the
explosion occurred the loss of life
would have been fearful. The only
men in the mine this afternoon were
the company hands and fire bosses, who
were at work in the rock tunnel chang
ing the air course.
Among those at work in the tunnel
were:
Thomas Owens, VIM. Lacey and James
Worth. The place was very gaseous
and the men worked with safety lamps.
Il is believed the gas was ignited by a
blast. David Williams, the driver boss,
was at the head of the slope, $50 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 cXnln>'on was so severe that II was
plainly f.lt at the mouth of the shaft.
The roof of the fan house was blown OF,
and all the tir-ways and brattices inside
were wrecked and blown away. The
alarm was promptly given and hundreds
of men women and children rushed TO the
shaft The grief of the womenkind who
had husbands. sons or brothers in the mine
was heartrending.
The work of organizing rescue gangs
was begun without delay 1t was peril
Gus undertaking. as the sequel proved but
no man faltered. Fire boss William X.
Jones and assistant mine foreman John
Joseph selected the men for the first
marty and themselves led the way. All
were overcome by the dread after-damp'
but NOT until they had found driver boss
David Williams. All except Josephs sue
ceeded in reaching the foot Of the smart
and were removed to the surface, but the
old fire boss, VIM. r. Jones, succumDed
IN the deadly fire damp and died in halt
an bour after being brought out, despite
tho efforts of Drs. Stewart and Petty VINO
did their utmost to revive him. Johh
Iosepb. the other hero, became separated
from the first party. and the second rescu-
ing party found his boa; and removed 1t
n the surface at 2:3O o'clock. hummer
of company men. who work in diiierehu
mart Of the mine. reached the surface by
the No. ; shaft and also by another open
ing It was not thought possible to reach
the four men in the rock tunnel until the
air currents are opened.
superintendent laval and another OIL
ciol If the I.ehigh and Wilkesbarre Com
,anv were early on the scene. and did all
in human power to aid the men below
Torga streams of water were sent down
tho shaft to establish a temporary air
current while the work Of rescue was IN
,,roqress. laval believes there may yet
bo civ men inside. but an old miner insists
tbora are twelve. 1t is the general sup
,,oeition that all are dead. A rescue party
of twelve men. in charge of mine foreman
Tobn +. Jones. is slowly making way 10
tho rock tunnel. and building the air
massage the entire distance to insure
safety. The mine damp is very bad and
the work of rescue is progressing at a
great risk. ,,,-..
ON March .. 1850. in this same colliery'
oie,b+ men were Imprisoned and died be-
fore they could be rescued by the rescu-