The true northerner., 1896-11-04
HORROR IN A MINE.
SIX MEN KILLED BY FiRE-DAMP
BREAKING LOOSE.

Being Probably Set Loose by . Blast Two
Of the victims Lose Their Lives While
Heading Rescue Parties Possibility
That More Bodies May Be Found.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct. 30.-A terrible
explosion of gas occurred In No. .
mine of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre
Coal company in South Wilkesbarre
between / and o'clock yesterday aft
ernoon. 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 IL is believed
all of these have perished. The dead
who have been brought to the surface
are: William r. Jones, fire boss. mar
ried, and John Joseph. assistant mine
foreman. wife and five children. 9th
ers known TO be dead, but who cannot
he reached because Of the black-damp,
are Thomas Owens. miner, married
and family; William 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 and John Davis, both
overcome by black-damp.
Cause Never Likely To BE Known.
The cause of the explosion will posi-
bly, never be known. The mine was idle
for the 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 yesterday were the company
hands and fire bosses. who were at
work in the rock tunnel changing the
air course Among those at work in
the tunnel were: Thomas owens, WILL
lam Lacey and James Worth. The
place was very Aous and the men
worked with safe.y lamps. 1t is be-
lieved that the gas was ignited by
blast. David Williams the driver boss,
was at the head OF the slope 500 feet
away when the explosion occurred,
and was hurled some distance and in
jured. He was the only one in that
vicinity who escaped alive.
Work of Rescue Promptly Organized.
The explosion was so severe that ii
was plainly felt at the mouth of the
Hc iOOl VI tic ldu lOuSC Wdo
blown off and all the air-ways and
brattices inside were wrecked and
blown away. The alarm was promptly
given. and hundreds OF men, women
and children rushed to the head of the
shaft. The grief OF the womanKInl
who had husbands, sons or brothers
in the mine was heartrending. The
work of organizing rescue gangs was
no wit 4 4
Gus undertaking, as the sequel proved,
but no man faltered. Fire Boss Will
lam II. Jones and Assistant Mine
Foreman John Joseph selected the men
for the first party. and themselves led
the way. All were overcome by the
dread after-damp. but not until they
had found Driver Boss David Will
Jams. All except Joseph succeeded in
reaching the foot of the shaft and were
removed to the surface, but the old
fire boss. Jones' succumbed to the
deadly after-damp and died in half
an hour after being brought out. de-
spite the efforts of the doctors, who did
their utmost 30 revive him.
Four Men in the Rock Tunnel.
Joseph, the other hero became sep
arated from the first party, and the
second rescuing party found his body
and removed it TO the surface. A num-
Der of company men who worked in a
different part of the mine reached the
surface by the No. 5 shaft and also
by another opening. II is thought
possible to reach the four men in the
rock tunnel until the air currents are
opened. superintendent laval and
other officials of the Lehigh and
Wilkesbarre company were early on
the scene and did all in human power
to aid the men below. Large streams
of water were sent down the shaft to
establish a temporary air current
while the work of rescue was in prog
ress. laval believes there may yet be
six men inside, but an old miner in
sists that there are twelve. 1t is the
general supposition that all are dead.
On March 2, $780, in this same colliery
eight men were imprisoned and died
before they could be reached by the
rescuing party.
Later-The bodies of Thomas Owens.
William Lacey, James Heron and
Joseph Worth, who were at work in
the tunnel, were found at 8 o'clock
last night. They were horribly burned
and hardly recognizable. The rescuers
are now at work clearing the tunnel in
the expectation of finding more bodies.
IT is believed. however that six is the
total number of dead.
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