The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-30

NllheSDnrre, IA, Oct. GA terrible
explosion of gas occurred in No mine
of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal Com
pany in South Wilkesbarre, between /
and : o'clock this afternoon. Six men
are known to be dead and two injured.
1t is not yet known how many were'in the
mine at.thc times of 1.-THE explosion, but
twelve are reported missing and il is be-
lieved that all of these have perished.
the dead who have been brought to the
surface are William R.'Jones, fire boss.
married, with family; John Joseph, as
slstant mine foreman, wife and five chill
den. Thomas Owens, miner, married and
family; William Lacy, rock miner, mar
riedl and family; James Heron, laborer.
married and family: Joseph Worth, fire
boss married and family. The injured
so far known are: David Williams, over.
COME by black damp and injured on back
and side John Davis, overcome by black
damp
The''causc of the explosion will possibly
never he known. The mine was idle for
to-day. Usually there are from 400 to 800
men employed in the mines Had they
all 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 hands and
lire bosses who were ut work in the rock
tunnel changing the air course.
The explosion was Sc severe that it was
plainly felt ut the mouth of the shaft
The roof of the fan house was blown of
and I'LL the airways inside were wrecked
and blown away. The alarm was prompt
iy 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
/. non trn, Il
ing rescue bands was begun without de
lay. lt,was Il dangerous undertaking, as
the sequel proved, butssno man faltered
Fire Boss William X. Johnson and AS
sistant Mine Boss Williams selected the
men for the first party and themselves led
the way. All were overcome by the
deadly afterdamp, but not until they had
found Driver Boss David Williams All
except Joseph succeeded in reaching the
foot OF the shaft and were removed to the
surface, but Jones succumbcd to the
deadly fredamp and died in half an hour
after being brought out. 1t is not
thought possible to reach the four men in
the rock tunnel until the airways are
opened. Large streams of water were
sent down the shaft to establish tenn
porary air current while the work of res
cue was III progress. 1t is the general
dead. y rescue party of twelve men iii
charge of Mine Foreman John T. Jones is
slowly making way to the rock tunnel
and building an. air passage the entire
distance Co insure safety. The mine damp
Is very bad and the work of rescue is pro-
crossing at q great risk.
On March ,, 1890, in this same colliery,
eight men were imprisoned and died be-
fore they could be reached by the rescuing
party. The accident occurred little after
! p. III. and was caused by an explosion
of gas y feeder was ignited by the
naked lamp OF Il driver boy named Jane
son, the coal was set on fire and it was
not eNtinguishcd until the mines were
Hooded. Several times heroic efforts
were l.ade to rescue the unfortunates i'm
prsoned below but, without avail They
persisted and their. bodies were not recov-
cred for year or more thereafter