The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-28

Six men were badly injured by gas
explosion at the Bellevue shaft early
yesterday morning. Two of them were
seriously hurt and one Of them, John
Alexander, was so badly burned that
he may die. The victims are:
JOHN ALEXANDER, Bellevue, laborer,
single; whole body burned.
JOHN O'BRtEN, 623 West Elm street,
miner, aged 81 and married, right hip
and two ribs fractured and painfully
sCOrched.
JOHN i. O'CONNOR, Genet street, miner,
aged 45, married; head cut by flying
debris.
JOHN JONES, C5 Bellevue street, miner,
aged 80 years, married; badly burned
about hands and face.
EDWARD JONES. Bellevue Heights,
miner. aged 43; burned about the eX-
posed portions of the body.
T. W. EVANS, Bellevue Heights. miner
aged As; burned about the hands, face
and neck.
Alexander was taken to the Moses
Taylor hospital at once. His back and
arms were literally roasted and large
patches and flesh fell from his body
while he was being handled. If he did
not inhale any of the flames there are
strong hopes that he will recover.
O'Brien was first taken to his home
but soon afterward was removed to
the Moses Taylor hospital. His right
hip was found to be broken and two
lower ribs on the right side fractured.
He will be a long time in the hospital
it is expected but will not be perman-
emily disabled as was feared.
The other four men walked to their
respective homes. The cut on O'COn-
nOrs head is just above the left ear. 1t
is about two and a half inches long and
exposes the skull The two Jones and
Evans will not be kept from work
more than a day or two. The exposed
portions of their bodies We're scorched,
but they were at such a distance from
the scene of the explosion that their
burns We're very superficial.
SCENE OF EXPLOSION.
The explosion occurred about seven
o'clock in "B" gangway in the big vein.
This is the first vein that is worked
from the shaft and is about 200 feet
below the surface. John Jones cham
Der where the gas was set off is about
der the Jersey Central round house
between Fourth and Fifth streets and
this by the roundabout inside road is
| nearly mile from the foot of the
shaft.
The men were on their way to begin
their mornings work when the accl-
dent occurred. The fire boss on his
| rounds earlier in the morning discov-
cred a good seized pocket of gas in
John Jones chamber. He notified
Jones and his laborer, Alexander, who
is a Polander, Of the danger directing
| them to brush out the accumulation
before beginning work.
Jones preceded his laborer along the
gangway going in and unnoticed by
! the latter stepped aside into a cross
| cut for a few moments. Alexander
| passed him out and arriving at the
| opening Of the chamber and not find
| ing his miner there supposed he had
| gone in and presuminC from this that
| everything was all right proceeded to
! enter with his naked lamp perched on
! his cap.
| He had only gotten fairly into the
! opening when his lamp ignited the gas.
| There was a terrific explosion which
! blew Alexander out of the chamber as
! from the mouth of a cannon and filled
! the gangway with flame and flying
| debris.
O'BRIEN KNOCKED DOWN.
The main force of the explosion went
! in the direction of the air current.
O'Brien who had just passed the Jones
! chamber on his way to his own place
| farther in was knocked down by a fly
| ing prop. O'Connor who was quite a
distance ahead received the cut on his
head from a piece Of coal or rock
John Jones was behind the explosion
| and received only a scorching, the
other two victims were so far ahead
that the force Of the explosion was
greatly diminished before it reached
them. 1t was hot air moving at a
terrific velocity rather than the flame
that caused their injuries.
A driver boy named Martin O'Hara
who was nearly 800 yards up the gang.
way was thrown to the ground as were
also his two mules, but they were not
injured. Cars We're blown from the
track, pillars were shattered, props
blown out and hurled for great dis,
tances and doors battered down in the
immediate vicinity of the Jones cham,
ber The conclusion was clearly fell
in distant parts of the mine and G
large eddy of coal dust was caused tC
whirl out Of the air shaft.
Some excited individual upon gaining
the first word of the disaster rar
through Bellevue shouting that all tn,
men in the mines were killed. In al
incredibly short period of time tht
whole population of Bellevue was a
the mouth of the pit and a scene of the
greatest excitement prevailed. 1t wa.
fully an hour before the crowd, the wo,
men especially, had their fears quieted
After the injured men had been as
sisted out and cared for the gangwaS
in which the accident occurred was
shut down, but the other portions OF
the mine continued working as usual
GAS FROM OLD WORKINGS.
The official investigation of the dis
aster has not as yet been made. out.
side Foreman B. c. Green is of the
opinion however, that more gas ex,
ploded than was found in the Jones
chamber by the fire boss. There are
old workings communicating with the
"B' gangway and it is possible that gas
| from these got into the gangWaV in thf