The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-03-30
THE VIM. PENN
NINE EXPLOSION
william Lavenburg, One Of the Victims
Died Yesterday.
HAGGERTY'S CONDITION SERIOUS
Proceedings at the Sargent Inquest Yes
terday Afternoon Three witnesses
Testify to the Condition of the
Mine Before the Acct
dent Occurred.

William Lavenburg the second of the
victims of the gas explosion In the VIM.
Penn coliery last Tuesday morning, died at
three O'Clock yesterday afternoon at his home
in VIM. Penn. lie was 22 years of age and
unmarried. Philip Haggerty, the third
victim, is said to be in precarious condition.
The verdict of the Coroner's jury by which
the officials Of the mine were censured for
the explosion has renewed interest in the
case, inasmucb that Immediately after the
accident it appeared 70 be generally believed
that the explosion was due primarily to an
accumulation of gas that could not be fore
seen. The continuation of the inquest yes
terday afternoon, however, developed facts
which had not previously been brought to
light and seemed to impress the jury with
an entirely different view. Papers were pro-
dueed before the jury to show that there were
two explosions in the Mines the first being a
slight one when Sargent and Lavenburg were
loading car in the Buck Mountain gang
way and the second taking place in the tunnel
after Sargent and his two companions with
drew from the Mammoth gangway to the
tunnel and Sargent struck the match 1t is
claimed that Sargent and Lavenburg were
but slightly burned by the first explosion and
Haggerty escaped. This is explained by the
=
the car they were loading, while Haggerty
stood on the level Of the gangway and was
below the range of gas 1t is also stated that
when the. second explosion took place the
men were blown from their positions. After
regaining their feet the three men retreated
to the Buck Mountain end Of the tunnel.
There Haggerty fell and lay until some men
coming down the tender slope found him and
he was taken up the slope in a car He
was removed to his home some time
before the others reached their homes and it
is believed that this accounts for the post
ponement of the fatal result in his case.
Sargent and Lavenburg did not stop with
Haggerty, They suffered intensely from
their burns and ran along the Buck Noun
tain gangway for almost a mile, when Sar-
gents strength failed and he fell Laven-
burg also stopped there and assistance ar
rived few minutes later. 1t was not until
after Sargent died that it was discovered that
his left ankle was fractured and it will pro-
badly never be known how the fracture was
sustained. Some believe it was received
when he fell from exhaustion. Others in
cline to the opinion that it was sustained
when the man was blown by the explosion
and that his burns caused him such excruciat-
ing pain that he hobbled along not knowing
that the ankle was fractured
The first witness examined at the inquest
yesterday was Elias Bevan Of 124 North
West street, this town, who has been a timber
man in the colliery for eighteen years. He
testified that when he went into the Nam
moth gangway ON Monday night, the 22nd
inst, the gangway in the vicinity of the
place where the cave-in occurred was pretty
well broken up. The place was working
below. He made no complaint to any of the
bosses as to the condition of the place and
had not seen any of them there except
Philip Jones, the fire boss. He went to the
place to show the men where the timber
should be placed. He made no remarks about
the place. The gangway was pretty good
when timber was put in about two months
( previous Witness was never instructed to
notify the boss, through the engineer, or
others, whom he should find the gangway on
a squeeze. He didn't consider the place safe
to haul coal through
/ David Davis, timberman employed at the
colliery the past seven years and residing at
/ VIM. Penn, gave evidence substantially as
above. He was Bevan's butty. He also
/ testified that he and Bevan left the gangway
before IL o'clock on Monday night because
they considered it too dangerous to work in
He didn't make any report TO the officials.
He supposed they knew the condition. He
didn't consider the place safe to pull coal
through it at the time. 1t was Sargent
work to take cars out Of the Buck Mountain
gangway through the tunnel and Mammoth
gangway to the foot of No. 1 slope Witness
and Bevan ran out several times while
timbering and continued returning to work
until they found the place got too dangerous
when they gave up work after putting uI
two sets of timber and leaving two sets down
He heard falls in the workings below after
Jones, the fire boss, left The whole western
part Of the mine appears to be on a squeeze
John Sargent, of Girardville, brother oI
one of the victims, was given the privilege
Of asking questions and asked Davis if the
place was only ''nibbling" or working heavy
and what were the remarks of Jones, the
fire boss, in that connection. Davis answered
that Jones had remarked that the place had
been working heavy all day
William James, of VIM Penn, driver il
the mines was next called. He was en-
ployed in the Mammoth gangway anl
travelled over the place that caved in abou
half an hour beforeit went down The plac,
was working badly on the day previous Early
Monday morning, while he was going to tn,
oAnhAN w ENN AAlo AlAhlNof hN hHdAu NllH RlAtI
working and a small piece of coal fell IL
ran to the stable and got his mules Whei
he came out to the slope he told Jones, tn
fire boss that the place was bad. Jones sal,
Yes and told witness to send boy ahea,
Of him on the trips and make sure ther
were no falls. The boy was William Grow an,
the driver sent him ahead Of the trips accord
ing to instructions. 1t was bad all day. IL
didn't hear any falls during the day, but tn
place seemed to be working everywhere
i He didn't take any cars in or out on Tuesda
: morning because none were loaded for him
Men were engaged in fixing up the gangwa
on Monday. They were reinforcing tn
timbers with planks. When the cave-n oC
z Cured witness was in the East Buck aud fel
[ a slight shock There was only one SHOCK
d Two men came in with safety lamps and tol
witness and others 10 blow out their light
e and get out They did SO, travelling by tn
lights Of the safety lamps. Witness aske
what had happened but got no answer ii
made up his mind that if he got out of tn
mine alive he would not enter it again, an
will not.
Mr.. Sargent, brother Of Joseph, asked
when you notified Mr.. Jones this place wa
working what did he say ~
A. l said the place is working bad and