The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-24
Seventy Men Entombed Near Browns
Vile, and Eight of the Number
Killed and Three Hurt.
NARROW ESCAPE OF OTHERS
TRAvERSED A MILE AND A HALF OF
UNDERGROUND PASSAGES,
And Found Daylight Four Miles from
the Mouth of the Pit-Three Lives
Lost in Another Mine.

BROWNSVILLE. Pa, Sept. 2S.-Seventy
men were entombed to-day in the Empire
mine of Snowden, Gould & Co., one-fourth
of a mile below town, the result of an
explosion of gas followed by another explo-
sion of fire damp. OF the number entombed
all escaped or were taken out by rescuing
parties except eight, who were killed out
right. and three more or less hurt. The list
of dead follows:
JOHN IIAISTON miner, aged thirty-fve,
colored, wife and two children.
SALEM HAlSTON. miEer, his brother,
aged twenty-five, single.
ROBERT DAVIDSON, miner. aged forty
five, white, no family.
JOHN BENNETT, driver. aged twenty
WILLIAM PRITCHARD, miner, aged fif-
ty, wife and seven children.
HENRY HAGAR, driver, aged seventeen,
JOHN CARTWRIGHT, miner, aged fifty,
married, but no children.
JAMES HALL, miner, aged twenty-seven,
unmarried.
The following were injured:
GEORGE BAKER, miner. burned about
face and breast.
JOHN BAKER, slight burned.
SAMUEL MiNTYRE, cut on head by fall
of slate.
The explosion is.said to have been caused
by the loosening of a large block of coal
which opened a pocket of gas. Immediately
following the explosion of gas there was a
second explosion of fire damp. There were
seventy men at work in the mine at the
time of the disaster, and at first it seemed
an impossibility for any in mines Nos. and
10, where the explosion occurred, to escape.
Four men, Jacobs, Davis, Whetzel and
Walker, who were near the entrance, man.
aged to crawl out, and the others, with the
exception of those caught by falling coal,
escaped by traversing a mile and half of
underground passages, coming out at the
entrance near Lynn Station. This point is
four miles from the opening of the mine
on the Monongahela river.
Just above the entrance to the mine there
is an artificial plateau up against the hill
side. From the edge of the plateau a good
view of the track Leading to the mine could
be had Here the women relatives of the
entombed men stood wringing their hands
in anguish, weeping and wailing; sobs, tears
and cries made the air ring with echoes of
aching hearts. The hundreds of people
realized that they stood at the entrance of
living tomb. 1t was several hours later
that the tinkle of the electric bell In the
engine house announced that a train OF
coal cars was coming from within. The
from the entrance. The cars are taken in
and out by means of heavy iron cables
wrapped and unwrapped by two large
spools. 1t took about ten minutes for the
first load to reach the outside world While
the cable was winding there was a sus-
pense that bordered on the awful. No one
knew what was coming, but feared the
worst, in which there was no dSappoint-
ment. AS one of the spools indicated that
the load would soon arrive the suspense be-
was an almost unanimous whisper. When
the little train of cars emerged a shudder
was visible in the crowd First there came
two cars loaded with coal. Then three cars,
in each of which there were two bodies. In
one were two brothers, side by side, John
and Salem Haiston, In the others were
Robert Davidson and John Bennett, William
Pritchard and John Cartwright. James Hall
was in the last car.
Two wagons were in waiting, and the
bodies were taken to undertaking establish
mentS. When the bodies were brought up
from the mines they presented a CHASTITY
appearance. Their faces were begrimed with
the black dust of the mines. Before they
were brought out the rescuers tied hand
kerchiefS around their heads to give them
a better appearance. After the first lot of
bodies had been brought out the excite
ment grew more intense. There were yet
many men in the mine, and there was great
next. During the entire afternoon there
was desperate wait. 1t was announced
that many men had come out of the mine
through an abandoned entry nearly three
miles distant. This allayed the fears of
many and as fast as the men were ac-
counted for to their friends and families
rejoicings and congratulations followed.
At o'clock tonight the last of the ex-
plOrerS of the mine came out and announced
that there was nothing living or dead left
behind in the NINE leaving the list of ia
talities as given above.