Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-09-30
TERRIBLE MINE DISAS1Tl
Explosion Of Gas Entonb,
Seventy Men.
EIGHT DEAD WERE TAKEN NJ,
Others Managed to Escape. ~
Rescued-FearfuI Scene Afts, =,
Explosion. 'ue

Brownsville, Pa, Sept. 98.-sevo,,
men were entombed today in the E En,
pire mine of Snowden, Gould 4 ~ a4'
one-fourth of a mile below town 49,
result OF an explosion of gas, folIOraS S
by anothr explosion OF fre.damn '"o. y,
the number entombed, all escanod " ~
were taken out by rescuing parties ~
cept eight, who were killed outri,S.
and three more or less hurt ~, Ill.,
dead are:
John Halston, miner aged 3s M,
ored; leaves a wife and two childrsn,
Salem Halston, miner, his brotbo,
Robert Davidson. miner; John Ber
nett, driver; William Pritchard NINA.
Henry Hagar, driver; j. Cartrjr6,
miner; James Hall, miner. ~
The injured are: George Bako,
miner; John Baker, slightly burned
and Samuel Mcintyre, cut on the bea1
The explosion is said TO have bean
caused by the loosening of a laryA
block OF coal. which opened pocks,
Of gas. Immediately following the ey.
plosion OF gas, there was second e,.
plosion Of tlre-damp. There were 10
men at work in the mine at the TINA
of the disaster, and at first 1t seemed
an impossibility for any of the 81 men
in mines No. 8 and No. 10, where tbs
explosion occurred, TO escape. Fopr
men-JaCobs, Davis, Wheasea and
Walker, who were near the entrance
managed to crawl out, and the Others
with the exception OF those caught BY
the falling coal, escaped by trayersing
mile and a half OF underground pss
sages, coming out at the entrance nea,
Lynn station. This point is four mile
from the opening Of the mine.
Just above the entrance to the mine
there is an artificial plateau up against
the hillside, From the edge Of ths
plateau a good view of the track lead.
ing to the mine could be had. Hen
women stood wringing their hands 10
anguish, weeping and wailing. The
hundreds of people realized that they
stood at the entrance Of a living tomb
Is was several hours later that The
tinkling OF the electric bell in the en-
gine-house announced that a train d
coal cars was coming from within
The scene of the disaster is more than
a mile from the entrance. The car
are taken in and out by means of heavy
iron cables, wrapped and unwTape
by two large spools. 1t took about 10
minutes for the first load to reach The /
outside world.
While the cable was winding the suS /
pense bordered on the awful. No On'
knew what was coming, but feared th' +
worst, in which there was no diap
pointment. AS one Of the spOcIs ID
dicated that the load would soon arrive
the suspense became all the greats'
"Here it comes" was an almost unan' \
nous whisper. When the little tram
of cars emerged, shudder was visIbi
in the crowd. First there came tT
cars loaded with coal. Then thFz
cars, in each OF which there were wv
bodies. In one were two brotheh
side by side, John and Salem Halsla
In the others were Robert DaVldsi
and John Bennett, William Pritcna
and John Cartright. James HallVs
In the last car.
When the bodies we're brought
from the mines they presented gnas
ly appearance. Their faces were
grimed with the black dust Oh
mines. Before they were brough~
the rescuers tied handkerchiets aTOu1
their heads to give them a betleIR
pearance
After the first lot of bodies had N'
brought out the excitement grew uI'
intense. There we're yet many men
the mine, and there was more anA'y
to know who would be brough'
next. During the entire atte'u''
there was a desperate wait.
1t was announced that many u
had come out from an abandoned enuI
nearly three miles distant Iah
layed the fears of many, and as ial'
the men were accounted fol 70 Wv
families and friends, rejoicingS -
congratulations followed.
AT o'clock tonight, the last O
explorers from the mine came ou,
announced there was nothing m
or dead behind in the mine' IeA,
the list of fatalities as given. lOns
there is a constant stream Oh pM
passing in and out of the under'''
establishments to view the BODIES