The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-09-24
EIGHT MEN DEAD IN A MINE.
EXPLOSION OF GAS ENToMBs SEW
CNTY wORkMEN.
Fire Damp Follows the First Disas-
ter-survfvors Make Their Way
Out by Underground Passages

BROWNSVILLE. Pa. Sept. 2s.-Seventy
men Were eztombed today IN the Empire
mine. near here. As result o. an expo
sion Of gas. followed by another explosion
OF fire damp. OF the number entoined al!
escaped or we're taken our hy rescuing par
ties except eight. who were killed outright,
and three more or less hurt.
The dead are: John Haistou, miner. aged
s., wife and two children Salem Halston,
miner, his brother; Robert Davidson.
miner: John Bennett, driver: William
Pritchard, miner. Henry Hagar. driver;
John Cartwright. miner; James Hall,
miner.
The injured are: George Baker. miner;
John Baker. slightly burned; Samuel Nc
Intyre. cut on head.
The explosion is said 20 have been caused
by the looseaing of a large block OF coal.
which opened q pocket of gas. Immediate
~ following the explosion Of gas there was
a second explosion Of fire damp. There
we're seventy man AZ work in The mine at
the time OF the disaster, and AT nrst II
seemed an tmpo.sibihty FOR any OF me
forty-four men = Mine No. and Mine
No IL. where the explosion occurred. 10
escape Four men. Jacobs. Davis. Whea-
Yea and Walker, wnc We're near tie Ell
trance managed TO crawl out, and the
others. with the exception Of those caught
by falling coal. escaped by trayerSins n
mile and a half Of underground passages.
coming out At the entrance near Lynn STA
opening Of the mine.
1t is J. fcult 10 lind words to describe the
scenes Of the day. Shortly after the re-
por was circulated that an explosion had
taken place at the Empire mine and that
many miners were entombed Water street
a narrow thogoughfafe leading TO il. was
crowded with men, women and children.
all moving a breakneCk speed toward the
mines. There were means and sobs and d
general feeling OF painful apprehension.
There were GoniectaTes as 20 whether hus-
nand. father. brother or sweetheart. were
victims When the mine was reached will
ing hands al once went TO work. Every
BODY seemed 10 want 20 go into the mine.
1t was by sheer force that those in charge
at the entrance Kept the crowd Out. Il vas
announced that there was sufficient force
OF men inside 10 do rescue work, when a
weary wait Of hours took place.
Just above the entrance to the mine
there is an artificial plateau up against the
hillside. From the edge OF the plateau a
good view Of the track leading 70 the niae
could be 1ad; Here women stood wringing
their hands In anguish. weeping and wall
ing. TIE hundreds Of people realized that
they stood at the entrance OF living tomb.
II was several hours afterward that .he
linking Of the bell announced that a train
Of coal cars was coming from within. Tae
scene Of the disaster IS more than i mile
from the entrance. The cars are taken n
and out b. means Of a cable. It took about
ten minutes for the first load 10 reach The
outside world. While the cable was wind
ing the suspense hordered on the awful No
oitG AaItH Hhat Was teIAtHS. nut le3Itl
the worst, in which there was no disap-
pointment. AS one Of the cable spoo!s in
Dictated that the load would soon arrive.
the suspense became all the greater
Here Il comes, was an almost unani-
nous whisper. When the little train -
cars emerged a shudder was visible in the
crowd. FIRST there came two cars loaded
with coal Then three ears. in each If
which there were two bodies. In one were
two brothers. side by side. John and Salem
Halston. In the others were Robert Davl-
sen and John Bennett. William Pritcharl
ard John Cartwright. James Hill was in
the last car.
when the bodies were brought Zip from
the mines they presentea Il chastity ap-
pcarance Their faces were begriIned with
N black dust of the mines Before they
were brought ont the rescuers tied hand
kerchiefs around their heads 10 give them
a better appearance.
After the first lot Of bodies had been
brought out the excitement grew more in
tense. There were yet many men In the
mine and there vas more anxiety 20 know
who would he brought out next. During
the entire afternoon there was a desperate
wait. 1t Was announced that many men
had come out Of the mine from an ahan-
doncd entrance. nearly three miles distant.
This a.ayed the fears of many, and ~
fast as the men we're accounted Cor To their
friends aud families. re1oicings and con-
ra,ulations followed
At 9 o'clock tonight the last Of the ex-
plOrers OF the m.ne came out and an
nounced there was nothing living ncr dead
behind in the mine, leaving the list of IA
taliJie4s given.
Tonight there iss "a constant stream or
passing In and out ct the undertaking IS
Establishments To view the bodies.