Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-12-24
EN- TOMB ] IN
A COAL MINE
Thirty Men Imprisoned With Little.
Hope Of Being Rescued.
a NARROWING SCENE.
NARROWING SCENE
a Death Dealing Blast Duo to cas-
Cage I'm the Main snnrt blown Iuto
splinters. Hoi.tinE MacnInery
ana Air shaft RIockea-Llttle.
Hope for tho Unfortunate Men
Who Were Caught Like Rats In q
Trnp.
(By Telegraph 70 vlrsinian- Pllotl

Pittsourg, Pa, Dec. pa special I'd
the Post from Brownsville, Pa, says:
There is scarcely any hope thai
any man in, the nit is now alive"
These We're the words Of Mine IN Z;
spector James Blick. uttered by; him
at III o'clock tonight as he stood at
the mouth OF Braznell Mine, in whose
depths thirty men are entombed. That
they will get out alive is exceedingly
improbable, and tonight mothers.
.iVes and & ars ,-0urn them rs dead.
Since early this morning. the i'm
prisoned men have been without any
air or food. They are separated from
eager searchers by walls of debris,
which fell when the explosion took
place and blocked the road to liberty
DEATH BLAST.
At 1880 this morning the death-
dealing blast was Ioosened. Owing to
a shortage OF cars, less than the usual
number OF men entered the pit. The
mine is that OF the Stockdale Cons
pany, and lies four miles from Brown
Vile and fourteen from Uniontown. It
Is known as the Brazneil Mine, and
lies near q station OF that name. on the
Redstone Creek branch OF the Penn~
sylvania Railroad. Fl :
At o'clock this morning Fire Boss
Radcliffee went through the mine a.
usual and found gas or fire damp.sinr
two places. He detected about four
inches OF gas In the main entry about
100 yards from the shaft, and about:
nm equal quantity In room In a s1da,
entry short distance away. The hra
boss reported the presence of the gas,
but informed the superintendent that
1t was all right for the men to enter.
The men were lowered into the mine
in the cage descending the main shaft,
which is vertical. From 40 to 90 men
had entered the mine and dispersed
through it when the gas was fgnited
in some manner not yet discoverable.
a tremendous explosion occurred. r. It's
force must have reached every man In
the shaft. The cage in the main shaft.
| which was at the bottom, was blown
| into splinterS and the hosting ma
chinery wrecked. About 100 yards from
! the main entrance was an air shaft,
! also vertical and brick lined. It was
| torn by the blast and the bricks were
| blown to the very top. =
| Altogether there were from 40 to 50
| workers In the mine. The men deScend-
| ed in q cage OF the main shaft from
| eight to ten at time. a moment after
| the fifth load had descended there was
| a roar that shook the immense iron
| Triple above the main shaft end reyer-i
| berated from the hillsides. There was
no need to tellwhat had happened.
Frantic women and frightened child
rem dashed out OF the dwellings just
across the railroad track and rushed
| toward the mouth of the shaft. ss
They were driven back by the smoke
that poured UP from the mine. The
big engines stopped and the fan was
| hushed.
A SHOUT FROM BELOW.
A shout came from below and Ii was
known that not all were killed. but who
had drawn the few prizes in the lottery
OF life and death? hls.
1t was discovered that the explosion;
had torn away the brick lining OF the
shaft, taking with it about 20 feet OF.
the iron steps. The men below were in,
u trap. Promptly rope and bucket
was lowered and the men hauled up.
The first was Albert Aieese, l3 years
old, 4 trapper. He was unconscious and
was tied in the bucket. He gasped once
or twice and was dead.
Fourteen men We're rescued by the
bucket and rope, All of them wera
sick and some half fainting. p IS
REsCEERS DESCEND. 5iy
Ats O'clock the first body of ,rescuers
descended the cages having been tenn
porarily repaired. When they got with.
In ten feet Of the bottom the cage stop-
ped. ~ mass of Wreckage was piled up
at the bottom of the shaft. With their
faces blackened and burned and their
bodies distorted. lay seven men. The
rescuess started to clear away the de-
bris, but 1t was slow, hard work as the
force Of the explosion had been titantic.
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