The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24
Probably Forty Miners Met
Their Death.
PRESENCE OF GAS KNOWN.
But The Men We're Permitted
to Go Down.

Soon After the Gas Was Ignited and
Disaster FOIIOwed-Some Were
Rescued, But for the Majority
There Is Little HOpe-FOrce Reach
ed Every Man in the Shaft-A Bow
Died Soon After Being Taken Out.
Only n Partial List of Those Who
Were EntOmbed.
Brownsville, Pa, Dec. pa terrific ex-
plosion occurred to-day at the Braznell
Coal Mine, four miles from here, bringing
death and disaster more far-reaching than
any mine horror since that at the Hill
mine at Dunbar.
Many bodies have already been taken out
and the loss of life will be very heavy.
The explosion was terrific and was heard
plainly at Brownsville, four miles dis
tant. The main shaft was totally wrecked
and rendered helpless.
About four cages of men had gone down
to work. Mr.. Thomas, the cage man, on
his fourth trip, went to the bottom with
fourteen men, and gave the signal for the
cage to rise when the explosion occurred.
NV SU5C was DtOWAA VIII lGITl1lG force
to the top of the shaft, and fell back to
the bottom, completely blocking access to
the mine.
Timbers were hurled hundreds of feet
the lower ring of brick work in the air
shaft was completely wrecked and had to
be tunnelled to get into the mine at all.
Eleven men have been gotten out, one
Albert Maaca fa1
ing the air.
One hand and a foot and one shoe were
blown from the mine and found on top
of the shaft.
After tunnelling the wreckage at the bot
tom of the air shaft, two men in the I'M
foreground mule stable were found alive
but almost suffocated from bad air.
The mine is supposed to be on fire, as
dense volume of smoke binders the en-
trance of the rescue parties.
Hardly Any Hope.
There is scarcely any hope that any
man in the pit is now alive"
These were the words of Mine Inspector
James Blick at 10 o'clock tonight, as he
stood at the mouth of Braznell mine. in
whose depths thirty men are entombed.
Ihat they will get out alive is exceed
Ugly improbable, and tonight mothers
wives and sisters mourn them as dead
since early this morning the imprisoned
men have been without any air or food
lhey are separated from eager searchers
by walls of debris, which fell when the
explosion took place and blocked the road
to liberty.
al 1SO this morning the death-dealing
oiast was loosed. Owing TO a shortage of
cars, less than the usual number of men
entered the pit.
The mine is that of the Stockdale Com
pany' and lies four miles from Browns
ViAe and fourteen from Uniontown. 1t is
known as the Braznell mine, and hes near
station of that name, on the Red Stone
creek branches of the Pennsylvania Rail
road.
AT o'clock this morning Fire Boss James
radcliffe went through the mine as usual
ana found gas, or fire damp in two
places. He detected about four inches of
gas in the main entry. about 100 yards
from the shaft. and about an equal guam
uty in a room on a side entry a short
distance away.
Inc IRE boss reported the presence Of the
gas but Informed the superintendent that
was al right for the men TO enter The
men We're lowered into the mine in the
cage descending the main shaft, which Is
vertical
Force Reached Every Man.
from forty to fifty men had entered the
mine and dispersed through it when the
gas was ignited in some manner not vet
uscoverable. "A tremendous explosion
occurred. Its force must have reached
every man IN the shaft. The cage in the
main shaft which was at the bottom was
Down into splinters and the hosting ma
cAinery wrecked.
About 100 yards from the main entry was
al air shaft, also vertical and brick lined.
II was torn by the blast and the bricks
were blown TO the very top
altogether there were from forty-five
" iiIy workers in the mine. The men
'soehded in the cage Of the main shaft
''oh eight to ten at a time. moment
oi'ef the fifth load had descended there
was roar that shook the immense iron
Oppe above the main shaft and reverber-
a'ed from the hiIsides. There was 20
",ea to tell what had hapepned.
fanue women and frightened children
's"ed out Of their dwellings just across
''e railroad track and rushed toward the
mouth of Inc shaft.
'aey We're driven back by the smoke
erl poured up from the mine The big
7'Nes stopped and the fan was hushed.
Whose Were the Priest
4 shout came from below and It WAS