The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-04-28
A VERDICT
OF cENSURE
MahanOy City Colliery Explosion Inquest
Ended at Last.
FEW WITNESSES WERE EXAMINED
The Jury Charges the coniery oncials
with Neglect and Also Finds Yer
dict Against the Mine Inspec-
tor--The Evidence Given
Last Night.

Mahanoy City, April 2s.-The long delayed
| inquest into the cause Of the deaths Of John
Stephen and Steve Sileski, who died at the
Miners hospital from the effects Of burns re-
ceived by an explosion Of gas at the Maha-
noy City colliery on Thursday morning,
March 9th, was continued at Deputy Coroner
Bisselrs office last evening. Eleven persons
suffered in the explosion. The previous
hearing was ON April 5th. and was continued
by reason of important witnesses not being
able to attend. they being in the Miners hos
pital at the time. Mine Inspector Stein. of
Shenandoah, was notified Of last nights
hearing, but was not in attendance.
The first witness called was John Jurko.
who was ore of the injured He could not
speak English and an interpreter was nee
essary to conduct his examination His
testimony was as follows: was engaged in
breast No 50 on the day of the explosion.
We had no props, or plank, to work with on
that day. said to my butty Go home.
English fellows go home " My butty said
mo; me get plank" The FIRE boss said the
breast was all right. He said nothing about
going home. We drilled two holes for props
and my butty went into breast No. 82. /
went into the heading to eat my lunch. My
butty went into the stump heading about a
yard and a half when the explosion took
place.
q. What caused the explosion
A. My butty make the explosion.
Q. Did your butty have to go in breast
No. 629
A. He went there for dogs" to carry
timber
Q. Did the fire boss tell you that if you
went into that breast he would knock your
id head off?
A. No.
Q. Was it general thing for your butty to
90 from one place to another, in search Of
materially
A. No. 1 was there only once before, but
that was five, or six, days before the ex.
plosion occurred,
O. Was there any gas there when you were
there before3
A. No. was not up to the face of the
breast.
O. Was your butty further up the breast
when the explosion occurred than when you
were there before
A. Yes
Michael Mills sworn I was working new
breast. drilled a hole and fred, when the
explosion occurred. | said to my butty
I'VE had better go down out of here for feai
the after damp may overtake u.s." When we
reached the gangway we saw TWO lights
ahead. We met two Hungarian leaders and
asked them where the explosion had occurred
and they replied they didn't know. Further
along the gangway we came TO the door
where Patrick Brennan, driver, was stand.
ing. The door was split in three pieces
Brennan said he didn't know where the ex.
plosion had occurred, but that two leaders
going out through the gangway had gone tc
find ont My butty and myself walked
past the door when we saw fash
in the gangwsy, over where tne
leaders were standing, and the next instant
there was report and my butty and me
were lifted off our feet. l received blow
above the eye that dazed me for time. The
second explosion occurred about i've minutes
after the first, and evidently was originated
in the gangway. / understood that the
breast men had been ordered home that
morning by the fire boss. John McCool
who worked in the next breast to me, told
me that the Hungarians had been ordered
home, because there was no plank
That was before the explosion took place
went home at different times because
no plank had been provided / never heard
the fire boss, or inside foreman. tell the men
| to go into a breast for material On several
occasions l saw Stephen with plank taken
from an old breast. In my opinion, plank
may have been removed from the breast some
days before. This would interfere with the
circulation of the air, and the gas may have
accumulated. The vein is full of gas and
after a shot is fred it cracks and works and
at times, it is unsafe to go back right away.
James S. Harper was sworn, but could give
no information as to the cause of the ex
plosion. He heard the two reports and
passed through the gapgway where the ex
plosion occurred.
| Henry Martin was also called, but knew
nothing about the explosion, as he was moi
working on that day.
This closed the inquest and, after deliber
ating nearly an hour, returned the following
verdict: That the said John Stephen and
Steve Silesky came to their deaths at the
Mahanoy City colliery by an explosion of q
body of gas in breast No 6s, said gas having
accumulated and being due to the neglect o
the officials in charge of the breast at tn,
time, which was made possible by the Min,
Inspector not attending to his duty"
The jurors who sat on the inquest wert
Dennis Leonard, David German, Edward Nc
Caulley, Thomas Carney, William Powell
John j. Durkin.
| DENIAL BY MR.. STEIN.
In connection with the statement that h,
failed to appear at the inquest last night afte
being noti6ed IN do so Mine Tnsnector Steii