The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-26
MINERS USED
UNSAFE LAMPS
Responsibility For Accident
at Brownsville is Fixed.
CONFESSION MADE
BY PIT BOSS JONES
Miners Ordered to Carry Naked
Lights and Unlocked.
An Order Was Made Last Tuesday
That Miners Use These Lights
and Lamps-Tragic Scenes About
the Morgue at Brownsville as
Burned and Bleeding Bodies Were
=
Brought In-Search For Bodies
Still Continues.

Brownsville, Pa, Dec. 25.-The mine
are still in the mine but representatives
of the Slavonic society,- have made a
house to house canvass and report
that eight of their number alone are in
the wreck and how many others they
do not know
That naked lights and unlocked
safety lamps were used in a danger
Gus mine was officially confirmed to-
day by Pit Boss Thomas Jones, who
made a statement (which forms the
most sensational chapter on the man
agement of the mine that has yet de-
veloped. Jones was asked if it was
true that on last Tuesday morning he
issued a general order that the miners
could dispense with safety lamps
Yes. sir" was the reply.
Why did you issue the order?"
Il considered that the. mine was
safe as the break through had been
fixed up''
Safety lamps were used before
Tuesday?'
Yes"
rs it true that some safety lamps
in use in the mine were not locled?"
Yes. it iS true that some were not
were competent to carry them un-
locked
Was that not contrary to the regu-
lations?"
.'Oh, there may be a regulation, but
men some times carry unlocked lamps
where it is known that they are ex-
perienced miners"
He Did Not Know.
Mine superintendent Boyer when in
formed of the statement by Pit Boss
Jones, said:
1 know nothing of the order issued
on Tuesday, but consider Jones a
capable man, who knows his business
and l supposed he used his Judgment"
a. S. Braznell, manager of the mine,
said:
Il know nothing of such an order
have no part in the direct manage
ment of the mine as our pit officials
are the responsible parties. The COM
pany has no statement to make"
Work at the mines is progressing
very slowly. The country roads from
Brownsville to the mine are almost
impossible. There is no telegraph or
telephone connections with Braznell, so
all news from the mines has to be
brought overland. Four more bodies
have been recovered but not identified.
men are in a suffering condition and
provisions are being sent out by the
Brownsville merchants as we'll as from
The men who have been
since Saturday to recover the
bodies are almost exhausted, yet they
refuse to give up and continue at the
grim work doggedly.
The fact that last SATURDAY. was pay
day at the mine and that there were
,ratx 70 fnr
many not going into the mine that
Had the accident occurred
any other dav there would have been
more than hundred men in the mine |
and the result would have been even |
more appalling than it is.
Tragic Scenes.
The scenes about the morgue yester-
lay and last night were such as to |
bring tears to many a stout heart. AS !
the burned and bleeding bodies were |
carried from the shaft wives and <hil- |
iren would fight frantically to get the |
corpse and when held back by strong /
arms weep pitifully and plead to be |
allowed to enter the morgue and find
heir lost ones. 1t is an occurrence 4
hat can never be forgotten by any one
who witnessed it. Some of the bodies
lave been removed to their homes and
will be buried today.
A pathetic story is told of little AL
pert Meede who died after being
'escued He lived only a few steps
rom the shaft. He went to the win
iown Saturday morning and looked
nut, saying to his father: Papa,
,uess there is no use of me going to
work this morning as there is no load
ng.''
The father said he had better go
md help him feed the mules. They
10Th started out together and never
eturned to their home alive
The excitement caused by the terri
lie accident has driven all holiday
festivities from the homes of all who
i've in the ne;ghborhood. even those
Who have no friends killed. The search
or the bodies still goes on