The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-26
A PI7IABLE CHRISTMAS
Mine Disaster Causes General
Gloom in Brownsville, Pa.
PIT BOSS JONES' FATAL ERROR.
He Issued nm Order Permitting the
Miners to Dispense with Safety
Lamps, Declaring That He C0nsid-
cred the Mine Safe.

Miners 10 DiSpense WIN Sa1ety
Lamps, Declaring That He Consid.
cred the Mine Safe.
Brownsville, Pa. Dec. 26.--Work AZ
BraZnell mines. where terrible gas
explosion occurred last Saturday, \
progressing very slowly. The country
roads from Brownsville to the mine
are almost impossible and there is no
telegraph or telephone connections
with Braznell. So all news from the
mine has to be brought overland. -Four
more bodies have been recovered, but
not identified. This makes total Of
Is bodies recovered.
Some of the families of the doomed
men are in a suffering condition, and
provisions are being sent out by the
Brownsville merchants, as well as
from Unfontown. The men who havs
been working since Saturday to re-
cover the bodies are almost exhausted,
yet they refuse to give up, and keep
at the grim work doggedly, though
more dead than alive. The fact that
last Saturday was pay day at the mine.
and that there were no empty wagons
into the mine that morning. Had the
accident occurred any other day there
would have been more than hun
dred men In the mine, and the resuls
would have been even more appalling
The sceneSsabout the morgue Sun.
day and Sundas night were such az
to bring tears to many stout heart v
As the burned and bleeding bodies
were carried from the shaft wives and
children would fight frantically to get
to the corpse, and when held back by
strong arms would weep pitifully and
plead to be allowed to enter the morguc3
and find their lest ones. 1t is an Oc-
currence that can never be forgotten
by any who witnessed it. Some of the
bodies have been removed to theil
homes and were buried yesterday. n
A pathetic story is told of little Ale
bert Meese, who died after being res.
cued. He lived only few steps from
the shaft. He went to the window
Saturday morning and looked out, say
ing to his father: Papa, guess there
is no use Of my going to work this
morning, as there is no loading"
The father said he had better 60
and help him feed the mules. They
both started out together and never re-
turned to their nome alive.
Sad, sad was Christmas day to many
family about Braznell. In fact, the
excitement caused by the terrible acci.
dent drove all thought Of the holida,
festivities from the homes of all who
live in the neighborhood, even those
who had no friends killed.
The mine officials admit that two o.
more bodies are still in the mine, bur
representatives of the Slavonic society
have made house to house canvasd
and report that eight of their number
alone are in the wreck, and how man"
others they do not know. I'll
That naked lights and unlocked safoi
ty lamps were used in dangerous
mine was officially confirmed yesterday
by Pit Boss Thomas Jones, who mada
statement which forms the most sens
sational chapter on the management
of the mine which has yet developed.
Mr.. Jones was asked If 1t was true that
on Thursday morning he issued a gen-
eral order that the miners could dis.
pense with safety lamps, He Q&ssiaitto1
mat ne nad issued the ordef, say1hgf
"I considered that the mine was safe,
as the break through had been fixed
up"
The revised list Of the recovered
dead and those known to be missins
and almost absolutely certain to be In
the mine is as follows:
Dead-Andrew Rapship, John Po-
kelca, Michael Paradox, Andrew Para.
bek, George Rosilko, Henry Hagyar.
Peter Orosery, William Thomas. Mich"
ael Rohall, Samuel Meese, Albert
Meese, Michael Magic, George Kovitz,
Joseph Potsky, Joseph Hagyar.
Missing-John Budas, John Loges,
George Wasilko, Andrew Muschell,
Paul Laundes, Thomas ,Kuslakr An..
drew Toursizki. Joseph Podolinskt
John Kokaleizky. Andrew Yaming(y
George Vosylko, Andrew Rapsch.