Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-12-27
TWO SCORE ARE DEAD
Fiend ofthe Pit Does Some light.
fuI Work in Pennsyl.
vania Coal Mine.
AWFUL EXPLOSION OF FIRE DAMP
Blows the Mine to Ruin and Kills Min
ers by the Dozen.

Brownsville, Pa, Dec. 26.-Several
Braznell company's mine, three miles
from here, by an explosion Saturday
morning. AT first it was stated that
thirty-two men had lost their lives, but
the horror grows in intensity with ev-
cry hour. The number of the dead is
now estimated at forty, and may pass
that figure. At the same time there
Is strong presumption that the laws
regulating to mining were carelessly and
probably criminally disregarded. The
explosion was terrific and was heard
plainly at Brownsville, three miles
distant. The main shaft was wrecked
and rendered helpless. About four
Thomas, the cageman, on his fourth
trip went to the bottom with fourteen
men and gave the signal for the cage
to rise when the explosion occurred.
Access to the Mine Blocked.
The cage was blown with terrific
force to the top of the shaft and fell
back to the bottom, completely block
ing access to the mine. Timbers were
hurled hundreds of feet, the lower ring
of brickwork in the air shaft was COM
pletely wrecked and had to be tunneled
to get into the mine at all. There was
no scarcity Of brave fellows ready to
risk their lives in rescue work, which
was begun at once, but was necessarily
slow. as the rescuers had to dig their
way In to the men, so great was the
force of the explosion. A thousand
people were about the mouth Of the
mine awaiting anxiously any bit Of
news that might come from below, and
wives, fathers, mothers and children
were weeping for loved ones, and
there were many pathetic scenes.
Never Saw Such Mutilation.
Yesterday the first bodies Of the vic
dms were brought out Of the mine and
never In the history of mine disasters
were human beings as horribly mutt
lated. 1t was nearly IL o'clock before
the first five bodies were taken out
twenty-eight hours after the explosion.
At $50 three were brought to the sur
face and at $50 three more came up
In the cage Of the main shaft.
Twelve More Bodies in Sight.
The dead taken from the mine ut this
writing are: Henry Hagar, Peter Or
osory, William Thomas, Michael Rob-
tell, Samuel Meese, Albert Meese,
Michael Mahio, George Kovitz, Joseph
Postsky. Joseph Magyar, William Mol
ock, Paul Proloc. At least twelve 9TH
er bodies are In sight but cannot be
reached on account of the debris.
Only a Dozen Men Escaped Death.
The estimates of the number of the
dead are conflicting. A. b. Braznell,
president of the Stockdale Coal COM
pany, said he believed that but twenty
TO twenty-five men had been killed.
Men who were working around the
mine Saturday morning give different
figures. They say thirty-five to forty
men went down the mine shaft in the
cages while about twenty climbed
down the steps in the elevator shaft.
From fifty-five to sixty men were In
the mine, and of this number but
twelve have been recovered alive. All
the rest, whatever the number, are
dead.
An evidence of the force of the ex-
plosion was dicovered Sunday. On
the hillside, fifty feet back from the
main shaft, was discovered an arm and
a foot They were portions Of a vic
tim killed 10S feet below the surface
and blown out Of the shaft like bull
let from a rifle. From statements OBJ
tanned it seems clear that the presence
of gas ('fire-damp'o in quantities in
the mine was perfectly well known,
and that naked lights were used for
several days before the explosion. Ac-
cording to credible authority not a
single safety lamp was used in the
mine by the working crews since last
Tuesday morning, four days before the
explosion,