Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1899-12-30
IR|RIY-F|VE MN ENIOMED,
en- AWFUL MINE EXPLOSION
" brownsville, PennsyIvan,.,
N""'n as the Bra1neu n,D.u
""S iSnited Is at Present I'm.
knswM,

,,>o,, :; a. . J noE mat any
'ne PIT Is now alive These were
tue words OF Mine Inspector James T.
DICK uttered by him as be stood .. ~.
mouth OF Braznell mine, in whose dentbs
~ men are entombed. That thev NOV,
ses out alive is exceedingly improbable
anu mothers, wives and sisters p,o,,r,,
them as dead. They are separated fron,
Eager searchers ny walls of iebns which
'en When the explosion took place and
OiocNed the road to liberty.
IN the morning the death. dealing hjas4
was loosened. Owing t. a srcrtenino Of
cars less than the usual number ~ e.,
entered the pit The mine u that of tho
''Cockoaie Coal Company and lies four
mlies from Brownsville and IA miles from,
OhlontoWn. 1t is known Us The BraznalI
mime and lies near a station of that mama
on the Redstone creek branch Of tho Bonn
sylVania railroad. At a. M. Fire Ross
james Radclif went through the nine A.
usual and found the gas or "fredamp" in
Two places He detected about Jour jnche.
u gas In the main entry about 100 varls
from the main shaft ana about an enual
quantity In room on Gle entry. Il
short distance away. The fire boss re-
ported the presence of the gas, but in.
formed the superintendent that it was all
Tght Tor the men to enter. The men
were lowered into the mine in the CAGE
descending the main shaft, which is yer
teal From 40 to 80 men mad entered
the mine and dispersed through it wien
the gas was ignited in some manner not
yet ascertained.
A tremendous explosion OCCURRED. Its
force must have reached every man in the
mine. The cage in the main shaft which
was at the bottom was blown to splin-
ters and the hosting machinery wrecked
About 100 yards from the main entrance
was an air shaft, also vertical and brick
lined. 1t was torn by the blast and the
bricks were blown to the very top.
Altogether there we're from 80 to 40
workers in the mine. The men descended
in the cage of the main shaft from eight to
10 at time. A moment after the fifth
shook the immense iron tipple above the
main shaft and reverberated from the hill
sides. There vas no nee1 ~ tell what
had happened. Frantic wolnea and fright
ened children dashed out of the dwelling
ings just across the railroad track and
rushed toward the mouth of the shaft.
They were driven back by the smoke that
poured up from the mine. A minute later
everything was quiet The big engines
stopped and the fan was hushed. There
was no possibility of aiding the impria-
oned men through the main shaft and Il
rush was made for the ventilating shaft,
$50 feet away. This is liz feet deep,
.bricked inside to strengthen it, anu has
iron steps from top to bottom.
A shout came from below and II was
known that not all were Killed, but who
had drawn free passes in The lottery OF
life and death? The anxious ones az the
top awaited a few h,0mcnts Tor the men
to appear. They dId not come and an
investigation was made. IL was discoV-
cred that the explosion had torn away
the brick lining OF me snaft, taking with
II about 20 feet Of the iron steps. The
men below we're i'll trap. Promptly
rope and bucket WAS lowered and the men
hauled up. The first was Albert Meese'
Is years old, Taper. de was uhcon-
acous and was tied in the bucket. Ten
derby he was lifted out and ienedies ap'
nlied. but without avail. He Sasped once
or twice and was dead, a victim OF after
damn That told the whole story Of the
accident. The fire damp hal exploded III
the mine.
Fourteen men were rescued by the buck
ct and rope. All OF them were SICK ana
some half fainting.
No complete list of the dead is yet con-
niIed The managers OF the mine nave
the pay roll, but it has been Impossible
CO.. them to discover all the survivors.
MT there is a general agreement that
from 30 to 35 men are entom6ed. ABOUT
ona.balf are Americans and the balance
are Hungarians or Slavs.
soon after the extent OF the accident
l,ocame known, undertakers were sum
.1,onod from Brownsville. A new building
80 hocl from the main shaft, intended
for blacksmith shop, was converted ihlo
. morgue. Here pine boards on trestles
we're shaped into receptacIes Tor the dead.
Al "a in readiness for the victims oil the
mine when brought to the surface. =,
There was an explosion in the Branch
a;na last July. 1t adjoins the Umpire
nin in which eight men were killed last
n nnar the day before Christmas, by a
smaller explosion.
Later.
Brownsville, Pa, Dec 20'-Ine horror o.
the Braznell mine disaster grows IN IN,
.no The number of the dead is now
'e ..:tad az 90. and may pass that figure