Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-06-12
DEADLY AFTER DAMP.
TWO Hundred Men Imprisoned in
a Mine by an Explosion
of Gas.

Gloucester, O., June S.-By an explo-
sion of gas in mine No. 2 in the colliery
near this city today four men are report
ed to have lost their lives Two hundred
miners were imprisoned, Of whom 10
have been rescued. The following are
reported dead:
EVEN JOSEPH, fire boss
JOHN M'LELLAND, MINER
AARON SWANSON, miner
JOHN EVANS, miner
The following were removed uncon-
scious from the effects OF after damp:
Lewis Jones, Jr.
William Harris
Morgan Lewis.
William Nash.
William Crombi
John Walsh.
George Rodgers.
Evan Hamilton.
Shortly after o'clock when the mine
was filling up with workers who had de-
Scended by means Of the cage in No.
shaft an explosion of gas occurred which
broke the timbers of the mine in every
direction.
Air Fans Wouldn't Work.
The air fans were disarranged and It
was some time before any progress was
made toward opening the way for the
rescue of the imprisoned men. Fire Boss
Joseph went down through shaft No. 6,
which connected with the one where the
explosion occurred. He made his way
through connecting gangway and, it is
supposed, was overcome by the after
damp which followed the explosion. and
was unable to make his way back to
the fresh air.
Rescue parties were immediately or
ganiZed and following the way taken by
the hre boss, found e party of eight men
near the connecting gangway and carried
them TO the fresh air, not Il moment too
soon, for they were almost suffocated by
the fumes of the deadly after damp.
All but Twenty Released.
The work of rescue continued for sew
eral hours and by noon it was believed
that all the imprisoned men with the ex-
ceptlOn of about twenty had been re-
leased.
air currents through the mine were much
better than at first supposed and this
gave hope to the crowds of weeping wom-
en- and children about the mouth of the
shaft that their relatives and friends
would be brought to the surface little
the worse for their terrible experience.
1t is practically certain, however, that
many Of the miners are dead, for the
deadly after-damp, which follows all ex-
blossoms in mine workings, had gathered
in large volume near the junction of
shafts No. 6 and No. 2. where the party
of eight men were rescued.
The Worl, of Rescue.
An opening was made in the mass of
debris at the main shaft of No mine
Immediately after the eight men were res
cued at the opposite end. At the bottom
of the shaft hung the cage, a twisted
mass of iron. A temporary lift was put
into place and it was quickly manned
and sent to the bottom, where over
a hundred panic-stricken miners
were found lying fiat on their
faces in an effort to get the only pure
air in that part of the workings. They
were put into the cage and carried to the
surface where they were received with
open arms by the members of their fami-
lies who had gathered in great numbers
when the report of the explosion was
learned. Several times the cage de-
scended, bringing on each return its load
Of smoke-begrimed men. Rescuing par
ties penetrated into the mine as rapidly
as possible, and it was expected that
definite news of the conditions there
would be received momentarily.