Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-09
MINE GAS EXPLOSION
Puts in Peril the Lives of Two
Hundred Ohio Coal
Miners.
ALL BUT THREE HAVE BEEN SAVED
Names of Men Who Lost Their Lives
Hundreds Join in the Rescue
WOrk-DeadIy Afterdamp.

Glouster, o., June 9.-Two hundred
| miners were imprisoned yesterday in
| mine No. ., a collierY near this city.
by an explosion of gas which occurred
at Z a. M, when the scores of workers
were descending into the shaft to be-
give their days work. 1t was thought
at first that the loss of life would be
| at first that the loss of life wouldbe
very large, but the work of the rescu-
ers was carried on so energetically
that all We're rescued and saved by
night except three. Evan Joseph, John
McClelland and Aaron Swanson were
killed. and their bodies cannot likely
be recovered soon, as the mine is still
on fire. These men were engaged to
watch the large mine at night and see
that it was in condition for the miners
TO enter in the morning. They We're
cut from all means of escape at the
time OF the explosion and their horses
perished with them. William Will
Jams, also employed in the mine, had
his leg broken and others suffered in
juries.
Explosion Wrecked the Mine.
Hundreds of men worked diligent-
ly all morning to rescue the victims.
The explosion broke the timberS of the
mine in splinters and piled up debris
in all directions; the air fans had been
diSarranged and il was u long time be-
fore any progress was made in getting
all opening to the place where the
miners were entOmbed. The work of
rescue continued persistently all morn
ing and at the noon hour il was be-
lieved all but about twenty of the i'm
prisOned men had been taken out. The
shock of the explosion was heard for
miles and within few minutes after
1t had occurred hundreds of people
were on the scene.
Taken Out Barely I'm Time.
Fire Boss Joseph was not in the
mine when the accident happened, but
was one of the first who went to the
rescue. He went down through shaft
No. 6, which connected with the one in
which the explosion took place. Crop
i'll his way in the pitch-darkness he
reached a connecting gangway and it
is supposed was there overcome by
afterdamp. Meantime. several rescue
parties had been organized and they
followed the way taken by-JoSeph.
Eight unconscious men were found
near the connecting gangway. They
We're carried out to the fresh air and
reached there not a moment too soon.
for all were almost suffocated by the
fumes of the deadly afterdamp.
Two More Explosions Occur.
Last evening about q o'clock n sec
ond explosion occurred, and shortly
afterward Il third. in which the sys-
TEN of fans used to force fresh air in
the mine was completely destroyed.
Joseph leaves a large family. The other
two were single. Joseph and McClel-
Ian We're both Americans. Swanson
was a Swede. There were 400 men en-
ployed in the mine. Had the eXplO-
sion occurred q few moments later, aft
er all the men had entered and taken
their positions. the destruction of hu-
man life would have been fearful to
contemplate. Mine No. is owned by
W. L. Rend & Co. of Chicago. The
shafts 125 feet deep and it was sealed
up last night in the attempt TO smother |