The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1901-06-13
RESULT OF A SERIES OF Elk
PLosloNs IN "A PENN
sYLvANIA MINE.
REscUlNG PARTY PERIsHEs
Went Into the Shaft to Attempt to
Save Their Comrades and Evidently
Met a Like Fate-General Superin-
:tendent Mccune and superintendent
Allison Among the Victims of the
Disaster. .H

mime explosion WHICH OCCuiISu uuii -
the evening at No. mine of the Pitts
burg Coal company at Port Royal.
Three men were rescued and H. 9TH
.ers are imprisoned in the burning
mine. When the mine was reported
at the Offices of the company here to
be on fire Division Superintendent
William McCune and w. F. Allison OF
this place started for the scene. They
entered the mine with Fire Boss John
:Keck, who carried an open lamp.
Three explosions followed at intervals
of a few moments, the large fan being
inadequate to counterfeit the rush OF
iiredamp. Many of the miners escap-
ed, but latest reports state that Nc
Cune and Allison, with Is miners, are
beyond reach Of rescue. Even were
there a bare possibility OF rescue, the
men are located over a mile from the
bottom of the pit. Since the efforts
of the third rescuing party, which like
previous attempts was disastrous. no
effort has been made to reach the men
and no further attempt will be made
until Mine Inspector Callihan arrives
from Connellsville. The wives and
children of the missing are gathered
about the mine shaft waiting for news
and appealing to the men to rescue
their loved ones.
Explosion Was Terrific.
Not a practical miner in this dis
trict believes that one OF the IL men
entombed in the Port Royal mine by
the explosion is still alive. There is
no fire in the mine, to judge from ap-
pearances at the pit mouth, but the
force of the explosion was so great
that none of the men, SO the miners
say, could have survived the shock.
The complete list of the dead is:
William McCune, general superin-
tendent; John Keck. mine boss; Will
lam Allison, superintendent; Daniel
Alsop, mine boss; Thomas Labin, Mi
chael Roy, Thomp Gleson. Chris How
ellis, Anthony Steckles, Frank Daven-
Tort Taylor Gunsaless, Sr., Taylor
r:unsa Iees. Jr. Johr Stacle, Peter Nc
Can Ohm Turke. George DAILY, Ber-
pard BAH.
William McCune was superintend-
ent of the Port Royal district, compris-
ing five mines. He was large stock
holder in the Pittsburg Coal company
and his family lives in handsome
residence on Vine street, West New
ton. William Allison was a second
cousin OF President Mckinley.
Early in the morning Harry Bever-
idge and two miners. three of res
49, hot int hn vnirn
to bring out their mates who were en-
tombed, were sent to the McKeesport
hospital. Beverage had both hands
broken and the other two were badly
burned. -.--
Inspection Party Goes Down.
At 9 a. m. an inspection party went
down into the mine through the shaft
on the Baltimore and Ohio side of the
Youghiogheny river. 1t is their pur-
pose to penetrate as far as possible
to locate the dead bodies, with hardly
q hope of finding anyone alive.
The fans in both shafts of No. 1, be-
ing on the north side of the river,
were started up to clear the mine of
smoke, firedamp and the afterdamp
remaining from the explosions. The
explosions are supposed to have &C.
CURED between entries 20 and Is,
5000 feet back from the shaft.
The disaster occurred about 6 in
the evening. An explosion was heard
by men at shaft No. and suddenly a
of the shaft. It was known that An
thony Stickler. John PEBBLES. George
DAILY, Frank Davenport and James Set
Ter were In the mine. A searching
party composed of Superintendent Nc
Cune and nine others went down shaft
No. 2. Just before they lowered the
bell was rung from the foot Of the
shaft. The cage was already down
and 1t was brought up with Settler In
it. The rescuing party then went
down. Nothing was heard Of them
and in an hour another rescuing force
Ted by James Bailey and William Will.
Jams. fire bosses. were let down the
shaft.
Rescuing Party Entombed.
They had grouped their way about
200 feet when two explosions were
heard In rapid succession. The shaft
lamps in the hands of Bailey and
Williams were blown so feet away and
they themselves were thrown violently
to the ground. They arose to their
feet and called for their comrades but
there was no answer. Both men hur'
ried back to the shaft and were drawn
up in the cage. From that moment
pntil19 a. IN. not another soul went
down the shaft as it would have meant
certain death from afterdamp. The
party that went in then was composed
of Mine Inspector Bernard Callahan
General Superintendent John Reese,
Fire Boss EWiiliam McFee. Fire Boss
Daniel Mccullough. Fire Boss Peter
McIandon and Pit Boss Robert Nc.
Kiniey. An SSbut Callahan were
brought from the various mines Of the
Pittsburg Coal company. AT 10 a I'M
the body Of Taylor Gunsauless. Sr.
was brought to the surface by the