The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-03-28
FATAL -MDNBEXPL0SIOl.
Ono Dead and Five Arc Dying a.
the Result.
TEN OTHERS TERRIBLY INJURED

Il Il Delbtfsl II Any ef the wound
"a win Reesver-Fire Follows the
Explosion, which Was Caused BY
aA Aocuaalatisa Of Gas.
Connellsville, Pa, March 26.-The
arst and most fatal mine explosion to
occur In the New Klondike region Of
Fayette county happened yesterday
One man was killed instantly. fve will
die and ten are burned and crushed 30
terribly that It Is doubtful II they will
recover. The body Of the dead man
an unknown Italian, Is missing. The
injured men have been brought to the
Cottage State hospital. and as re-
suit Of the explosion the mine Is on
fire. The cause Of the explosion was
an accumulation Of gas in the heading
of the Gates mine, one Of the new
mines opened up this winter by the
American Steel and Wire company,
which has lately been merged into the
United States Steel corporation.
The fatally injured are: Robert Mel
son, mine foreman, terribly burned,
skull blown open and brains scattered
out; Gibson Gilmore, Of Dunbar, an
American miner, burned and blacken-
ed from head to feet; David Ramsey,
OF Adelaide, a driver, burned from
head to feet, also crushed by the force
of the explosion; James Wilson, of
Oliphant, American miner, frightfully
burned about the head, face and body
and crushed and bruised; Michael
Goble, OF Gates, German miner, ter
ribly crushed
The Gates plant is located jus;
across the Monongahela river from Ma
sontown. The fire boss of the new
mine is Michael Callaghan, but recent
ly appointed. He made his rounds
early yesterday morning. as usual, and
found no gas. At s: so o'clock blast
was prepared in heading parallel to
the main heading. A group Of l6 min
ers had gathered in cross entry about
600 feet from the bottom of the shaft
and SO feet from the face. The charge
OF powder was put into the blast as
usual and touched off by Michael
Goble. the ''blaster." In the meantime
a pocket of gas had accumulated at
the face and gradually drifted out to-
ward the heading. 1t is supposed that
the slight fall or a sudden issue along
the floor of the heading caused the
presence of the gas. The same instant
that the fuse was touched off there was
a binding fash, which suddenly fill
ed the entry in which the miners haG
taken refuge.
The American miners who are able
to tell anything OF the accident say
that there were really two explosions
The first was so terrific that it left
them dazed and stiffened, when there
was another rush of air following the
flash and noise, bringing with 1t sec
ond puff of gas. This. too, was ignited
by the fire which had already enkin-
died the mine The miserable miners
sions.
The news of the explosion spread
rapidly and soon the people were
flocking to the mouth Of the mine. A
wild crowd gathered at the pit mouth
Meantime in the black depths of tho
mine groans, prayers and imprecations
filled the black tunnel row Of new
mine cars stood near the scene of the
blast and the men stood near them
laughingly waiting for the boom OF the
explosion of the blast. In an instant
they were mixed in a horrible mass OF
writaing burned bodies and wrecked
pit wagons.
The rescuing party were remarkably
quick in the work of geing to t.e aid
OF the entombed men. When all the
burned miners were brought to the sur
face they numbered 16. Six Of them
were taken to their homes at Gates.
The others were placed in an empty
box car, which was half filed with
clean straw, and brought to this place,
and soon all the available physicians
were attending to the wounds of the
sufferers.