The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-12
SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS
The First Came at SIX O'clock Mon
day Evening.
OTHERS DRIVE BACK RESCUE PARTIES
The Mine Has Always Been Considered Dam
gerous. 1t is Believed That This Dis
astcr Was Caused by Work
ing With Open Lamp,
ing With Open Lamp,
(By the Associated Press)


West Newton. Pa, June 11.-Not a
practical miner in this district believes
that one Of the seventeen men entombed
in the Port Royal mine by the explosion
last night is still alive. There is no fire
in the mine to judge from appearances
at the it mouth, but the force of the eX-
plosion was so great that none of the
men, so the miners say, could have sur
vived the shock The complete list Of the
dead includes:
WILLIAM M'CUNE, superintendent;
married. four children.
JOHN KECK. mine boss; married;
three children.
WILLIAM ALLISON, Superintendent,
West Newton; married; four children.
DANIEL ALsoP, mine boss, and thir-
teen miners
William McCune was superintendent of
the Port Royal district comprising five
mines. He was a large stockholder in
the Pittsburg Coal Company, and his
family lives in a handsome residence on
Vine street, West Newton. william Al
lison was a second cousin of President
Mckinley.
Early this morning Harry Beverdge
and two miners, three of a recruiting
party that went into the mine to bring
out their mates who were entombed
were sent to the McKeesport hospital.
Beveridge had both hands broken and the
other two were badly burned.
At 9:O4 a. M today an inspection party
went down into the NINE through the
shaft on the Baptimore and Ohio side Of
the Youghiogheny river. 1t was their
purpose to penetrate as far as possible
to locate the dead bodies with hardly
hope of finding any Cne alive.
The rescue party had been in the mine
about an hour when the muffed report
of another explosion was heard issuing
from the depths of the shaft and a rush
for the cage was made by the men above
! who thought that these rescurers had
met the fate fthCse who had gone be-
fore. A dozen men volunteered to go
down and trv and rescue the party but
their services we're not needed as the
signal to hoist the cage was given from
| TIE bottom and when it reached the top
| top three unconscious forms were found
! lying on it. Fire Inspector Callaghan
and Fire Boss w. McFee Of the Wick
Haven mines, were tho most dangerously
hurt of the party and these men were
taken to the hotel nearby where two
! physicians worked with them almost an
| hour before they could be brought back
TO life. This last explosion in the minds
of many seems to settle he fate of the
entombed men and all hope of getting
any of them out alive has been aban-
| doned.
The disaster occurred about six o'clock
last evening. An explosion was heard by
men at Shaft No. 2 and suddenly a cloud
OF smoke burst from the mouth of the
shaft. searching party composed of
Superintendent William McCune and nine
| others went down Shaft No g. Nothing
| was heard Of them, and in an hour an
| other rescuing force, led by James Bailey
and William Williams fire BOSSES were
| let down the shaft. They had groped
their way about two hundred feet, where
| two explosions was heard in rapid success
| sion. lamps in the hands of
/ Bailey and Williams were blown fifty 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 until
! 9:04 a. m not another soul went down
! the shaft as it would have meant certain
! death from the after damp. The party
| that went in this morning was composed
| of Mine Inspector Bernard Callahan, Genl
| eraI Superintendent John Reese. Ere Boss
! William T. McFee Fire Boss Daniel Nc
| Cullough Fire Boss Peter McLindon and
ArI( AtyyTb btyf al
Continued on Second Page.)