The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-06-19
COAL Go NINE NINE HORROR
A Series OF Explosions Causes A
Terribls Disaster.
MANY BRAVE LIVES LOST.
Mine Was Considered Dangerous
and Explosion Was Causso
by tha Greed of
tho Workers.

A most disastrous explosion took
place in the Port Royal mine near
West Newton, Penn, on last Wednes
day. There is no FIRE in the mire, to
judge from appearances at the pit
mouth, but tho force of tho explosion
was SO great that none Of The men, so
the miners say, could have survived the
shock. The complete list OF the dead
inclu les:
William McCuue, superintendent,
married, four children.
John Heck, mine boss, married
three children.
William Allison, superin 'endent.
West Newton, married, four children.
Daniel Alsop, mine boss, and thir-
teen miners.
William McCuno was superintendent
of the Port Royal district comprising
five mines. He was largo stock.
holder in tho Pittsburs Coal Company
and his family lives in handsome
residenbe on Vine street, West Newton.
William Allison was cousin of Presi.
dent Mckinley.
Early Wednesday morning Harry
Beveridge and two miners, three of a
rescuing party that went to the mine to
bring out their mates who were en-.
tombed, were sent to the McKeesport
Hospital. Beveridge had both hauds
broken and the other two were badly
burned.
At 9 OF A. NJ, Wednesday an in
spection party went into the mine
through the shaft on the Baltimore
and Ohio side of the Youghiogheny
River. tt was their purpose to spene
trste as far as possible to locate the
dead bodies, with hardly hope Of find
ing anyone alive.
The rescue party had been in the
mine about an hour when the muffisd
report of another explosion WAS heard,
issuing frou the depths OF the shaft,
and rush for the cage was made by
tho men above, who thought that these
rescuers had met the fate Of those who
had gone before. A dozen men volun-
teered to go down and try and rescue
the party, but their services were not
required, as the signal to hoist the cage
WAS given from tho bottom and when it
reached the top three unconscious
forms were found lying on it. Fir. In.
spector Callahan au4 Fire Blss W.
MoFee, of the Wick Haven mines,
were the most dangerously hurt of the
party, and these men were taken to the
hotel nearby, where two physicians
worked with them almost an hour be.
fore they could be brought back to life.
This last explosion, in the minds OF
many, seems to settle the fate of the
entombod men, and all hope of getting
any of them out alive has been abau
doned.
The disaster occurred about 6 O'Clock
Wednesday evening. An explosion was
heard by men at shaft No. 2 and sud
denly cloud of smoke burst from the
mouth of the shaft.
A searching party, composed oi
Superintendent William McCune and
nine others, went down shaft No. 2
Nothing WAS heard of them and in ar
hour another rescuing force, headed by
James Bailey and William Williams
fire bosses, were let down the shaft
They groped their way about 20t
feet when two explosions were heard il
rapid succession. The shaft lamps il
the hands of Bailey and Williams wer
blown fifty feet away, and they them
selves were thrown violently to the
ground. They arose to their feet snC
called for their comrades, but there wac
no answer. Both men hurried back t,
the shaft and we're taken up in the cage
From that moment until 04 A. M
not another soul went down the shaft
as it would have meant certain dealt
from the after damp.
The part that went in this mornin
was composed of Mine Inspector Bor
nard Callahan, General Superintendent
John Rose, Fire Boss William McFee
Fire Boss Daniel MCCULLOUGH, Fire Bos
Peter McLindon and Pit Boss RoboI
Mckinney. All but Callahan wer
brought from the various mines of tn
Pittsburg Coal Company.
The Port Royal mine has always bee
considered dangerous There was
similar explosion in the mine seve
years ago, by which one man was killed
The use of safety lamps had bee
made especially imperative in thea
mines by the district inspector, OWN
to the great danger that wss known t
exist, but careless miners sometime
use open lights, because they car sc
better to mine By them aud this helT
them to make q bigger days wages
This is what probably caused the ez
plosion, but the inquiry which will TO
low may develop different cause.
Minister Sent To Jail.