The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-06-21
COAL MINE HORROR
a sarIss OF Explosions causes a
Terrible Disaster.
MANY BRAVE LIVES LOST.
Mine Was Considered Dangerous
and Explosion Was causad
BY tho oresd Of
this Workers.

- AVoo "tsantrouS explosion TOOK
place in tho Port Royal mino near
West Newton, Ponn., Oh last Wednes
day. There is no fire in tho mino, to
judge from appearances at tho pit
mouth, but tho foroo Of the oyplosio on
WAS 80 groat that mono Of tho mon, SO
the minors say, could havo survived tho
shook. The complete list Of tho dead
ipoludes
William McCuno, superintendent,
marriad, four ohildron.
John Heck, mino boss, married,
three children. h
William Allison, superintendent,
Wost Newton, married, four children.
Daniel Alsop, mino boss, and thir-
teen miners.
William MoCuno WAS pcrintopdcnt
of tho Port Royal district comprising
Y fivo mines. Ho was largo stock.
holder in tho Pittsburg Goal Company
and his family lives in handsome
rosidenbe on Vino stroot, West Newton.
William Allison was cousin Of Prosi.
dent Mckinley.
Esriy Wo6 uosdsy mornipg Harry
Boveridge and two miners, tin co Of q
roscuing party that won't to tho mino TO
bring out their mates WHO were en-,
tombed, wore sent to tho McKcespnrt
Hospital. Beveridgo had both bauds
brokon and tho other two wcro badly
burned.
At 904 A. NJ, Wednesday an in
spection party wont into the mino
through tho shaft on the Baltimore
and Ohio side of tho Youg ghioghony
River. twas their purpose to pepo
trato as far as possible to locate the
dead bodiop, with hardly hopo Of iud
ing anyone alive.
Tho reacuo party had beon in tho
mino about an hour whom tho muffl ID
report of another explosion was hoard,
issuing from tho dopths Of tho shaft,
and rush for tho cage was made by
tho mon above, who thought that these
resouers had mot tho fato Of thoso who
had gone before. A dozen men voIun.
teered to 60 down and try ard rescue
tho party, but thcir services waro not
required, as tho signal to hoist tho cage
was givon from the bottom and when it
reached tho top thres uncous,ions
forms wcro found lying on it. Fire 10
spector Callahan AMI Firo Boss w.
I. .MeFee,. of the Wick Hayon minos,
Y were the most dangerously hurt OF the
z party, and these mon were takcn to tho
I hotel nearby, whore two physicians
worked with thom almost au hour bo.
fore thoy GOULD be brought back to life.
This last explosion, in tho minds of
many, seems to settle tho fate of tho
entombed mon, and sil hopo of gotting
any Of them out alive has boon aban-
donCd.
Tho disaster occurred about 6 o'clock
Wednesday evening, An explosion was
heard by mon at shaft No. and sud
denly cloud Of smoke burst from tho
mouth of the shaft.
a searching party, composed Of
Superintendent William McOune and
nino others, went down shaft No. 9
Nothing was heard Of them and in an
hour another roscuing foroo, hoadcd by
James Bailey and William Williams,
tiro bossos, woro let down tho shaft.
They groped their way about 200
feet whom two explosions wore heard in
rapid succession. The Shaft lamps in
tho hands Of Bailey and Williams wero
blown fifty feet away, and they thom-
selves were thrown violently to the
ground. Thoy arose to thoir feet and
called for their comrades, but thoro was
no answer. Both men hurried back to
the shaft and woro taken up in tho cage
From that moment until 04 A. NJ
not another soul wont down the shaft,
aB it would have moant oortain death
from tho after damp.
Tho part that won't in this morning
was composed Of Mino Inspector Bor
nard Callahan, Gonoral superintendent
John Roso, Firo Boss William MoFoo,
Firo Boss Daniel Mccullough, Fire Boss
Peter MoLindon and Pit Boss Robert
Mckinney. All but Callahan wcrc
brought from the various mines Of tho
Pittsburg Coal Company.
The Port Royal mino has always boon
considered dangerous. Thcre was q
similar explosion in tho mipe soven
years ago, by which ono man was killed..
The use Of safety lamps had bcon
mado especially imperative in those
minos by tho district inspector, owing
to the great danger that was known to
oxist, but careloss minors sometimes
uso opon lights, because thoy oan 500
better to mino by them aud this helps
them to make a bigger days wages
This is what probably caused tho OK.
plosion, but tho inquiry which will fol-
low may develop different cause.
~ yro