The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-19
COAL NINE HORROR
AsSeriss Of Explosions Causes a
Terrible DIsastey.
MANY Brave LIVES LOST.
Mina Was Considered oargero US
ard Explosion Was Caused
By !he Greed Of
tha Notksrs.
tha Notksrs.

place in the Port Royal mine nesr
West Newton, Perm, on last Wednss
day. There is no FIRE in the mice, to
judge from appearances at the pit
mouth, but the force Of the explosion
was so great that none CT The men, so
the miners ssy, could have survived the
shock. The complete list Of the dead
includes:
William McCuue, superintendent,
married, four children.
John Reek, mine boss, married,
three children.
William Alliscn, superin endent,
West Newter, married, four children.
Daniel Alscp, mine boss, and thir-
teen miners.
William McCune wss superintendent
of the Port RnYsl district comprising
Eve mines. He was a largo stock.
holder in the Pittsburg Coal Company
and his family lives in a handsome
residenbe On Vine street, West Newton.
William Allison was cousin Of Presi-
dent Mckinley.
Early Wednesday ncroing Harry
Beveridge AID two miners, three Of a
rescuing party that went 10 the mine to
bring out their mates who were en-,
tombed, were sent to the McKeesp2rt
Hospital. Beveridga had both bards
broken and the other two we're badly
burned.
Ats Oh A. NJ, "Wednesday an IN
spection party went into the mine
through the shaft on the Baltimore
and Ohio side Of the YoughiogheBy
River. twas their purpose to pene
trste as far as possible to locate the
desd bodies, with hardly hope Of find
ing anyone alive.
The rescue party had been in the
mine about an hour when the mufied
report Of smother explosion Wss hesrd,
issuing from the depths Of the shaft,
and 8 rush for the cage was made by
the 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 aid rescue
the party, but their services were not
required, as the signal to hoist the cage
was given from the bottom and when it
reached the top thres unconscious
forms were found lying nit. Fire IN
spector Callahan and Fire Byss W,
McFee, 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 al 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
entonbed men, and sjl hope of getting
any Of :hem cut alive has been abaD-
6oned.
TIE disaster occurred about 6 o'clock
"Wednesday evening, An explosion wss
heard By men st shaft No. 2 and sud
denly cloud Of smoke burst from the
mouth Of the shaft.
a searching party, composed Of
Superintendent William McCuue and
nine others, went down shaft No. 2
Nothing was heard Of them and in an
hour another rescuing force, headed by
James Bailey and William Williams,
fire bosses, were let down the shaft,
They groped their way about 200
feet when tRo explosions were heard IN
rapid succession. The shaft lamps il
the hands of Bailey and Williams were
blown fifty feet away. and they them
selves were thrown violently to the
ground. They arose to their feet and
called for their comrades, but there was
no answer. Both men hurried back to
the shaft and were taken up in the cage.
From that moment until 8 o. 4. N.
not another soul went down the shaft,
as it would have meant certain death
from the after damp.
The part that went in this morning
was composed Of Mine Inspector Ber
nard Callahan, General Superintendent
John Rose, Fire Boss William McFee,
Fire Boss Daniel Mccullough, Fire Boss
Peter McLindon and Pit Boss Robert
Mckinney. All but Callahan were
brought from the various mines Of the
Pittsburg Cosl Company.
The Port Royal mine has always been
considered dangerous. There vas 8
similar explosion in the mine seven
yesrs ago, by which one man was killed.
The use Of safety lamps had been
made especially imperative in these
mines by the district inspector, owing
to the great danger that was known to
exist, but careless miners sometimes
use open lights, because they can see
better to mine by them aud this helps
them to make a bigger days wages.
This is what probably caused the ex-
plosion, but the inquiry which will fol-
low nay develop different cause.
~.