The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-16
HIS LIGHTED TORCH
A MINERS FEARFUL ERROR COSTS
MANY LIVES.
SIX DEAD AND FIVE WILL DIE.
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION IN WEST
VIRGINIA WINE.

The Mine Was New and the VentfI-
atins Machinery of the Best So the
Miner Thought He would Risk n
Torch to work blythe Flame
Set Fire 10 smoke From Explosion
of Powder Charge with Fatal Re-
suIts-Ihe Rescue Work Was
Prompt.
Fairmount, w. Va, May 15.-Six miners
lost their lives, five were fatally injured
and three seriously burned in an explo-
sion at the shaft of the Georges Creek
Coal and Iron Company at Pennington,
seven miles west Of this city on the main
line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
this morning. The dead:
Maynard Beatty of Warrington.
Joe Nichols of Homecoming. Md.
j. H. Everson OF Everson, W. Va.
Dan Altered of Pennington.
Joe Domirick, Italian.
Tony Phillippi. Italian.
The injured: yVyTT1
Charles Carpenter, fatally.
Carl Hunter. fatally. 3
Herrell Everson, fatally. &ifil
Joseph Blaney. fatally.
Italian, fatally. f77
jefferson Fast. badly burned.
Thomas Bainbridge. burned and bruised.
Italian, burned and bruised
The Georges Creek Company has head
quarters in the Equitable building, Bal
timore, and extensive mining interests in
Maryland. This is the first mine the
company has opened in this state and
fully 100000 has been invested, and the
mine is one of the best equipped in the
Fairmont coal region. Col r. L. somer-
vile, an experienced and capable mine
superintendent, has charge of the works.
The mine was only recently put into oper-
alton, and about 1876 men were employed.
only forty of this number underground.
We're Going to Make Record Day.
Owing to a shortage in the car supply
the men have only been making about
half-time for several days but yesterday
quite number of cars were left at the
mine, and the management decided to
break all records with to-day's output.
So bright and early this morning. the
miners who reside in cosy cottages on
the hilltop above the mine made their way
to the main opening and the car carried
I
them were assigned to portion OF the
mine that has been worked for some time
| and the remainder were put 10 work on
headings quite a distance away. One of
the men In the rooms, 1t is alleged. had
sr1uggied a torch into the mines as 1t
gives so much better light than the safe
ty. lamps prescribed by the company.
There Is an immense fan which sends s.
600 feet of fresh air into the mines at
every revolution. and as the shaft was
considered one Of the safest in the region
the miner did not heed the frequent warn
ings of fellow employe who warned him
of the risk he was taking.
He Fires the Fatal shot.
At 915 O'clock the miner fired a shot
and the smoke. which was very dense,
caught FIRE from tine torch and spread TO
either the gas or dust and the explosion
resulted. Fortunately the mine did not
catch fire to any extent. The explosion
vented itself through the air shaft and al
most demolished the building on the sur
face in which the fan was located. The
men on the headings did not know there
had been an explosion until notified. The
air was soon turned In and In a short
time the headings were cleared of foul
gases and the work of rescuIng the un-
fortunates commenced. 1t was O'Clock
before the work was concluded. This is
the most serious explosion that ever oc-
CURED in she Fairmont coal region.