Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-11
NO HOPE FOR MINERS
Seventeen Men in Port Royal Mine
Must Perish.
EXPLOSION FOLLOWS EXPLOSION
The Last One Injured Several of
the Rescuers.
TWO OF THEM MAY DIE

WEST NEWTON, Pa, June 1.-Another
explosion occurred at the Port Royal mine
of the Pittsburg Coal and Coke Company
shortly before noon, and several of the
rescuers were dangerously injured. Fire
Inspector Callaghan and Fire Boss McFee
were the most dangerously hurt, and may
die. This last explosion, in many minds.
settles the fate of the entombed men. and
all hopes of getting them out alive have
been abandoned.
There is no fire in the mine, to judge
from appearances at the mouth of the
pit, but the force Of the explosion was
so great that none of the men. so the
miners say, could have survived the shock
The complete list of the dead is:
VIM. McCune superintendent; married
four children.
John Keck, mine boss; married; three
children.
VIM. Allison, superintendent, West New
ton; married; four children.
Daniel Alsop, mine boss.
Thomas Labin, miner; married
Michael Roy, fire boss; married.
Thomas Gleason, fire boss; married.
Chris Howells, fire boss; married; one
child.
Anthony Steckles; married.
Frank Davenport, miner: married
Taylor Gunsauless, sr.; married.
Taylor GunSauleSS, jr.
John Stackle, miner
Peter McCandle; married.
John Burke.
George Daily.
Bernard Ball, miner
Cousin of the President.
William McCune was superintendent of
the Port Royal district, comprising five
mines. He was a large stockholder in the
S1,
lives in a handsome residence on Vine
street West Newton. William Allison was
a second cousin of President Mckinley
Early this morning Harry Beveridge and
two miners, three of recruiting party that
went into the mine TO bring out their mates
who were entombed, were sent to the Nc
Keesport hospital. Beveridge had both
hands broken and the other two were badly
burned.
At 9:04 am. today an inspection party
went down into the mine through the shaft
on the Baltimore and Ohio side of the
Ioughiogheny river. 1t is their purpose to
penetrate as far as possible to locate the
dead bodies, with hardly hope of finding
any one alive.
The fans in both shafts tthe No. l being
on the north side of the river We're start al
up to clear the mine of smoke fire Damp
and the after damp remaining from the
supposed to have occurred between entries
20 and %, 5000 feet back from the shaft
The disaster occurred about o'clock last
evening. An explosion was heard by men
at shaft No. ., and suddenly a cloud of
smoke burst from the mouth of the shaft
1t was known that Anthony Stic1les, John
PEBBLES George DAILY, Frank Davenport
ana James Settler were in the mine. A
searching party, composed of Superintend
ent VIM. McCune and nine others, went
down shaft No. 2. Just before they were
lowered the bell rung from the foot
of the shaft. The cage was already down,
81 nd was oh will Sat1a
The rescuing party then went down.
To Rescue the Rescuers.
Nothing was heard of them, and in an
hour another rescuing force, led by James
Bailey and VIM. Williams fire bosses, We're
let down the shaft They had groped their
way about 200 feet, where two explosions
were heard in rapid succession. The shaft
lamps in 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
drawn up in the cage. From that moment
until 9:04 m. not another soul went down
the shaft, as it would have meant certain
death from the after damp
The party that went Ia this morning was
composed of Mine Inspector Bernard Cal
lahan, General Superintendent John Reese,
Fire Boss William NJ. McFee, Fire Boss
Lindon and Pit Boss Robert Mckinney.
All but Callahan were brought from the
various mines of the Pittsburg Coal Com
pany. At 10 am. the body Of Taylor Gum
sauless, sr, was brought to the surface by
the party headed by Inspector Callahan.
A big crowd surrounded the mouth of the
shaft when the corpse was brought out. and
the scene was pitiful in the extreme. Many
women were there looking for their nus
bands, fathers and brothers, and they wild
ly appealed for the rescuers to save their
loved ones.
The Port Royal mine has always been
considered dangerous. There was similar
explosion in the mine seven years ago, by
which one man was killed.
The use Of safety lamps has been made
especially imperative in these mines by the
district inspector of mines, 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 and this helps them to make a big
ger days wages. This is what probably
caused yesterday explosion, but the in
quiry which will follow may develop a diff
ferent cause.
(vRnWynC