The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-07-18
AWFUL TRAGEDY
AT JOHESTOWN
From One to Two Hundred
Dead in Pennsylvania
Mine Horror.
SIxTY-FlVE DEAD IN SIGHT
Disaster Was an Unusual One-Ex.
pIosion Was Terrific-Worst Dis.
aster Since the Great
Flood. -f


Hendry says that General Manager
Price told him that sixty-five bodies
We're already in sight in the Klondike
mine at l o'clock this (Friday) morn
ing.
At 1915 o'clock this (Friday) morn
ing General Manager Price Of the mine,
who, with Superintendent Robinson,
had. penetrated to a considerable dis
lance in the Klondike, had reached
telephone station and notified men at
the main entry that he had recovered
fifty-three bodies up to that time, and
had only been In eight rooms.
From the brief report it was under
stood that MIR. Price had gone as far as
he could without endangering his life
from fire damp and had decided to go
to the Mill Creek entrance from there
without further search. H
Those known to be dead include
Mike Mccain, Philip Mccain, William
Blanch, Joe Thompson and William
Robinson. Most Of those killed were
Huns and Slavs.
Harry Rodgers. the foreman of. the
mine, is Undoubtedly dead. He and
Foreman Foster were together when
the fire damp exploded. In the dark
ness the two became separated and
Foster does not know whether his chief
Is alive or dead.
President Powell Stackhouse said:
1.-THE disaster is an unusual one. and
was unexpected. The mine was in
spected three days ago. The number
of casualties is now placed at 1885,
May Be 200 Dead.
Johnstown, Pa, July 12.-Nearly 200
men. it is thought, were killed or In
jured yesterday In an explosion In the
Cambria Steel company's rolling mill
coal mine under West Mont hill at
noon. How many are dead 1t will take
several days to determine.
1t was nearly an hour after the ex-
plosion before any general knowledge
of what happened got abroad. Men
who came from the mines, escaping
with their lives, told the news, and it
spread like wildflre all over the city.
Mothers, wives, daughters, sons and
relatives were frantic with grief. No
one was permitted to enter the mine.
from which noxious gases were escap-
ing.
It was nearly o'clock when all hope
Of sending rescue parties in the West
Mont opening was abandoned.
Richard Bennett and John Meyers.
who escaped from the mine, went back
two milesgto see what assistance could
be rendered, but the damp drove them
back and they fell PROSTATE when they
reached the outside. 1t was clear that
rescue WORK COulu not
the West Mont opening, and hasty
preparations were made to rescue the
imprisoned men at the Mill Creek en-
trance,
Soon after the explosion occurred the
Cambria official mining engineer,
Moore, and one of his assistants, Al G.
Prosser; made an attempt to enter the
mine. They were followed by Mine
Superintendent George T. Robinson,
but the gases compelled them to re-
turn to the surface. Mine Foreman
Harry Rodgers, his assistant, William
Blanch, and Fire Bosses John Whit
nav, John Retallick and John Thomas
were overcome by the gases, and it Is
feared they persisted in a heroic effort
to rescue the miners. A son Of Harry
Rodgers then tried to reach his father,
but he was quickly overcome by the
deadly gas and was carried out I'M
conscious.
William Stitch spent several hours
at the Mill Creek opening. He said
that he believed as many as $50 men
We're still in the mine. In his opinion,
from oil he could CLEAN, not to exceed
$50 men had come out.
About a score Of American miners
who were at work in the Klondike dis
trict noticed the presence Of the fire
damp in their apartments soon after
the explosion occurred and started at
once for the main entrance. They were
almost overcome by gas. One man
ksaid 1t Is not known what caused the
Explosion. He said that a few days
ago the officials issued an order to the
employees in the mine not to play with
the gas, but the next day young Hun
garinn was seen pushing his naked
lamp along the roof of the mine in
reach Of it.
Canvass screens are being used to
wall all The side entries and rooms so
as to force a district current OF cure
air ahead Of the rescuers.
Engineer A. G. Prosser, who, with Mr.,
Moore, entered the mine at the main
opening, came to the surface at Mill
Creek and Immediately set about Sc
curing men and material to aid in the
rescue.
Several miners who were working
near the scene of the explosion reached
the surface and say that they saw the
bodies of at least fifty men. The men
who come out were foreigners, and
We're so excited that they could not tell
connected story.
The mine has been open for about
fifty years and Is producing 1000 tons
per day
The mining officials of the Cambria
company stated that the explosion was
one of fire damp. Outside Of the "Klon-
dixie" the mines are safe and unin1ured.
Within the fatal mine walls of ma
sonry three feet thick were torn down.
the roofs of the mine were demolished
and not a door remains standing.
Miners who left the mine by way
of2the Mill Creek entrance brought I1or-
r1ble stories Of crawling over the dead
bodies of their comrades.
b Tom Foster was in his office when
the explosion occurred. With the helm
of Foreman Roberts an effort was made
to replace a few Of the shattered doors.
ALL the while the fire damp was closing
around them.
Through galleries, giving warnings
and helping. thetwo men went. Roberts
fell, but Foster staggered on until he 4
met Powell Griffith. fire boss He /
had faced what seemed certain death
in an effort to save his men. They
proceeded until they reached a place
of safety. s
John Whitney, who was beyond the (
dip where the explosion took place,
said several dozen We're overcome by I
the damp half a mile from the explo-$
sion.
The arrnory of the Fifth regiment
will be turned into a charnal house.
d Four victims were taken from the
T[1npdflrk> To- 10,