The Dickinson press., 1902-07-19
COAL MINE HORROR
MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED LIVES
LOST IN AN EXPLOSION AT
JoHNsToWN, PA.
Disaster Occurs In the, Rolling Mill
Mine Of the Cambria Steel Company,
One Of the Largest colIieries In the
( Country-Most Of the Deaths Due to
the Afterdamp Resulting From the
Explosion.

the Afterdamp Resulting From the
Explosion.
Johnstown, Pa, July 14.-One hun.
dred and five men are dead from
Thursdays explosion at the Rolling
Mill mine of the Cambria Steel COM
pany. 1t is not probable that this rec
ord will be swelled to any great ex-
tent: And in no case is it expected the
list will exceed 110 or. 115. The mine
workings, which it was dangerous to
enter Friday, have been thoroughly
explored by searching party. At 3
a. m. the .charred and mutilated bodies
Of fifteen victims were brought to the
Westmont pit mouth and taken to the
morgue. The bodies were found in the
upper end of No. right heading,
where the explosion occurred. The
bodies were all lying far in from the
point of the explosion and could not
be reached until the heading had been
entirely cleared of the noxious gases.
Three deaths occurred during the
night at Cambria hospital. These
were among the last living victims who
were brought out of the mine Friday
afternoon in an unconscious condition.
It is learned at the pit mouth from
mine officials that every heading and
chamber, both to the right and left of
the main Klondike heading, were pen
etrated during the night and that not a
trace of any dead or living victims
were found. 1t is admitted that some
might have crawled into obscure work.
ings in their flight from the afterdamp
which followed the explosion and there
succumbed to the fatal influence of the
gas.
The first official statement of the
disaster was given the Associated
Press reporter by General Mine Super.
intendent George T. Robinson. He
said:
Deaths Caused by Flredamp.
"As to the direct cause of the explo-
sion cannot exactly say. We know
there was an explosion of firedamp in
the sixth right heading of a section of
the mine, commonly known as the
Klondike. So far as l can find out
now there were not more than three or
four deaths from the explosion itself.
The balance were caused by the after
damp.
"Our mine officials, the mine fore
man, Henry Rodgers, Fire Boss John
Retallic, Machine Boss William Rob-
ison, who fs my brother, and Slav,
whose name do not know, were back
eating lunch when the explosion oc-
CURED. They Immediately went down
to the point of the explosion to put
the slopings in order to carry the air in
its proper channel again. These were
blown down by the force of the explo.
sion.
They, with the exception of the as
sistant foreman and one of the fire
bosses, were overcome by afterdamp.
They were found by rescuing party
and the chances are that all will re-
cover with the exception of my broth
er.
"As to the rescue work directed it
to commence just as soon after the ex-
plosion as possible. We started in at
p. m. We started working our way
down by putting up brattices in order
| to carry the air in with us. l suppose
it was 10 o'clock at night before we
came across the bodies of the living.
We found twenty-five dead on our way
to these four living. Twenty more we
| found later on. They were scattered
through that section of the nine Most
| of them were on their way out when
caught by the fatal afterdamp."
+ Bodies Brought to Johnstown.
When the bodies of the victims came
| from the mine long line of under.
takers wagons and picnic wagons were
in waiting to take them on the round.
about road to the morgue in the city
There they were backed up to door,
where large force of police were
ready to check the great throng from
| pressing in too close. Body after body
was taken from the wagons and borne
inside. All of them were blackened
and unrecognizable until the under.
takers got to work. The head Of one
man was crushed and the only means
of identifying him will be by his check
number. All of the bodies were cold
and stiff. The arms of most OF them
were twisted in front of them as if to
shield their faces from fire. The left
hand of one man was torn off at the
wrist. The bodies now recovered were
all found about two miles in from the
main pit mouth.
| 1uC ISOAllu6 MILL ulIle udS U6Su
worked for about fifty years. Five or
six years ago the section where the
disaster occurred was opened. The
miners fancifully called it the Klon
dixie. It is said that for the past few
years gas has been noticed in it and
careful inspections were kept up. In
the last three years safety lamps had
been carried by the men.
The company has for many years
past paid to the family OF every person
killed in it's employ $1,000, outside ot
what it expended for medical purposes
and it has paid every man who has lost
an eye, limb or became otherwise par
tally disabled, the sum of $500. 1t is
understood that the rule will not be
deviated from.
BURIED BY FALLING WALLS.