The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-07-11
JORRStOWR, Pa, Again in the
Throes Of an Awful
Calamity
MINE EXPLOSION RENDERS
MANY HOMES FATHERLESS
Rescuers Make Desperate Efforts to
Reach Stricken Men and Many
of Them Are c*cscome-At
Least 200 Are Lost.

Johnstown. July 11.-2 a. m.-Two hun
dred miners are entombed in the rolling
mill mine of the Cambria Steel Company
as the result of an explosion today.
President Stackhouse or the steel COM
pany said the number of dead would
reach 125. Mayor Kendry of Johnstown
says the first of the bodies of the dead
miners would be brought from the mine
at o'clock. He stated that General Man
,ager Price told him the number of bodies
in sight at 1 o'clock was 65.
At 1915 o'clock this morning General
Manager Moore of the mine, who, with
Superintendent Robinson, had penetrated
to a considerable distance in the mine
stated that he had recovered 50 bodies
UP to that time, and had not been in all
the rooms. AS near as can be learned
there was not a dozen Americans killed,
the victims beirg mostly Huns and Slavs
ssinertm nsuaobaksnrofitocmfw amaa
1t was nearly an hour after the explo-
sion before any general knowledge Of
what had happened got abroad. Men
who escaped with their lives told the ter
rible news and soon it spread like Wild
fire all over the city. In scores of homes
there were the most pathetic scenes.
Mothers, wives, daubhters. sons and rela-
tives were frantic with grief. Hundreds
rushed to the mine and with sobbing
hearts awaited the awful news.
At the opening across the river the
Cambria Iron Company police, with sew
eral assistants, stood guard permitting
no one to enter the mine, from which
noxious gases were coming. 1t was nearly
o'clock when all hope of sending rescue
parties from the Westmont opening was
abandoned.
Damp Drove Them Back.
Two men who had escaped from the
mine-Richard Bennett and John Meyers,
went back two miles to see what assist
ance could be rendered, but the frightful
damp drove them back and they fell
prostrate when they finally, after des-
perate struggle, reached the outside Two
doctors gave the men assistance and
after working with them half an hour,
restored them. Their story of the situa-
ton in the mine soon made 1t clear that
the rescue work could not proceed from
Westmont opening and hastily prepar-
ations were made to begin that task
at the Mill Creek entrance. Soon after
the news of the explosion reached the
Cambria officials, Mining Engineer NJ. G.
Moore and one of his assistants, A G..
Prosser, made an attempt to enter the
mine. They were followed by Mine Super
intendent @. 7. Robinson, but the deadly
gases stopped their progress and they
were compelled to return to the surface.
Mine Foreman H. Rodgers. his assist
ant, William Blanch and Fire Bosses
John Whitney, John Retallick and John
Thomas were overcome by the gases and
it is feared they perished In a heroic
effort to rescue the miners. son of
Harris Rodgers then tried to reach his
father, but he was overcome by the dead
ly gases and was carried out unconscious.
William Stibich spent several hours at
the Mill Creek opening. He said that
he believed as many as 45O men were
still in the mine. In his opinion, from
all he could CLEAN, not to exceed $50 men
had come out.
American Miners Escaped.
About a score of American miners, who
were at work in the Klondike district, no.
ticed the presence of the fire damp in
occurred and started at once for the
main entrance. They were almost over
come oy the deadly gas, but reached the
outside world In safety. One of the men
who got out safely said it is not known
what caused the explosion, and that 1t
probably never will be known. as he be-
lieved none of the men at work In the
Klondike district can be saved He also
said that only a few days ago the Of
a1tA l. 70 II.
in the mine not to play with the gas,
and that the very next day a young Hun
garian was seen pushing a naked lamp
along the roof of the mine In search of it
Mining Engineer Moore and Superinten-
dent George t. Robinson are at the head
of a rescuing party from the Franklin
slope and Conemaugh mine. They are
slowly working their way along toward
the scene of the explosion, but must fight
the deadly gases every step of the way.
Canvas screens are being used to wall
all the side entrance and rooms, so as to
force a direct draft air ahead of the res
cuers.
Saw Bodies of so Men.
Several miners have reached the sur
face who. were working near the ex-
plosion. They say they passed through a
portion of the Klondike district and saw
the bodies of at least fifty men. The
men who came out were foreigners, and
were in such an excited state that it
was impossible to get story from them.
The mine has been open for about fifty
years, and was producing 5000 tons per
day. 1t is the propert-- of the Cambria
Steel Company with general offices in
Philadelphia.
The catastrophe occurred In the section
of the mine known among miners as
"Klondike" The section is about mile
and a half from the main entrance OF
the rolling mill mine.
The few survivors who have escaped
from the depths of the mine describe
the condition to be frightful. Outside Of
the Klondike the mines are safe and un-
injured. With the fatal limits the havoc
wrought by the explosion is terrific.
Solid walls of masonry three feet in
thickness. were torn down as though
nada of ua nor Tha roofs OF the mines