Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-07-18
I'LL DEAD; z RESCUED
Frightful Disaster in Cambria Mine
at Jamestown.
EXPLOSION DUE TO FlRE-DAMp
Accident Occurred In Section Known
As KIondike, and Survivors De-
seribed Conditions As Frlghtful.
Haroic AAgorL oF pasc,,are


AS KIondike, and Survivors De-
seribed Conditions AS Frlghtful.
Heroic Work Of Rescuers.
Johnstown, Pa, July 1.-Two hun
dred miners entombed by an explosion
In a mine whose main shaft opens
within the limits of the city, was news
to check with terror the pedestrians
on the streets here yesterday. At
first the rumor said that all in the
rolling mill" mine OF the Cambria
Steel company were dead or in dan
ger. But later reports showed that the
lower figure was correct and that 400
were safe. The mine is one of the
largest in the country, and yesterday
500 men were at work there.
The scenes on the hillsides were
heartrending. AS soon as the news
of the disaster spread it was commune
Gated from house to house where the
wives, mothers and children CT the
miners live, and in a few moments
there was a crowd of several hundred
persons gathered about the mine. This
was augmented with almost every Sec
Ond, as the awful news continued to
spread. Wives of tho unfortunate vic
Tins ran about wildly excited; moth
ers tainted, and little children walled
as the extent Of the horror became
known to them.
The mining officials of the Cambria
Company stated that the explosion was
one of fire damp The catastrophe oc-
Cured in the section of the mines
known among the miners as "Klon-
dixie" The few survivors who have es-
capped from the depths of the mine de-
scribe the conditions to be frightful in
their nature. Outside of the "Klon-
dixie" the mines are safe and unin-
jured.
Miners who left the mine by way Of
the Mill Creek entrance brought hOr-
rible stories of crawling over the dead
bodies Of their comrades.
OF the 800 men who entered the
mine on Thursday morning IL
are dead, % were rescued aliv,
and many others escaped from
the mine and reported at thu
office of the company. Thrilling expert
ences attended the efforts of the A
brave and daring fellows who wen
down into the bowels of the eartl
with very faint hope to spur then
| that still they might be in time to re
store to life some of those who are
entombed. Death lurked everywhere
around them, but undaunted they surg
ed forward, swayed with the mobiles
of human purposes.
Early this afternoon cheerin;
word came from the innermost recess
es of the mine that life yet fingered IL
some of the bodies found. The res
j cuers made first for No 4, left heading
! which they had been unable to reacl
the night before. Falls of roof almos
choked up the heading, but through an,
over the debris the brave men pushet
their way. In the front Patrick Mar
tin, his brother Peter, Philip Whit
and several others made their way
Suddenly in an open space they wer
startled by the maniac laugh whicl
emanated from a blackened form tina
rushed at them out of the darkness
The man grasped firmly a pick handl
and tried in his frenzy to beat down hi
rescuers. He was Overpowered an
dragged back to the main heading t
the cars. Thirteen other living me-
were found in this chamber and physi
clans were quickly taken to the spot.
The remains Of some of the dea
were in terrible state, showing tina
there had been slow death in eac
case. One of the men had his mout
and nose tied about by towel. TIL
rest of his face was burned beyond re
cOgnition. The bodies of all wer
twisted in horrible shapes, most of tn
arms being crooked so as to shield tn
face.