The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-07-16
DEADLY FIRE DAMP.
Johnstown Explosion Makes over
200 Homes Desolate Some Es.
caped-Many Killed.

"A terrific explosion of gas In the
rolling mill mine owned by the Cam.
bria steel Company at Johnstown
Pa, Thursday buried alive aud left
| enlombed $50 men and boys. The
cause OF the explosion ls attributed
to tire damp. but how Il was ignited
IS mystery. The explosion oc.
CURED between II and 1880 u. m.
| The first reports indicated that 500
men were entOmbed The rolling
mill mine had an entrance at Johns.
town. near the railroad station. The
air shafting at the main entrance.
however. Is at Mill Creek. seven
miles from Johnstown. and not far
from the Conemaugh river. II is a
shaft mine OF many chambers. Four
hundred men went down the shaft
AT Mil Creek at I o'clock Thursday
morning II Is claimed that 200 or
more found their way out of the mine
during the morning. Spectators who
stood near the SHAFT since the ex.
plosion say that 65 persons have
found their way out of the living
grave. They have been employed in
chambers far removed from the scene
OF the explosion. A. q. Prosser. as.
"ioihhN hiluinE onklnttEs uttOni-
panied a party which made hur.
ried exploration of the mine follow.
ing the explosion. He reported that
the entombed men are locked In Il
chamber known as the Klondike sec
tion. about four miles from Johns.
town and three and one.half miles
iiom the Mill Creek shaft.
AT ITO p. m, ~ hours after
the explosion. the FIST four victims
we're brought to the surface from the
hlondike section. They were VII.
liam Robertson. who was uncon.
scious when found; John Retallic
alive and In pretty good shape, and
two unknown Slavs. both alive. but
unconscious. DR.. John B. Lowman
who came up with the men. said he
passed 20 dead bodies In the mine,
some of them In sitting postures. The
Mill mine of the Cambria is located
on the west bank of Stony creek.
above the stone bridge. and Is from
ive to six miles long. The mines
are honeycomb of one of the foot.
nils Of the Alleghanies, and have
been worked for 80 years. or In fact
since the Cambria works have been
operated. Owing to the heavy fall
of earth blocking the passage way
II may be day or two before the
iescling party can dig their way to
the klondilSe room. where at least 100
miners are supposed to have been
at work when the explosion oc.
cured
Friday the rescuing party succeeded
III penetrating the mine to a consid.
cradle distance and found II miners
alive. These. with the five that es.
capped, Immediately after the explos-
ION. makes % that came out alive.
one hundred and nine dead bodies
were taken out M to midnight Fri.
day, and II was estimated that 80 were
yet somewhere in the mine. Every
effort Is being made to reach them
with the faint hope that some or all
may be alive.
Chief Mine Inspector James Il. Rod.
erick. Inspector Josiah L. Evans. OF
Johnstown, !. G. Roby. of Uniontown;
c. d. Ross, of Greensburg. and Joseph
Williams Of Altoona made a thorough
inspection Of the Rolling Mill mine at
Johnstown Sunday and decided that
the mine was In good condition. and
have authorized General Manager &.
5. Price to resume operation i'm all
parts of the mine except the Klon..
dixie section.