The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-02-05
.ENTOMBED MINERS
LAST HOPE is GONE
Hor1 or In the Harwick Mine
at Cheswlck, Pa.
SCORES PROBABLY PERIsHED.
One Hundred and Eighty-Four Miners
Are Supposed To Have Lost Their
Lives In the Mine of the Allegheny
Coal Company at Cheswick, Pa.

Are Supposed To Have Lost Their
Lives In the Mine of the Allegheny
Coal Company at Cheswick. Pa.
Pittsburg, Jan. 27.-The last hope
for the lives of any of the 1874 men
entombed in the Harwick mine OF the
Allegheny Coal company, miles from
Cheswick, Pa, was given up today
when George w. Scheetz, manager OF
th0 mine admitted that he believed
that not one OF them would be brought
out alive.
Now the cry Ia fer men TO come to
che work of rescue. Volunteers are
needed to work back through the
robris to where the miners are impris-
OAsd and whore possibly some may
have survived. Already four men are
known to be dead. among them Sci
wyn n. Taylor, OF this city. who was
The FIRST OF the rescue party to reach
the bottom OF the shaft. His body
was brought to the top Of the shaI,
this morning
Lost Life to Save Others.
McKenna lost his life In an effort
to save thelives Of the entOnbed men.
He designed and plotted the mines for
the Allegheny Goa ! mines. and was
best fitted to lead the fOrlorn hope.
He went down into the mine bravely,
and with him went four other men.
One of them, George Harvsth, was
brought from the pit q short time be-
fore Taylor's lifeless body came to
the surface. Another Of the rescue
party, Tom Wood, tried desperately
to save his companions, but felt the
deadly nausea coming on and was
forced to leave them to their fate.
Then others tried the work, two at
q time. All night they weRt up and
down in the temporary rugged bucket
The main hosts were both blown out
by the force Of the explosion, but
there were no living ones to save.
AdOlph GUMS, the only one Of the
miners in the pit when the explosion
occurred to be brought to the surface
alive. was rescued by Selwyn Tay-
lor.
There were no other lives to save,
but dead were TO be found, and all the
night long the volunteers dug, tunnel
ed, gaining Roadway here and a lit
tie more there until they were forced
by exhaustion to quit their labors.
Inspectors statement.
r. w. Cunningham, inspector Of the
mines for the fourteenth district of
Pennsylvania, made this statement
when he came from the mine this
morning:
II explored the mine for Q quarter
OF a mile. am positive of all those
who entered for work yesterday, not
one will be taken out alive. Scat
tered about are dead bodies OF the
miners. dead mules. wrecked cars and
tons of fallen coal and slate. II is
an awful scene. The force Of the ter
rife explosion was awful. Ii will take
days to clear away the wreckage. I'm
til this is accomplished we will not
know how many met death. The
explosion seems to have been a dou-
BILE one. making one long. continuous
rumble and the second blast was
heard rolling back under the hills
toward the south end Of the mine,
which contains by far the largest part
OF the workings. The mine is at the
head of what is known as Shops
run"
Miner careIessIy Lighted Pipe.
The higest officials of the Warwick
mine and nearly every miner who IS
alive in the little mining village are
at a loss to give the cause for the
OF the majority. however, that the ex.
plosion was caused by some foreign
miner striking a match TO light his
pipe, which set OF the heavy charge
of gas that was always present in the
mine. Another theory for the explo-
sion is that it was caused by a heavy
blast in the mine whereby a new peck.
ct Of gas was struck and Immediately
ignited. There are still others who
insist the gaseous substance was set
on by broken safety lamp in the
hands Of one of the miners. 1t was
the opinion OF the rescuers around
the top Of the Harwick shaft that the
real cause Of the explosion would new
er be known. and they gave as their
reason that the miner or the miners
who we're probably responsible for the
catastrophe were dead.