The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-01-29
DEAD I'N Al NJ me.
Terrible Fire Damp Explosion
Deals Death to Miners.
i BRAVE REsCUER PERIsHEs.
Women and Children Crowd
Around the Month of the
Mine Seeking Their Hus-
bands and Fathers. WIS
bands and Fathers.

- "a ulSpaIcn ElrOus fi6tSOuISYs I'd,
says from all that can be learned be-
tween 1870 and 100 men are lying dead
in the headings and passageways Of,
the Harwick mine of the Allegheny
Coal company at Cheswlck, the re- 1
suit OF a terrific explosion. Cage af-
ter cage has gone down into the mine
and come up again but only one miner
OF all those who went down to work
Monday mornisg has been brought to
the surface. The rescued man is
Adolph Gunia and he is still in a
semi-conscious condition at the tem-g
porary hospital at the rude school
house on the hillside above the mine.
In addition to the miners who were
at work when the explosion occurred,
1t is now believed by practically all of
the men of the rescue purity who come
up the 22O foot vertical shaft for q
warming and breathing spell, that &
Selwyn Taylor, the Pittsburg mining
engineer, who plotted the mine and
who was the first to reach tie bottom
after the explosion happened, is now
among the list of dead. Every effort
is being made to rescue the imprisoned {
miners.
THE EXPLOsION.
The explosion occurred at 8. 20 Mon
day morning and the first warming
was the sudden rumble under ground,
and then sheet OF flame followed up
the deep shaft. Both mine cages
were hurled through the tinnle, 90
feet above the landing stage and the
three men on the tipple were thrown )
to the ground. A mule was thrown
high above the shaft and fell dead on
the ground. The injured were brought
at once to the city where some ofthem
have died since. After the explosion
the crash at the pits mouth startled
the little village.
The wives and children of the men
below rushed to the scene OF the
disaster, but to gain no encourage
ment. There was no way to get into
the deep workings. The cages that
let the men into the mines and
brought them out again when the.
days work was done were both
demolished. All day long there was
a jam Of women and children waiting:
about the mouth Of the pit. There
were calls for assistance and for surgi-
cal aid from the men in charge Of the
mine, but was not until 4 o'clock
Monday afternoon that the first
attempt at rescue was made. This
was failure as the two men who
volunteered were driven back by the
foul air.
A BRAVE MANS DEATH.
Shortly after O'Clock SelWyn M.
Taylor and one of his assistants sig
na.ed for the engineer to lower them
into the shaft. Taylor is still down
there. Three times efforts have been
made to reach him but so far with, - ,,el
avail. Thomas WooelilSne oel
of the rescue party haniS&lsJIA "a IL, uoqt
face, told his story OF his Inn. where
the mine. He said: L was wiGea;lin,,
lor and we clainbered over threa1
| four falls. Taylor laid out the mine
and seemed to know the way. There
was one man alive at the foot of the.
shaft. He was sent up and then we
took the mule path into the south
lever. We saw two men who were alive
and notified those back of us and then
went on. We passed the third, fourth
and fifth headings and then went
through an overdrift into the other
shaft. / began to feel dizzy and siclI,
and then / saw Taylor stagger. and
/ fall. His lantern fell. We tried to lift
him but could not carry him up andI
made my own way to safety" Tie
body Of Mr.. Taylor was found and
brought to the surface at a little after
two O'clock, having sacrificed his life
Trying to rescue Others.