The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-25
More Than 100 Men Entombed
by an Explosion.
Efforts to Reach the Victims
So Far Fail.
CONDITION UNKNOWN.
Help Pours in from the Sur
rounding County.
Wives and Children of UnfOrtu-
mates Gather at Pit Mouth.

Pittsburg, Pa, Jan. 25.-Between 125
and $50 men were entombed today by
an explosion in the shaft of the Har-
wick Coal company, near Cheswick.
1t is believed that many of them were
either killed outright by the explosion
or have been suffocated by the gas
Several hundred men are at work trv-.
ing to iberate the men imprisoned in
side About 200 men are employed at
the mine. $50 working inside and the
remainder on the tipple. The men on
the tipple were badly burned by the
explosion. With a loud report and an
upheaval like an earthquake the wood
work of the tipple was destroyed The
walls of the shaft were filled with
debris, rocks and earth practically
shutting off all means of escape for
those in the mine. Whether the exnIo-
sion occurred at the far extremity of
the mine and killed the men by the
concussion. or whether it occurred
nearer the shaft and imprisoned the
men is not known. There have been
no means as yet of finding the exact
nature of the disaster and the number
of men killed If the main entrance
can not be cleared SO that the men can
get fresh air all will have perished in
the course OF a lew hours.
With the knowledge that scores of
lives depend on the prompt action of
IaborerS at the mouth of the mine, an
excited gang of men was working with
might and main. Help was summoned
from all sources available and as many
men as are assisting in the work of
rescue as can conveniently work there.
half dozen men working near the
mouth of the pit on the tipple were
caught in the wreckage and number
CIxr i11i11 n
thought, can not recover The other
men employed on the tipple were work
ing away from the shaft and escaped
uninjured.
Superintendent George sehests as
soon as he heard of the accident, te1e-
phoned to Cheswick and Springdale for
assistance. Gangs of working men We're
sent in response and physicians hurried
to the scene to take care of the injured
The mine is about a mile from Ches-
wick and was opened about two years
ago. The company is allied with the
Allegheny Coal company and it Is said
was operated by Cleveland capitalists.
The mine, it is stated has always been
a gaseous one, but there has never been
any serious trouble before today.
superintendent Sheets telephoned to
J. r. Morris, manager of the Pittsburg
Tool and Drop Forge company at Ches-
wick for assistance.
The works there were closed and the
entire force of men, numbering rs, were
sent to the scene.
superintendent Sheets stated that he
feared the worst, but there was a pos
Sibility that some of the miners might
have sought refuge in one of the mine
chambers away from the fire and in this
way escaped death. The scene about
the mouth of the pit was pitifuL Hun
dreds of wives and children surrounded
the mouths of the shaft, crazed with
| grief and anxiously awaiting any news
| from the entombed men.
AS quickly as possible a rescuing par
ty was organized, but no one has as yet
been able to descend into the mine.
/ Three of the injured were brought to
/ this city, one Henry Mahew, dying upon
| arrival The two others, George Walt
man and F. N. Gillespie, were removed
to the Allegheny hospital. WaItman will
die.
Up to 13O o'clock this afternoon no
one had entered the mine and nothing is
known of the condition of the entombed
men.
Before the miners went to work this
| morning Fire Boss Gordon went into
the mine and made his usual inspec-
! ton. He reported that everything was
| all right. One hundred and fifty safety
lamps were taken out this morning, SO
it is known that there are that number
| of miners in the mine. The fire boss
and mine foreman are also in the mine,
| Gordon having returned into the mine
after the men had begun working. In
| the tipple at the mouth of the shaft
were the weighmaster and three as
sistants. Several cars of coal had been
| brought out and work was proceeding
as usual when the signal was given
| from the bottom of the shaft that an
other car was ready. The cage with
a mule on board was sent down. Just
as the cage reached the bottom of the
shaft there was a terrific explosion and
| the cage was blown out of the shaft
and through the top of the roof of the
tipple, wrecking the weighmaster's
office and damaging other portions of
| the structure
| The mule was blown 200 feet from the
/ tipple. The cage remained in the
wrecked tipple. All the men on the
tipple were more or less injured. After
the men had been cared for Mine In
spector Cunningham was notified of
the disaster and preparations were
made to go to the relief of the ilnprIs-
oned miners. The air shaft also had
/ been damaged by the explosion. It was
two hours before air could be pumped
into the mine.
This afternoon Superintendent
Sheets said that he believed the explos-
ion was caused by fire damp. Mr..
Sheets said that the work of rescuing
would begin as soon as themine inspec-
tor arrived. The cbarred remains of the
dead mule and the force of the sxplos-
| ion, however, led the mine officials to
fear for the worst.