Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-01-27
.ENTOMBED MINERS
LAST HOPE is GONE
Hor1 or In the Harwick Mine
at Cheswlck, Pa.
SCORES PROBABLY PERleHED.
One Hundred and Eighty-Four Miners
Are Supposed To Have Lost Their
Lives In the Mine of the Allegheny


Are Supposed To Have Lost Their
Lives In the Mine of the Allegheny
Coal Company at Cheswck, Pa.
Pittsburg, Jan. 26.-The last hope
for the lives of any of the 1S4 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
the mine admitted that he believed
that not one of them would be brought
out alive.
Now the cry is for men to come to
needed to work back through the
rebris to where the miners are imprts-
oned and where possibly some may
have survived. Already four men are
known to be dead, among them Sci
wyn M. 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 shatl
this morning
Lost Life to Save Others.
McKenna lost his life in an effort
10 save thelives of the entombed 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 Harvath. was
brought from the pit 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 went 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 Gunis, the only one of the
miners in the pit when the explosion
occurred to be brought to the surface
i
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 headway here and a lit
tie more there until they were forced
by exhaustion to quit their labors.
Inspectors Statement.
f. w Cunningham, inspector of the
mines for the fourteenth district of
Pennsylvania, made this statement
when he came from the mine this
morning:
Il explored the mine for a quarter
OF 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. 1t is
an awful scene. The force of the ter
rife explosion was awful 1t 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 Ia ct the
head Of what is known as Shoop's
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 loss to give the cause for the
terrible disaster. 1t is the opinion
of the majority, however, that the ex-
plOsion was caused by some foreign
miner striking a match to light his
pipe, which set off the heavy charge
of gas that was always present in the
mine. Another theory for the explo-
sion Is that it was caused by heavy
blast in the mine whereby a new pook.
ct of gas was struck and Immediately
ignited. There are still others who
insist the gaseous substance was set
off by broken safety lamp in the
hands of one of the miners It was
the opinion df the rescuers around
the top of the Harwick shaft that the
real cause of the explosion would nev-
er be known. and they gave as their
reason that the miner or the miners
who were probably responsible for the
rata cfrnnhN Hood