The Washington times., 1904-01-26
Eminent Engineer. Who
Led Party, SuccumbS
to Afterdamp.
MENTH0UGHTlO BEDEAD
Pathetic Scenes About Mouth
of Shaft, Where Relatives
of Victims Congregate.

= -
PITTsBURG. Pa. Jan. 26.-The mys-
teries Of one Of the most dreadful min
ing eatastrophes in Pennsylvania or of
the world, for that matter. are yet un-
solved-Harwick mine. at Cheswick. has
not given up its secret or its dead
It can be reliably stated that between
$50 and 100 miners were in the pit when
the dread hredamp ignlted. blowing the
! cages clear out of the shafts and bury
ing the inmates OF these miners. but
two have been taken out. one dead. and
one half dead from injuries and the ef-
fects of the deadly afterdamp Even
the rescuing parties have not escaped.
and Selwyn NJ. Taylor the eminent min
ing engineer Of this city. who plotted
the mine. and led the rescuers into the
dark depths. is lying dead. while mis-
companions escaped with their lives only
with the greatest difficulty The work
Of attempted rescue was signalized oy
Instances Of the greatest bravery and
scenes around the pit mouth are tragic
in the extreme
Nothing Living There"
A long distance telephone from Ches-
wick. received in Pittsburg at 5 a. On.
says:
F. w. Cunningham, mining inspector
Of the fourteenth district came out Of
the Harwick mine, of Che Allegheny
Coal Company, at O'Clock this morn
ing. and had gone about one-fourth
of a mile from the mouth of the Dit.
and did not think there We're any living
persons In the mine. He went to the
left wing. between the fifth and seventh
headings, and saw several dead rau8cs,
number OF demolished cars and about
sixteen dead men. He said ne thought
the great majority Of the men met
death from the afterdamp.
Couldn't Pass Cave-in.
investigation between the sixth and
seventh headings was abandoned when
Inspector Cunningham came TO big
cave-in that could not be passed. Until
this obstruction Is removed there win
be no means Of discovering what are
the conditions in large part OF the
mine. Seven men were placed a; work
removing the obstruction and the work
of rescue was abandoned until dav-
break
The fans are all working in the mine
/ but or account OF the cave-in il was i'm
possible to pump the air properly. The
waite pipes OF the mine are ali blown
in aid the mine is left dry. Tbera y,,iII
be 10 danger from a food
Descends to Death.
! scenes at the shaft were pathetic
! Tley inspired brave men TO noble deods
The saddened sights Influenced SeIwvn
,. Taylor. the distinguished and yyealtb,-
mining engineer of Pittsburg. pa v,i+b
three others, to descend to the bottorn
'of the mine in bucket He was report-
ed 20 be dead an hour after he made tbe
descent, and In the early hours Of this
morning his lifeless body was bofsted 70
the surface, placed upon a stretcher and
carried to the village schooIhouse that
had been arranged as a hospital bur
wiz doubtless serve as a morgue. II is
not now thought that the services of
physicians or nurses win be required i'm
connection with tft.s horror.
Mr. Taylor's companions narrowly es-
capped a fate similar to his
A Well-Known Engineer.
Selwyn NJ. Taylor was one Of the best
known mining engineers Of western
Pennsylvania. OF late years his vorl,
and investments had brought him rich
returns and he was rated wealtbv
man. As soon as he heard Of the accf-
dent at the Harwick mine he burrsad
there. He had plated the mine and
knew IL thoroughly and hoped that his
knowledge would be Of great bein in
the work Of rescue as he believed thar
not I'll OF the miners had met instant
death
Word received In Pittsburg at o'clock
this morning states that since ; o'cIocL
no attempt has been made TO enter tho
Harwick mine. At that hour the last
rescuers came out. and on account of
the scarcity Of men with enough ex-
perience 70 permit of their going down
into the dangerous mine. the yyorl< of
rescue is much hampered. No bodies
have been recovered since that of Mr.
Taylor. brought up early this morning
There were today only a dozen ex
perienced men who could do relief worI,
and they were exhausted by daylight.
One Miner May Survive.
In the temporary hospital which has
been made Of the school house near bv
are two men. One of them is AdoInb
Coma, the only miner Of those caupbt
in the explosion who has been rescued
Should he survive. he will probably bo
totally blind from the injuries he re
ceived. His face and the upper part Of
his body are badly burned. and il is vet
impossible TO learn the extent OF his
injuries.
Coma told his rescuers that at the
time of the explosion he was between
the sixth and seventh headings. on the
south slope, and managed TO get to tba
bottom of the shaft. He did not know
the fate Of the others i'm the mine.
George Howarth, who was down IN
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