The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-10
MINERS WERE ENT0ABED
Over One Hundred and Eighty COL
Iiers Imprisoned in a Shaft
CAUSE OF EXPLOSION UNKNOWN
Terrible Disaster ut Hardwiak Colliery' In
Pennsylvania, Buries Scores Of Work.
mon in the shatt-Heroic Work OF the
Rescuers - Wives and Children af
Mouth of ths Pit.

mon In the Shatt-heroic "oFA VA ''AS
Rescuers - Wives and Children at
Mouth of ths Pit.
Pittsburg. Pa.-By an explosion III
the Hardwick mine Of the Allegheny
Coal Company, over 1SO men were en-
tombed. In addition, to those killed
by the explosion, Selwin M. Taylor
one of the. most expert mining eng-
neers in the country, was overcome
while directing the work of rescue.
Mr.. Taylor was the engineer for. the
coal company, and laid out the mine.
When he received word Of the explo-
sion he went Immediately to the scene
and all day labored in directing the
work Of rescue.
Thomas Wood, one Of the rescuers,
later came I'D from the mine and an
nounced that Selwin M. Taylor had
been found unconscious about 2O0 feet
from the mine opening in wing. DR..
G. NJ. McCullogh, of Cheswick, volun-
teered to 60 down to attend Iayior'
who is still living.
George Gorvach, a miner with the
rescuing party, was overcome In the
mine and was hauled out unconscious
and taken to the schoolhouse.
Next to James McCann, who was the
hero of the occasion, Mr.. Taylor was
The foremost in that work. When Nc
Cann had been down the shaft and. had
brought up one man alive, Mr.. Taylor
went down, and, with McCann and
Henry Baker, pushed his way into the
interior Of the mine, finding another
miner alive, but by the time he was
reached all the party were too weak
TO drag him out. They made their way
back to the surface and, after being
revived, again went down.
How the explosion occurred has not
been fully determined. The gas was
either set off by blast, or a miners
pick struck into a pocket If gas, allow
ing it to light from the fame of the
lamps. The explosion was one of the
most severe ever known In a mine IN
this part of the country. The mule
used at the foot Of the shaft to pull the
cars on and off the cage was just pull
ing on a loaded ear. He was blown
right up the shaft, distance of 22O
feet, and through the tipple, at the
head. and landed, broken and lifeless.
200 feet away from the mouth Of the
pit.
Five men employed on the tipple
were injured, two SO badly that they
have since died. They were Henry
Mayhem, aged fifty. widower, and
George Waltman, aged twenty-seven.
The little mining village Of HTdwick
was thrown in a state Of terror by the
explosion. Men, women and children
all ran toward the mine, around which
hung a pail of smoke. The mine off,
cials, Wirfred Snowden, superintend-
ent, and George Sheets, manager. were
horror-stricken, realizing, as they did
Immediately, the awful results. From
the first it was not believed that any or
the men could escape.
Telephone messages were sent hur-
riedly to Cheswick and ;Springdale for
physicians, and 3. several responded
quickly. Upon receipt of message
telling Of the explosion the seventy
five employees of the Pittsburs Tool
and Drop Forge Company, at !Ches-
wick, were hurried to. the mine to as
sist in the rescue Not sonnd came
from the depths of the mine. Vainly
the engineer listened at his speaking
tube for a clang Of his bell to Indicate
that some one had escaped. After an
hour or so evidences Of the presence
of the terrible black damp came, up the
shaft. The big fan was reversed and
made to draw the damp out OF the air
shaft. r.: : .,
Meantime q crew of willing workers
erected a temporary windlass over the
head of the main shaft. McCann was
lowered down into the depths again.
This time he went right to the bottom.
Here he found Adolph Coma. the
eager. alive, and brought him to the
surface. Again he went down, this
time accompanied by another miner,
Henry Baker, and Mr.. Taylor. the min.
ing engineer. The three men craWled
over debris, passing by three dead bod
les. They penetrated into the gang
way several hundred yards, when, they.
were driven back by the after damp.
Coming back to the shaft they gath
cred fresh courage, and having filled
their lungs with good air, they went
back again. More dead bodies greeted
their sight, but away beyond them, af-
ter crawling on hands and knees for
hundreds of yards over fallen roof tim
bers and wrecks Of mine cars, they saw
and recognized another living victim.
BY this time they were nearly faintlng
from the damp. The strength OF the
three men was not sufficient to drag the
unconscious man out, and they were
compelled to go back.
Telephoned and Drank Poison.
Simeon NJ. Ayers, after telephoning
to his son and brother from the Union