The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-26
NEARLY 200 LIVES LOST.
QUICKLY sNUFFED OUT BY Ex-
 PLosI0N IN MINE.

Only One Workman of All Those That
 Went Down to Work Yestsrdny
 Morning Has Been Brought te The
 surface-sad Scenes at the Enfranee
 Mine by Families of Ensombsd Men.
 Pittsburg, Jan. 25.-From all that can be gathered at this hour, between lso and 19o men are lying dead fin the head ings and passage ways of the Harwick mine of the Alleghany Coal company at Cheswick, the result of terrific explo- sion to-day. Cage after cage has gone down into the mine and come up again but only one miner Of all those that went down to work this morning has been brought to the surface. The res- cued man is Adoloh Gunia. and he is still in a semi-conscious condition at the temporary hospital at the school house on inc hillside above the mine. In addition to the miners who were at work when the explosion occurred it is now believed by practically all of the men Of the rescue party, who have come up the 220 foot vertical shaft for a warming and a breathing spell, that selwyn Taylor. the Pittsburg mining engineer, who plotted the mine and who was the first to reach the bottom after. the explosion, is also now among the list of dead. os those in the mine, all are probably dead.
 The explosion occurred at S:2o this morning and the first warning was the sudden rumble under ground, and then a sheet of flame followed up the shaft. Both mine cages were hurled through the tippIe. twenty feet above the land- ing stage, and the three men on the top pie were hurled to the ground. A mule was thrown high above the shaft, and fell dead on the ground. The injured men were brought at once to this city, where two have died.
 As soon as the rumble of the explo- sion and the crash at the nit mouth startled the little village, the wives adn children of the men rusiied to the scene of the disaster but to gam no encouragement 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 dayAs work was done, were both demolished. All day long there was q jam of walt ing women and children about the mouth of the pit There were calls for assistance and for surgical aid from the men in charge of the mine. but it was not until oclocl- this afternoong that the first attempt at rescue was made. This was failure as the two men who volunteered were driven back by the foul air.
 Shortly aftr o'clock Selwyn Taylor and one of his assistants signalled 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 without avail. Thomas Wood, one of the first of the rescue party hauled to the surface, told his story of his trip through the mine. He said: T was with Taylor and we clam- bered over three or four falls.
 Taylor laid out the mine and seen- ed 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 level. We saw two men, who were alive, and notified those who were back of us and then went on. We passed the third, fourth and fifth heading and through an over- drift into the air shaft. I began to feel dizzy and sick, and then saw Taylor stagger and fall. His lantern fell. We tried to lift him up, but could not carry him up. and made my own way to safety"
 The little village of Harwick, that surrounds the mining workings two miles back from the West Pennsylva- mia railroad, has been horror stricken all day The wives and relatives of the entombed men have crowded about the entrance to the pit, beseeching for news of those below, only to meet with the same answer: We don't know yet; if we find him we will send him home.''
 The little schoolhouse has been pre- pared as a rnorgue and hospital. The benches and seats have been removed, and eight girls from the highest class in the school have been impressed as nurses. Doctors have been summoned from the towns of Springdale and Dem ny and from Pittsburg, but nothing can be done until further details come from the mine.