Richmond planet., 1904-01-30
lSO MEN ENTOMBED
In COAL Mine
Explosion in Harwick Workings at
Cheswick, Pa
ALL ARE PROBABLY DEAD

Pittsburg, Pa, Jan 26.-From all
that can be gathered, between $50 and
100 men are lying dead in the head
ings and passageways of the Harwick
mine of the Allegheny Coal company
at Cheswick, the result of a terrific ex-
plosion. Cage after cage has gone down
into the mine and come to go up again.
cIt only one miner OF all those that
went down to work has been brought TO
the surface. The rescued man is
Adolph Gunia, and he is still In a semi
conscious condition at the temporary
hospital at the rude school mouse on
the hillside above the mine.
In addition to the miners who were
at work when the explosion occurred.
1t 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 M. Taylor, the Pittsburg min
ing engineer. who plotted the mine,
and who was the first to rhach the bot
tom after the explosion happened, is
also now among the list of dead
OF those in the mine all ere prob
ably dead.
The explosion occurred early in the
morning, and the first warning was
the sudden rumble underground. and
then sheet OF flame followed up the
deep shaft. Both mine cages were hurl-
ed through the tipple, 20 r. t above the
landing stage, and tho three men on
the tipple 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 of them have died
since.
As soon as the rumble of che explo-
sion and the crash at the pit mouth
startled the little village, the wives and
children OF the men below rushed to
the scene OF the disaster. but to gain
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
days work was done were both de-
molished
All day long there was jam of
wailing women and children waiting
about the mouth of the pit There
were calls for assistance and for sur
gical aid from the men in charge of
the mine. but IL was not until eight
hours after the explosion that the first
attempt at rescue was made. This was
q failure. as the two men who volun-
teered were driven back by the foul
air.
Selwyn M. Taylor and one Of his as
sistants then signalled for the engi-
neer to lower them into the shaft. Mr..
Wood. one OF the first of the rescue
party hauled to the surface, told his
story Of the trip through the mine
He said:
Il was with Taylor, and we clam
bered over three or four falls. Taylor
laid out the mine and seemed to know
the way. There was one man alive at
the foot Of the shaft. He was sent no,
and then we took the mule path on In
to the south level. where we saw two
men who were alive, and notified those
cack OF us. and then went on. We
passed the third. fourth and fifth head
Ing. and then through an overdrift in
to the air shaft. began to feel dizzy
and sick and then saw Taylor stagger
and fall. His lantern fell. / tried to
lift him up. but could not carry him.
and 1 made my own way to safety"
Early this morning the res
cuers came to the surface and an
nounced that Selwyn Taylor and from
80 to rs miners had been found. Mr..
Taylor. who was dead, was brought
up In the frst bucket Rescuer
North. who went down with Mr.. Taylor
on the first trip, and came back with
young Gunia, remembered on his sec
ond trip the route Taylor had planned
to take. He followed this, and dis
covered the engineer In room "B," near
the south entrance. and with him, the
80 or rs others, all dead.
During this afternoon 16 men went
down into the shaft to do the work of
bratticing, bolstering, tunneling and
removing the debris that has so far
barred their progress into the workings
where the men were at labor when the
explosion came. Their shift was sup
posed to be of three hours only. Even
at that 1t was hard task. Even be-
fore the bucket reached the bottom
they were drenched with water, which
the cold draught through the shaft
soon turned to ice.
Shortly after they were let down.
two at time. in the bucket tenn
porary hoist, that had been rugged up
to bring the debris and the dead, was
started down the shaft Then came
the snow and the cold and the wind,
and again efforts were made to reach
the living men at the bottom Of the
shaft, but the wooden sides Of the