The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-01-28
MANY DEAD IN
Mine DISASTER
Entombed by Explosion In Harwick
Shaft at Cheswick, Pa.
HEROIC WORK OF THE REscuERs

Sheet Of Flame Followed Explosion
and Mine Cages Were Demolished.
Rescuers Find Between SO and rs
OF the Imprisoned Men.
Pittsburg. Pa, Jan. 26.-From all
| that can be gathered, between 1870 and
1870 men are lying dead in the head
ings and passageways OF the Harwick
mine of the Allegheny Coal company
at Cheswick, the result OF terrific ex-
plosion. Cage after cage has gone down
into the mine and come to 20 up again.
but only one miner of all those that
went down to work has been brought 10
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,
II Is now believed by practically all OF
the men OF the rescue party who have
come up the 22O foot vertical shaft for
warming and a breathing spell, that
Selwyn M. Taylor, the Pittsburg min
ing engineer. who plotted the mine.
and who was the first to reach the bot
tom after the explosion happened, is
also now among the list OF dead.
or those in the mine all are prob
ably dead.
The explosion occurred early In the
morning, and the first warning was
the sudden rumble underground. and
then a sheet of fame followed up the
deep shaft. Both mine cages were hurl-
ed through the tipple. 20 feet above the
landing stage, and the 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 the 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-
molshed
All day long there was a 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 1t was not until eight
hours after the explosion that the first
attempt at rescue was made. This was
a failure, as the two men who yolun-
teered were driven back by the foul
air.
Selwyn NJ. 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 up,
and then we took the mule path on In
to the south level, where we saw two
men who we're alive, and notified those
back 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 | made my own way to safety
There was great rejoicing among
the crowd of 700 or 800 who surround
ed the mine this morning when the res
euers 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 |
I'D in the first 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 /
so or 10 others. all unconscious, but
alive. The supposition is that Taylor,
knowing the mine so well, gathered
the others to the room where they
were found to await rescue.
II. F. Hutchinson. who gave out the
lamps to the miners before they went
to work in the pit, said:
"The time when the whistles blow
and when every one is supposed to be
1T work at the mine, had given out
between 1870 and 100 lamps"
"That was one lamp to a mani"
Eyes"
did any of those lamps come back?"
mot one"
II is said that the force OF the ex-
plosion was such that every man In
the limited space underground must
have been instantly killed by the con-
cussion. and II is likely that the in
terror OF the mine is badly wrecked and
caved. -
Any OF the men who might posi-
bly, have escaped the shock OF the ex-
plosion have been probably suffocated
by the afterdamp, and mining men
think II is hardly likely that any will
be brought out alive. The mine, be-
ing q new one. and the entries and
headings being driven only a short dis
lance. reduces the chances Of the mon
for escape.
They would practically have had no
chance after they saw the fredamp
coming toward them on the roof OF
The chamber In a sheet OF fame. Fol-
owing the usual custom OF miners.
|