The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-26
EcoREs or MINERS KILLED BY
| EXPLOSION.
FILLED WITH DEAD
pennsylvania Coal Mine Makes Latest
Contribution to Horror List
Rescue Work Hindered.

IN be gathered at this hour, between
10 and 100 men are Lying dead in
Se headings and passage ways of the
sarwick mine of the Allegheny Goa.
pmpany at Cheswick, the result of 9
srrific explosion today. Cage after
Ege has gone down into the mine
I'D come up again, but only one miner
all those who went down to work
us morning has been brought to the
trface. The rescued man in Adolph
mia and he is still in a semi-con.
ious condition at the temporary hos
tai at the schoolhouse, on the hill
de above the mine.
I'm addition to the miners who were
work when the explosion occurred,
us believed by practically all of the
on of the rescue party who have
me up the 200-foot vertical shaft for
warming and breathing spell, that
slwyn M. Taylor, the Pittsburg min
g engineer, who plotted the mine
ID who was the first to reach the
fttom after the explosion occurred, is
so among the list of dead. OF those
the mine, all are probably dead.
First Warning Of Disaster.
The explosion occurred at $500 this
aprning, and the first warning was
sudden rumble underground, and
sen a sheet of flame that followed
y the deep shaft.
Both mine cages we're hurled
Tough the tipple, 20 feet above the
alding stage, and the three men on
y tipple e hurled to the ground.
IA mule was thrown high above the
aft and fell dead on the ground. =
The injured men were brought at
zee to this city, where two of them
We died since.
AS soon as the rumble of the ex-
ssion and the crash at the pitmouth
trtled the little village, the wives
ID children of the men below rushed
the scene of the disaster, but to
in no encouragement. There was
way to get into the deep workings.
se cages that let the men into the
mes and brought them out again
len the days work was done, were
BIB demolished.
All day long there was a jam OF
Lifting women and children about
> mouth of the pit. There were
lis for assistance and for surgical
from the men in charge of the
me, but it was not until 4 o'clock
Is afternoon that the first attempt
rescue was made. This was a fail
>zthe two men who volunteered
re driven back by the foul air.
U Rescuers at Work.
Shortly after 5 O'Clock Selwyn M.
sSSylor and one of his assistants sig
Sled for the engineer to lower them
10 the shaft. Taylor is still down
Pre-. Three times efforts have been
&&de to reach him, but so far without
IEail.
IhOmas Wood, one of the first of the
sscue party hauled to the surface,
d his story of the "trip Through the
ne. He said:
! was with Taylor and we Chamber
over three Or four falls. Taylor
\ out the mine and seemed to know
way. There was one man alive at
foot OF the shaft. He was sent
and then we took the mule path
b the south level. We saw two men
10 were alive and notified those back
nus and then went on.
I'VE passed the third, fourth and
n headings and then through an
kkrdrift into the air shaft. l began
feel dizzy and sick and then I saw
Hlor stagger and fall. His lantern
We tried to life him up, but
kld not carry him up and 1 made
own way to safety"
Never Thought It Dangerous.
". Cunningham, mine inspector
the Fourteenth district, reached
rwick about 1880 o'clock. When
n by an Associated Press reporter.
y after his arrival, he said:
went to Greensburg to inspect a
= this afternoon and when l reach
Gpme l found a bunch of kilograms
9 OF this disaster.
q mine where the explosion took
WAS inspected about the first of
16er. There was some gas in it
but I never considered the mine
last inspection blank hanging
nail In the mine company's