Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1904-01-28
BIG SHORTAGE ALLEGED ALL HOPE ABANDONED
HUNDRED AND EiGHTY.FoUR MEN
eNToM3ED At cHEsWlck,
Pa, PROBABLY DEAD.

Pittsburg, Jan. c7.-The last hope
for the lives of any Of the 1874 men
entOmbed in the Harwick mine OF the
Allegheny Coal company, two miles
from CHI wick, Pa. was given up
when George W. Scheetz, manager Of
the mire, admitted that he believed
that not one of them would be brought
up alive Now the cry is for more
men to come to the work of rescue.
Volunteers are needed to work back
through the debris to where the min
ers are imprisoned and where possibly
some may have managed to survive.
Already four men are known to be
dead. among them Melvin NJ. Taylor
Of this city. who was the first of the
rescue party to reach the bottom of
the shaft. His body was brou hit to
the top OF the shaft during the morn
Ing.
Taylor, who was one Of the best
known mining engineers In Western
Pennsylvania, lost his life in an effort
to save the lives Of the entombed
men. He had planned and plated the
mine and was called by the Allegheny
Coal company as the man best fit to
lead the forlorn hope. He went down
into the mine bravely and with him
went four other men. One of tx m.
George Harvath. was brought from the
pit but q short time before TaylOr's
lifoless body came to the surface.
Another OF the rescue party, Tom
Wood, tried desperately to save his
sea coming on and was forced t.
leave them to their fate.
Volunteers Enter the Mine.
In response to call for aid many
men from mining towns in the vicin.
ity. have appeared at the Harwick
property and as fast as the little
bucket could take them down they
went with willing but determined
faces. In all the group Of experienced
miners who gathered there not one
could be found who would say that
he believed one more living man
would be brought from the darkness
beyond the bottom of the shaft.
The search party is being directed
by w. F. Cunningham, mine inspector
OF this district.
No news has yet come from the lit.
tie party cropping their way into the
headings, but few above the ground
believe that they will have much
good cheer to give.
In expectation of the bringing UP Of
the bodies eight Pittsburg detectives
are patrolling the ropes at the pit
mouth, but so far have experienced
no trouble.
II it is once settled beyond doubt
that all the men in the mine are dead
the work OF vcntilating the mine can
proceed more rapidly. but that is the
trouble and has been since the work
OF rescue began. To work the fan in
q way to quickly clear the mine of foul
air would drive the afterdamp in onto
the men who may have found tenn
porary place OF refuge and it wOul>
mean almost instant death to them.
Contributions 10 aid the families Of
the entombed miners are already com.
Ing in. There are more than 1bC
widows and probably 400 or 500 or
phans.
Double Explosion Occurred.
The explosion which caused the
terrible loss OF life seems to have
been double one, making one con-
tinuous rumble, and the second blast
was heard rolling back under the hills
toward the south end of the mine,
which contains by far the largest part
Of the workings. The mine is at the
head Of what is known as Shops run.
The highest officials OF the Harwick
mine and nearly every miner who is
alive in the little mining village are
at a loss to give the cause for the ter
Tible disaster. It is the opinion of the
majority, however, that the explosion
was caused by some foreign miner
striking match to light his pipe,
which set of the heavy charge OF gas
that was always present in the mine.
Another theory for the explosion is
that it was caused by Q heavy blast
in the mine whereby new pocket of
gas was struck and Immediately ig-
nited. There are still others who in
sist that the gaseous substance was
set OF by a broken safety lamp in the
hands of one of the miners.
1t was the opinion Of the rescuers
around the top of the Harwick mine
shaft that the real cause OF the explO-
sion would never be known and they
gave as their reason that the miner
or miners who were probably respon.
sjh,e for the catastrophe were dead.
HOSPITALS ARE CROWDED.
Cold Weather Causes Much pneu-
monia in New York.
New York, Jan. 27.-Bellevue hos
pital and it's allied institutions are 80
crowded with patients that in the
former alone l2O are lying in impro-
,,scod hoda Onon thu Honr