The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1904-01-27


Cheswick, Pa, Jan. 26.-By ap ex-
plosion In the Harwick mine of the
Allegheny Coal company, 16 miles
from Pittsburg, Western Pennsylva-
mia promises to add one Of the great
est tragedies of years to the already
long list of mine fatalities. Even the
officials of the Allegheny Coal COM
pany, the owners Of the mine, do not
know at this time the number Of men
still entombed in the chambers of the
mine 220 feet below the surface, but a
conservative estimate places the num-
Der at 1S4.
Even General Manager George
Schuetz of the coal company, who is
in charge OF the mine, gives littls
hope that many of the men will be
brought to the surface. The first ray
of hope that any of the men had es-
capped the tremendous concussion of
the explosion came at six o'clock last
night when Adolph Gunia was brought
to the surface still living.
From all that can be gathered at
this hour between $50 and 100 men
are lying dead In the headings and
passageways of the Harwick mine If
the Allegheny Coal company. Cage
after cage has gone down into the
mine and come up again but the only
miner of all those that went down ID
work has been broght to the surface.
The rescued miner is Adolph Gunia,
and he is still In a semi-conscious con-
dition at the temporary hospital a.
the rude schoolhouse on the hillside
above the mine.
In addition to the miners who were
it is now believed by practically all of
the men Of the rescue party who have
come up the 220 foot vertical shaft
for warming and breathing spell,
that Selwyn NJ. Taylor, the Pittsburg
mining engineer who plotted the mine
and who was the first to reach the
bottom after the explosion, is now
among the list Of dead.
The explosion occurred at 500 In
the forenoon and the first warning was
the s9sden rumble underground, then
sheet Of fame followed up the deep
shaft. Both mine cages were hurled
through the tipple, 20 feet above the
landing stage and the three men on
the tipple were thrown to the ground
A mule was hurled high above the
shaft and fell dead on the ground. The
injured men were taken at once to
Pittsburg
The rumble of the explosion and the
crash at the pit mouth stratled the
little village and the wives and chill.
dren of the men below rushed to the
scene of the disaster 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 demolished.
All day long there was a jam OF
about the mouth Of the pit and
there were calls for assistance AMI
for surgical aid from the men in
charge Of the mine, but it was not un
I'll 4 o'clock in the afternoon 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 after o'clock Selwyn M
Taylor and one of his assistants sig
nailed for the engineer to lower Ghenl
into the shaft. Taylor is still down
there Three times efforts have teen
made to reach him. but so far with
out 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:
81 was with Taylor and we Chamber.
ed over three or four falls. Taylo,
laid out the mine and seemed to know
the way. There was one man alive al
the foot of the shaft. He was sent ur
and then we took the mule path into
the south level. We saw two men
who were alive and notified those
back of us and then went on. We
passed the third, fourth and fifth hea,l
ings and then through an overdrift
into the air shaft. l began to fee,
dizzy and sick and then l saw Taylo,
stagger and fall. His lantern fell
We tried to lift him up, but could not
carry him. and | made my own way
to safety
F. w. Cunningham, the mine inspec
tor Of the Fourteenth district, reached
Harwick at 1870 p. m. He said:
81 went to Greensburg to inspect a