The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-05-03


night, April 9th. BY an explosion OF
gas or fire damp thirteen men we're
instantly killed aud one other was so
seriously injured that his recovery was
for time doubtful. OF the dead, three
were Americans, ten were foreigners.
The list is as follows
George A. Kirkwood, aged 40 years
last August, survived by a wife and
four children.
Adam Kirkwood, aged 43 years, sur
vived by wife and three children.
John Hopkins, would have been 10
years old July 2S, 1905 Son of D, G.
and Mary A. Hopkins
Leler Lott, leaves wife and two
children
Joe Frumanski.
Martin Frumanski, single.
Joe Modeny, leaves wife and four
children
Frank Schrum, wife and two children.
Charles -, single.
August Wescovich, single.
Martin Wescovch, wife and three
children.
John Laoli.
Frank Bellhower, wife and two
children.
"A motorman, Harry Mohney, had his
skull fractured and one arm broken.
He was removed to Adrian hospital at
once, and is now in fair way to recover.
The Eleanora shaft is located in
wild and lonely spot two miles from
Eleanora, three miles from Big Run, in
valley ilanked by high brown
hills covered with nothing more
cheerful than stumps and brush and a
few pine trees. In the center OF the
valley, around the mouth of the shalt,
are grouped several large brick build
ings, used as boiler, engine and com
pressor rooms, and the tipple, There
are but half a dozen houses near the
nine, all on the hill in rear of shaft.
The spot is reached by the B., r. &. P.
R'y and by branch OF the Jefferson
Traction line, running down from
Eleanora. The shaft is about 265 feet
deep and has been in operation only
two years. Never before has there
been any serious accident, though some
OF the miners claim that fire damp was
known TO be present. II worked full
nearly 300 men could be employed, but
little more than half that number were
actually used, and on the night of
explosion only thirty-two miners were
in the headings affected. The night
shift went to work about four o'clock.
The explosion occurred in one Of the
west headings OF the mine and was so
Seyere that the shock was distinctly felt
by persons on the surface nearly three
hundred feet above. The first indica-
tion OF the accident was given to the
men in the power house when the lights
were suddenly extinguished, and a few
minutes later number OF the miners
who had escaped death hurried to the
surface with the terrible news. Though
the explosion had demolished all the
air brattices and other fixtures in the
region affected, no damage had been
done to the shaft, and efforts to rescue
the victims could be commenced at once.
With a party of picked men Supt.
Fleming and Asst. Supt. Driscoll de-
scended the shaft and commenced to
penetrate into the heading 1t was
necessary to clear away the Gebris
before they could reach the spot. The
motorman, Harry Mohney, was first
found, not dead but badly injured, He
was taken to the surface at once. At
midnight foreigner was reached, and
at two in the morning, four hours after
the explosion, young John Hopkins, a
trapper, was found. Both were dead
and were taken to the surface. No
more bodies were brought up until day
light Friday morning, when seven Of
the foreign miners, who had been found
at intervals during the night and taken
near the shaft, were brought up at once.
Undertaken l.. H. Reed, of Desire, had
been sent for and had all the bodies
taken into one of the compressor rooms,
where he cleaned and prepared them
for burial. The other bodies, the two
Kirkwoods and three foreigners, were
not recovered until noon Friday. Many
OF the men who were killed we're badly
burned around the face and back, while
others seemed to have been killed more
by the force of being thrown violently
to the ground. Young Hopkins was
not only burned badly on face, but the
back of his head was injured.
While this rescuing party were work.
ing so earnestly far beneath the ground,
there was little on the surface to indi-
cate the terrible situation. The cause
of this was the isolated situation of the
mine and the fact that only three of