The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-24
Twelve Persons Blown to Piece
es and Five Burnedto Death.
KNEELED in PRAYER
While They Roasted. Five Pessoas
Perish In New York Tenement Fire.
APearful Tragedy In the Bras
nell Coal Compauys NV
Shaft at tionogohela.
Pennsylvania.

A ulHpdUCu llOm mOuOuBOuelH, E8. .
says undoubtedly killed and probably
blown to pieces, seven men are lying
tn the depths Of the new shaft Of the
Brasnell Coal Company, on the out
skirts OF Bentleysville, while another
outside the mine is dead, as the 70.
suit Of the gas explosion Wednesday.
The Brasnell Coal Company has been
sinking the new shaft since last sum.
mer. Two weeks ago it was learned
chat a pocket OF gas had been formed
In tho bottom of the mine, which 10
l85 feet deep Orders were given for
all the men to work with safety
lamps and this had been done. Tnrae
'hifGs OF men wele employed by Con.
tractor and General Superintendent
BuzzO.
Late Wednesday Boss FArragut and
his six men, without thought OF dam
ger, stepped into the cage and de-
;ended into the mine. Taey were
building a concrete water ring, or
iitch, fifty feet down the shaft, in
rider to catch dripping water About
dve minutes after the men decended
. terrifio explosion occurred which
blew huge pieces OF timber out Of the
mine, like sky rockeIs, as high as 150
feet In the air. The tipple and all
ihe mine rigging were torn down
md debris scattered In heaps all
irouud. A shovel wLich lay at the
top Of the shaft was hurled with such
7io,enc6 that it sank four inches into
plank.
1t Is believed the men were instant.
ly killed and fell to the bottom of the
s laft, John McCatey, on the outside
vas killed by the falling tipple and
others were seriously though not fatal.
y hurt. Mine Inspector Loute gave
as his opinion that the explosion
vas caused by fire damp. But as it
would have been prac ideally lmpOssi-
ole for safety lamps in working order
ignite the gas, there must have
oeen some kind of open light used.
An ordinary miners torch badly bat
Gered, which was found near the
nCu5h of the shaft, tends to Indicate
ihat some one disnbeyei orders and
carried lighted torch into the shaft.
FIVE BURNED TO DEATH.
Az Now YORK at least five PERSONS
Tere burned to death la an italian
.enement house at 22l east Seventy.
third street early Wednesday. The
louse was six floors high and tho
tieepinR tenants on the five upper
doors were ma le prisoners by flame
With the ground floor a roaring fur.
lace beneath them. Three OF those
who lost their lives were kneelinQ in
prayer when the fire reached them. $
The police believe that the fire was
started by an incendlary. 1t began
IN a heap OF rubbish at the bottom of
IN air shaft, and spread through the
Interior of a grocery store on the
ground floor. A policeman was the
irst person to see the fire, just as 1t
lad begun to creep up the air shaft.
He ranOinto the building, pounding
on the hall doors all the way up to
he sixth Moor to waken the tenants.
rDa lire followed him so swiftly that
when he reached the top floor he was
obliged to send the tenants there out
10 the Ire escape to save them from
suffocation.
When the fire department. arrived
With It's ladders nearly every one on
the lire escapes was kneelipg In pray
81. Adding to the pathos of the scene
was the action Of the men who stood
with their arms full Of personal pos.
sessions while their wives fought un.
aided to protect the children from be-
ing trampled by the crowd or suf4 }.
Gated by smoke. Every one on the
lire escapes was saved by the fireman
Ihe lessee OF the house told the DO
lice today that the BLACK Hand 80
ciety had recently sent him Letters
demanding $4,000. Although the do
mands did not state what the penalty
would be for refusing to pay the m IN
ey The polics have begun an investi
CATION on the belief that the fire wa.
started by the writers of the letters.