Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-23
FATAL NINE ACCIDENT
One Nan Known to Re Dead and Five
Others Under Debris
CAGE DROPS IN ILLINOIS CoLusRY
WOrkmen Starting on Days Task
FAN Hundred Feet TO stump
and Are Buried in
WreckaRe.

ST LOUIS Dec 22-One miner is known
to have been killed, five others are believed
TO be dead and another was seriously in
Jured by dropping on the cage early today
In the shaft of the Breese-T Trenton Coal
Mining company, about ten niles west Of
Carlyle, Ill. Carlyle is torty-eight miles
east Of st. Louis The details were learned
by long distance telephone. The accident
occurred as the second cagefull of day-shift
miners were descending into the mine. The
cage, containing six men, had descended
800 feet down the 4OO-foot shaft, when it
stuck momentarily and then went crashing
to the bottom with noise similar to an
explosion.
The known dead
AUGUST FOPPEY.
Buried under debris and believed dead;
WALTER SCHAFFNER.
HERMAN FLATER.
HENRY MIDDEKE.
HERMAN HOFFMAN.
FRANK SARRE.
Injured:
William Fritz, leg broken and body
bruised.
Man at bottom Survives.
William Fritz was at the bottom of the
shaft working almost under the descending
cage, when he heard the shout of the
looked up the cage dropped and he barely
had time to spring to the side when the
crash came and debris was piled about him.
His leg was broken and he was badly
bruised. At the bottom Of the cage shaft
is another hole called stump and a portion
Of the debris plunged on down into the
stump, carrying five of the miners with It..
The sixth, August Foppey, jumped the
crash came and was cut squarely in two.
His body was taken out during the morning
and up to noon was the only body recov-
cred by the gang of over 100 Tescuers. The
debris so tightly wedged into the
mouth of the stump that it will likely be
some hours before II can be removed. No
sounds or outcries have been heard coming
from under the debris and It Is believed the
five miners were instantly killed and badly
crushed.
Men Fall Into Water.
The stump or sumphole in a mine is a
drain hole into which the water that col
lects in the levels is drained. 1t was stated
that the stump in this mine contained If
teen feet of water and no doubt is enter
tanned, but that the five miners were
drowned II they had miraculously escaped
death in the crash before being plunged on
down into the stump.
The engineer stated that the cage had
descended smoothly and he presumed it
had safely reached the bottom. Suddenly
the cable coil drum began revolving back
wards with terrific velocity and he heard
crash. 1t is believed that the cage stuck
| in the shaft and the sudden relaxation on
! the taut cable caused the hosting ma
chinery to reverse and drop the cage OF
else the cage became disengaged from the
cable and dropped.
| The scenes about the mouth Of the shaft
were heartrending as wives and children OF
miners congregated and gave vent to their
| anguish. These miners who were already
In the shaft Immediately began rescue
| work and as soon as others could be low.
cred every effort was made to speedily re-
move the debris.
Miner Henry DALI escaped death by the
merest chance. He was just about to stel
into the cage and descend with the Others
when he hurriedly counted the number al
ready in the cage the capacity Of which
was six occupants Five others were In
but he miscounted them as seven and
stepped back. Frank Sarre stepped into
the cage in his place and was among thos'
buried in the debris.
All the miners in the cage were married
and leave families.