The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-12-26
NEW MINE DISASTER
EXPLOSION ENToM6s ABOUT ESQ
AT JACOBS CREEK, PA.
MEN PROBABLY ALL DEAD
Number of Fatalities Comparatively
Small Because Many Miners
Were Celebrating Festival
of Greek Church.

Jacobs Greek, Pa.-An explosion of
gas in the Darr mine of the Pittsburg
Coal company, located here, Thursday
entombed between 200 and 250 miners,
and there is scarcely a ray of hope
that single one of them will be
taken from the mines alive. Partially
wrecked buildings in the vicinity of
the mine aud the condition of the few
bodies found early in the rescue work
indicate an explosion of such terrific
force that it seems impossible that any
one could have survived it.
That this disaster does net equal or
even surpass in loss Of life and attend
ant horrors the one in West. Virginia
is due to the devotion to church duties
Of considerable number of the
miners. In observance Of a church
festival many Of the 400 or more men
regularly employed at the mine did
not so to work Thursday morning.
Those who escaped through this rea-
son are members Of the Greek Catho-
lie church and they suspended work
to celebrate st. Nicholas day.
AS was the case at Monongah the
explosion followed a brief shut down,
the Darr mine having been closed
Tuesday and Wednesday. 1t was just
11:3O O'Clock when the tenth trip Of
loaded cars had been brought out 10
the tipple and there came an awful
rumbling sound, followed Immediately
by loud report and a conclusion
that shook nearby buildings and was
felt within radius of several miles.
At the same time there came out of
the mouth of the minG an immense
cloud of smoke and dust that fiOate5
across the Youghiogheny river.
AS far as known, only one man who
went to work Thursday morning es
capped. Joseph MapletOn, a pumper,
emerged from one of the side entries
shortly after the explosion. He had
left the part of the mine where most
the way to the engine room for
oil
Forty-Two Dead Taken Out.
Yolande, Ala At eight O'Clock
Tuesday night AZ bodies had been
taken from the Inflated Yolande
mines. in which an explosion occurred
Monday. Nineteen more are reported
in the mines, making total Of 81
victims.
No one is yet able to tell what
con hn h.,
generally accepted now is that one of
the men allowed a stick Of dynamite
to explode, which stirred up the dust
and this in turn exploded, spreading
death and destruction through the
whole mine. This theory is borne out
by the fact that the entire frCnt of
one mans body was torn away.
Slaughter in Mines.
WashingtOn.-The coal mines Of the
United States are killing three times
as many men per 1000 employees as
those of most European countries. In
the last II years 22,S40 men have
given up their lives in the mines Of
this country.
AS many violent deaths have oc-
Cured in the mines during the last
six years as during the preceding II
years. The number of fatal accidents
each year is now double that of the
year 1895. In 1906, 6,S61 men were
killed or injured in the mines, the
dead numbering 2061 and the injured
4,S0O.
These terrible facts have been
Cleaned by government experts acting
under orders from Secretary Garfield
OF the interior department to investi-
gate the nature and extent OF mine
accidents particularly those resulting
from explosions, and also to make sug-
gCstiOns as to how mining conditions
may be improved and accidents pre-
vented.
The conclusions Of the experts are
found in a bulletin issued Wednesday
or coal mine accidents; their causes
and prCyentions.