The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-12-27
MORE MINERS DIE
About ESQ Are This Time Buried in
the Hills of Pennsylvania
by an Explosion.
THE THIRD THIS MONTH
In the Last 10 Days Nearly 600 Men
Have Lost Their Lives in
the Mines of That
Region

Jacobs Creek, Pa, Dec. 2O.-An eX-
plosion of gas in the Darr mine of the
Pittsburg Coal company, located here,
Thursday entombed between 200 and
go miners and there is scarcely ray
of hope that single one. of them
will be taken from the mines alive.
Partially wrecked buildings in the VI
cinity of the mine and the condition
of the few bodies found early in the
rescue work indicate an explosion or
such terrific force that it seems I'M
possible that any one could have sur
Nved it. All of the 10 bodies taken
,out up to this time are terribly mutt
lated and three of them are headless.
This is the third mine disaster
since the first of the month in the
veins of bituminous coal underlying
Western Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia for the Naomi mine near Fay
.ette City and the two mines at Mo-
Mongolia w. Va, in which the earlier
explosion happened are in the same
belt as the local workings. Thurs
days catastrophe swells the number
of victims of deadly mine gas for the
10 days to between $50 and 600
That Thursdays disaster does not
equal or even surpass in loss of life
and attendant horrors the one In
West Virginia is due to the devotion
to church duties of considerable
number of the miners. In observance
of the church festival, many of the
400 or more men regularly employed
1T the mine did not go to work
Thursday morning. Those who es-
capped through this reason are men,
bers of the Greek Catholic church
and they suspended work to celebrate
st. Nicholas day.
AS was the case at Monongha the
explosion followed a brief shutdown,
the Darr mine having been closed
Tuesday and Wednesday. 1t was just
1880 o'clock when the 10th trip of
loaded cars had been brought out to
the tipple and there came an awful
rumblng sound, followed Immediately
by a loud report and a conclusion
that shook nearby buildings and was
d
At the same time there came out Of
the mouth of the mine an immense
cloud of dense smoke and dust that
fioated across the Youghiogheny river.
Intuitively every one in the vicinity
knew what happened and all started
for the one place, the mouth OF the
mine. The river separates the mine
and the homes of many of the miners,
so that only a portion of those who
started for the scene were able to
reach it, there being scant facilities
for crossing the stream. To those
who could not cross the water the
smoke and dust pouring from the
mines mouth told a story of seethinS
flames back in the workings and from
this source came reports that were
persistent until late in the day that
the mine was burning.
The ventilating fans were kept IL
operation almost without interruption
however, the power plant having
withstood the force of the explosion
and up to this time the rescuers have
found no fire any place in the mine.
AS far as known only one man who
went to work escaped.
About 800 feet from the mouth of
the mine a heavy fall of roof was en-
countered by the rescuerS. 1t is be-
lieved that most of the men will be
found nearly a mile and a half be-
yond this point. How long it will re-
oh Of 70
roof to open a passage to these re-
mote workings can only be conjectured,
as it depends upon how frequent
these falls are met with. 1t is hoped
from the progress made up to this
time, however, that the farther Sec
ton will be reached early Thursday.
There are several side entries through
which it is expected some men will
be reached
Washington, Dec. 19.-The coal
mines of the United States are kill
ing three times as many men per
1000 employees as those of most Euro
pean 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 occurred in
the mines during the last six years as
during the preceding IL years. The
number of fatal accidents each year
is now double that of the year 1895.
In 1906, 6,S61 men were illed or in
jured in the mines. the dead num-
bering 2,061 and the injured 1900.
These terrible facts have been
CLEANED by government experts act
ing under orders from Secretary Gar
field of the interior department to in
vestigate the nature and extent of
mine accidents. particularly those re-
sulting from explosions. and also TO
make suggestions as to how mining
conditions may be improved and &C
.cidents prevented.