Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-12-26

Jacobs Creek, Pa, Dec. 20.-An ex-
plosion Of gas in the Darr mine OF the
Pittsburg Coal company, located here,
yesterday entombed between 200 and
$50 miners, and there is scarcely q ray
of hope that single one Of them will
be taken from the mine alive. Par
TALLY wrecked buildings in the vicinity
of the mine and the condition of the
few bodies found early in the rescue
work indicate an explosion of tuch ter
rife force that it seems impossible that
any one could have survived it. All Of
the l3 bodies taken out up to this time
are terribly mutilated, 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 Virginia, for
the Naomi mine, near Fayette City, and
the two mines at Monongah, W. Va,
in which the earlier explosions hap
pened, are in the same belt as the local
workings. Yesterdays catastrophe
swells the number of victims Of deadly
mine gas for the 10 days to between 500
and 600.
That this disaster does not equal or
even surpass in loss OF life and attend
ant horrors the one in West Virginia is
due to the devotion tc church duties of
a considerable number of the miners.
In observance of the church festival,
many of the 400 or more men regulaly
employed at the mine did not 60 to-
work. These who escaped through
this reason are members Of the Greek
Catholic church and they suspended
work to celebrate st. Nicholas day.
As was the case at Monongah, the
explosion followed brief shut down,
The Da1r mine having been closed
Tuesday and Wednesday. 1t was just
1880 O'Clock when the tenth trip Of
loaded cars had been brought out to
the tipple that there came an awful
rumbling sound, followed Immediately
by a loud report and 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 mine an immense cloud
of dense smoke and dust that floated
across the Youghiogheny river.
Intuitively everyone in the vicinity
knew what had happened and all start
ed for the one place-the mouth of the,
mine.
AS far as known only one man who,
went to work escaped. Joseph Maple
ton, a pumper, emerged from one Of
the side entrances shortly after the
explosion. He had left the part of the
mine where most of the men were
and was on the way to the en-
CINE room for oil.
A considerable number of the miners.
we're Americans, some Of the officers
estimating that probably more than
half of the victims are Americans, as
he majority of the foreigners did not
work.
The Darr mine is located on the west
tide of the Youghiogheny river, in
Westmoreland county, along the line
If the Pittsburg & Lake Erie railroad,
10 miles southeast of Pittsburg and 1S,
niles northwest of Connelsville. 1t
8 one of the largest Of the Pittsburg
Joal company.
There was much drunkenness here,
onight, some of the men who got a.
ood start on account CT the holiday
ontinuing their carousal after the ex-
losion in celebration Of their escape.
A new air shaft for the mine is being
work having been started
n it several months ago. Had this
cen completed, it is said, the loss Of
fe today would have been much less
srious.