The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-12-20
OVER ZOO MINERS
ENT0MbED IN THE
DARR WORKINGS
Many Are Known to Have Been
Killed Outright.
FULLY HALF ARE AMERICANS
Condition of Recovered Bodies Leads
to the Belief that Buried Men
Are All Dead.

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa, Dec. 20
Two hundred miners are entombed in
the Darr mines Of the Pittsburg Coal
company at Jacobs Creek, on the
YOughiogheny river, eighteen miles
west Of here. or these 200 fully 100
are Americans the rest being princi-
pally Hungarians. A terrific explo-
sion shook the vicinity of the mine at
11:30 a. IN. and announced to all the
surrounding community that a great
CONFUSION of some kind had occurred
down under the surface.
Shortly after smoke began to issue
in heavy columns from the mouth OF
the mine, which is of the slope variety.
The mouth of the mine was wrecked,
and this circumstance, in connection
with the fire which was discovered to
be raging inside, prevented effectually
up to p. m. any attempt at rescue Of
the imprisoned men.
Partially 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
such terrific force that 1t seems impos-
sible that any one could have survived
It, All of the thirteen bodies taken out
up to this time are terribly mutilateG.
and three of them are headless.
This is the third mine disaster since
the first of the month In the veins OF
bitumnous 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
happened, are in the same belt as the
local workings. This catastrophe swels
the number of victims Of deadly mine
gas for the nineteen days to between
$50 and 600
That the disaster does not equal or
even surpass in loss of life and attend
ant horrors the one in West Virginia
is due to'the dev otion to church duties
of considerable number of the min
ers. In observance of the church festi-
val many of the 400 or more men reg
ularly employed at the mine did not 90
to work this morning. Those who es-
capped through this reason are mem
bers of the Greek Catholic church, and
they suspended work to celebrate st.
Nicholas day.
The building of the Federal Supply
company, adjacent to the entrance to
the mine, was slightly damaged by the
force OF the shock, causing the build
ing to rock and some of its windows to
break.
Among those imprisoned In the mine
are Pit Boss O'Connell and two fire
| BOSSES
On account Of the violence Of the ex-
| plosion, which rent the interior of the
mine, and the presence of fire. with
the blocked condition of the mouth OF
the slope, it is not thought there is
rluch chance for the men inside.
Whether they have survived or will
survive is one of the uncertainties of
the present hour.
There is no means yet Of doing more
than to guess whether it was gas or
coal dust that exploded. 1t is believed
all the men are dead. The Pittsburg
Coal company mines are on both sides
OF the Youghiogheny river. The coal
mined in this field is used for coking
purposes. 1t is a part Of the original
| Connellsvile coke field. The mines In
this section are said to contain consid-
cradle gas.
The officials express but little hope
Of saving the lives Of the unfortunate
men, as the mouth Of the shaft is filled
with rocks and earth and the passage
ways are said to be badly INSTRUCTED.