The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1907-12-28
FATAL MINE
EXPLOSION
fntombs Over Two Hundred Men In
Pennsylvania.
Third Disaster In Same District IN
Nineteen Days-Raises Toatl OF
Deaths From the Three Accidents
to 56o-Over Half the Dead Are
Americans.

plosion Of gas In the Darr mine oil tn
Pittsburg Coal company, located here
Yesterday entombed between 200 sn'
| $50 miners, and there is scarcely ra,
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 thu
few bodies found early in the rescue
work indicate an explosion of such ter.
rife force that it seems impossible thai
any one could have survived 1t. All Of
the 13 bodies taken out up to this time
are terribly mutilated, and three ol
them are headlese.
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
swels the number OF victims Of deadly
mine gas for the 10 days to between 300
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
at the mine did not go to
work. These who escaped through
his 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 Dafr mine having been closed
tuesday and Wednesday. 1t was just
1:30 O'Clock when the tenth trip of
oaded cars had been brought out to
he tipple that there came an awful
umbling sound, followed Immediately
y loud report and conclusion that
hook nearby buildings and was felt |
'ithin a radius of several miles. At
he same time there came out of the
1outh OF the mine an immense cloud |
dense smoke and dust that floated |
cross the Yolghiogheny river.
lntuitiyely everyone in the vicinity
new what had happened and all start |
for the one place-the mouth of the
line.
AS far as known only one man who
emit to work escaped. Joseph Maple
N, pumper, emerged from one of
10 side entrances shortly after the
1plosion. He had left the part Of the
Inc where most of the men were
orking and was on the way to the en-
ne room for oil.
A considerable number of the miners
ere Americans, some Of the officers
timating that probably more than
III OF the victims are Americans. an
Q majority of the foreigners did not
)rk.
The Darr mine is located on the vest
'e OF the Youghiogheny river, in
county, along the line ,
the Pittsburg & Lake Erie railroad II
miles southeast of Pitteburg and 1s 8
les northwest of Connelsyille. If 4
one OF the largest Of the Pittsbury J
al company.
Tn
mere was much drunkenness here 7
light, some of the men who got a E
"a start on account of the holiday | +
thinning their carousal after the az. +
sion in celebration of their escare. .
new air shaft for the mine is being t
work having been started
IL several months ago. Had this n
n completed, it is said, the loss OF 3
today would have been much less Il