Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-12-02
MODEL NINE WAS DEATH TRAP.
From 125 to 800 Miners Perish In
Pennsylvania Mine.

lSdHIa
Pittsburg, Pa, Nov. 2S.-On the
eve Of the convention Of the Ameri-
can Mining Congress, which assem-
bles here next week to consider min
Ing problems In the various States in
general, and particularly as to diSas-
ters, and provide means for their pre-
yention, there occurred shortly be-
fore noon to-day an eA plosion In
Mariana mine of the Pittsburgh
falo Coal Company, which entombed
| and almost beyond doubt, killed all
of the employees in the mine,
the number being variously estimated
at from 1875 to 800. The uncertainty
as to the exact number that prevailed
throughout the afternoon continued
| when darkness enveloped the new
| mining town from which the owners
had expected so much in the way of
safety and comfort Of the men
| through the extraordinary study and
| expense that had been devoted to this
feature Of the development of the
new coal field. President John H.
Jones, Of the company, said tonight
that the number Of entombed men
would not exceed 1875, but neither he
nor any other official Of the company
has been able, up to this time, to
locate the books which contain the
names or numbers Of employees, and
show those in the workings at the
time Of the explosion.
State Mine Inspectors Close Call.
The workings In which to-day's
catastrophe happened Is known as the
Rachel and Agnes mines, in reality
double mine with underground
connections. Construction work was
practically finished, and Deputy State
Mine Inspector Henry Louttit, few
minutes before the explosion, had
completed two days inspection,
which had revealed no cause for ap-
prehension. He and General Mana
ger Kerr, Of the ComDany, came to
the surface in the cage operated in
one Of the shafts few minutes be
fore | o'clock. Mine Foreman Henry
Thompson and two miners entered
the cage and it was started towards
the bottom Of the 500-foot shaft.
There was an ominous rumbling, then
a trembling Of the ground round
about the mouth of the shaft as from
an earthquake, and an instant later
there was terrific report and the
cage was hurled up the shaft and
through the roof Of the shaft house,
the mine foreman and the two men
still in it. The bodies Of the men
were hurled through the top Of the
building and far beyond it. Thomp-
son was dead when picked up, while
the others, although mortally injur-
ed. were hurried to hospital.
Shattered portions Of the wood
work about the mouth of the shaft
were blown into Ton-Mile creek,
5000 feet from the shaft. Portions
nf ot 1aoct of
blown from the shaft and were found
in the field nearby. The ventiating
fans were put out Of commission by
the explosion, and for several hours
no air could be forced into the mine
Immediately following the explosion
dense volume Of smoke issued from
the shafts, but ceased a short time
afterwards.
Cause of Explosion Unknown.
The cause of the explosion has not
been determined. Two theories are
entertained. One is that a pocket of
gas was struck by one of the miners,
quickly filling the workings and then
igniting from a lamp. The other
theory is that gas from we'll on the
Fulton farm, under which the mine
Is located, penetrated the workings.
The land in the vicinity is said to
be gaseous, and it IS possible that gas
may have Seeped through the coal
stratum until 1t accumulated in Sufn-
cient volume to cause the disaster.
Mariana, the scene Of to-day'S dis
aStcr, is a new mining town in Wash
ington county, Pennsylvania, forty
miles south of this city. 1t was laid
out and built up by the PittSburg-
Buffalo Coal Company, with a view
to making it model town in every
respect.
Every modern device and feature
that could be found in the mines Of
foreign countries to provide for the
safety and comfort of the miners
We're adopted.
An exceptionally good class of min
crS was secured for the new work.
ings, many Of them being either
Americans or English speaking m> n.
All were SmOthcrcd.
Pittsburg, Nov. 2S.-The last ray
OF hope Of the rescue Of any of the
l25 or more miners who were en-
tombed by the explosion at the Ma
rianna mines of the Pittsburg-Buffalo
Coal Company shortly before noon to-
day, was dispelled at $50 o'clock to-
night, when the first rescuing party
reached the workings and found the
dead bodies scattered about the floor
OF the mine. Few, If any Of the
bodies are mutilated, and the men
were undoubtedly smothered by the
deadly vapOrs which followed the eX-
plosion. The bodies have not yet