Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-23
9O-CEAT GAS IN 1909 OPEN LAMP IS FATAL.
House District Committee Deadly Explosion in the Els
Authorizes Favorable Report. worth, Pa, Coal Mine.
COMPANIES ALLOWED TIME IFOUR MEN ARE NOW DEAD
Right Direction Says Mr. Three Others Thought Be Nor
Madden tally Injured.
DISTRICT CHILD LABOR LAW DUE TO THE AFTER DAMP
With Accident Happened
Amen Prohibition fore
Hearing Wednesday. Caught
Deadly Explosion in the Els
worth, Pa, Coal Mine.
FOUR MEN ARE NOW DEAD
Three Others Thought to Be Nor.
tally Injured.
DUE TO THE AFTER DAMP
If the Accident Had Happened
Later, More Men Would Have
Been Caught.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ELLSWORTH, Pa, April 23.-Four men
were instantly killed. three badly hurt
and 100 others had a narrow escape from
death by an explosion which occurred at
3 o'clock this morning at Ellsworth mine
No 1 of the Ellsworth Galleries Com
pany, when an accumulation of gas in a
new entry being driven at some distance
from the main working Of the mines was
ignited supposedly by an open lamp In
the cap of one Of the men.
The bodies of the men are said to have
been horribly burned and mangled by the
force of the, explosion. Others working
in other portions of the mine were pros
trated to the ground by the force of the
conclusion.
Fans Kept Working.
Unusual presence of mind is said to nave
been exercised on the part Of the men
when they reached the foot of the 100
foot shaft which connects the workings
with the surface. only few fighting for
first places in the cage, which would
take them to fresh air and safety. Some
found egress by way of the ladders which
run up recesses along the side Of the
SHAFT
TIE men at the power house kept the
fars going and a large volume of fresh
air was driven down the mine until all
who had reached the foot of the shaft
had been hoisted to the surface. volun-
tsers were Immediately called for to go
back into the mine for those who were
missing.
Deadly Black Damp.
Several attempts were made before the
new entry. where the explosion occurred.
could be reached owing to the deadly
after damp which began to accumulate in
the wake of the explosion, and three of
the ten rescuers were prostnAsed by the
deadly gases before three of the bodies
could be gotten to the foot OF the shaft.
The fourth has not been rescued. and it is
thought to have been blown to pieces by
the violence Of the explosion. r-
1t was in an entry about a quarter of a
mile distant from the seat Of the explo-
sion that the three injured men were
found. All Of them had been suddenly
overcome by the black damp and were
unconscious and bleeding from wounds
about the head when found,
Day Shift Escaped.
Nearby towns were telegraphed for ply
sicians, and when the men were taken to
the surface they were resusciated by
oxygen. All three are in serious condi-
ton.
Some miners are Of the opinion that the
explosion was caused by one of the vic
Tins lighting a pipe or opening: his safety
lamp for some purpose.
1t is likely that the real cause of the
accident will never be known, since the
only men in that section Of the mine were
killed.
If the explosion had happened later
when the day. shift had gone on duty,
instead of 1l5 men in the mine there
would have heen 400, and a great many
of that number would have been working
close to the fatal spot.