The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-11-30
Mine Horror at Mariana,
Penn.
ENTOMBED BY EXPLOSION
Few Survivors of Disaster--cause Of Ac-
cident ncertain-Pocket of Gas
May Have Been Struck by
Miner.

Plttsburg, Pa, Nov. 30.--0ne hundred
and twenty-five or more miners were
entombed by an explosion at the Mari
anna, Pa, mines of the Pittsburg- Buff
falo Coal company shortly before noon
Saturday, and probably all but a score
have persisted. At $3.50 o'clock Saturday
night 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 smoth.
cred by deadly vapors which followed
the explosion. The bodies have not yet
been counted, but it is known that there
are at least 1875, and the number may be
larger
At midnight, ist of - entombed
Americans was obtained. Peter Arnold,
an American, was brought out alive from
the Rachel shaft at midnight. Joseph
Kearney, one Of the rescuing party, re-
ported there were other men alive. Ar
mold was found unconscious 100 feet
from the Agnes shaft. When he reached
the surface he said the explosion oc'
CURED close to the Agnes shaft"
From the condition of the workings
where Arnold was discovered, Deputy
State Mine Inspector Henry Loutitt be.
lieves that 20 other men may be saved.
Ten bodies were found in the main
entry at the foot Of the shaft. The
Others are distributed in the 20 rooms or
workings Of the mine, entrance to which
was still blocked at a late hour Satur-
day night by the debris of the explosion.
The first reseuing party worked its way
through the wrecksge at $3.50 o'clock,
and almost Immediately found the 10
bodies, and the report was given out that
all had been found in this one entry,
but this report was found to be errone-
Gus when the rescuers came to the sur
face.
Officials of the company place the
number Of dead at lbs. Some estimates
Of the total number are as high at 200.
Saturday was payday at the mines and
that night l42 Of the pay envelopes had
not been claimed, and it is believed that
every man who did not call
for his pay during the day is numbered
among the victims.
The workings in which Saturdays ca
Lastrophe happened are known as the
Rachel and Agnes mines, in reality a
double mine with underground connec
ions. Construction work was practical |
y finished and Deputy State Mine In
ipector Henry Loutitt a few minutes be
lore the explosion had completed two
lays inspection, which had revealed no
,nuse for apprehension. He and General |
Manager Kerr Of the company came to
he surface in the cage operated in one
If the shafts few minutes before ii /
o'clock. Mine Foreman Henry Thompson |
md two miners entered the cage, and it |
was started toward the bottom Of 4
500 foot shaft. There was ominous rum
bling, then trembling of the ground |
-ound about the mouth of the shaft as
rom an earthquake, and an instant later
here was terrific report, and the cage |
vas hurled up the shaft and through the
'oof of the shaft-house, the mine fore
nan and the two men still in it,. The
Iodies of the men were hurled through /
he top of the building and far beyond
{, Thompson was dead when picked up,
While the others, though nortally in
ured were hurried TO a hospital.
SO great was the force Of the explosion
hat shattered portions of the woodwork
bout the mouth of the shaft were blown
nto Ten Mile creek, 1000 feet from the
hiatt. Besides the three men in the
age, portions of at least two other
,odies were blown from the shaft and
we're found in the field near by. The
fans were put out of opera
ion by the explosion, and for several
ours, until repairs could Ike made, no air
ould be forced into the mine. Immedi.
tcly following the explosion a dense
olume OF smoke issued from the shafts,
nd it was feared fierce fire was raging
t the bottom Of the mine. A short time
ftcrward the smoke almost entirely
essed, but those on the surface were
nable to tell whether the fire had been
mothcred out or the shafts so filed |
nth falling debris that the smoke could
ot escape Rescue work was immedi [
tely started, Inspector Loutitt assum.
ng charge, but it was impossible to gain
ntrance to the mine for long time, be-
ause the cage and its mechanism were
Tecked, and the shaft was so filed with
battered timber and falling earth that
ven had the cage been in condition it |
ould not have descended. The opening .
p of the shaft was the only solution,
nd for this task there were volunteers
1 numbers sufficient to work short re-
lys of SIS many men as could find room
Or operations.
The cause Of the explosion has not
cen determined. Two theories are en-
artained. One is that a pocket Of gas
las struck by one Of the miners, quickly
ling the wrkings and then igniting
rom a lamp. The other theory is that
~ from we'll on the Fulton farm.
nder. which the mine is located, pene.
rated the workings. The land in the !
icinty is said to be gaseous, and it is /
ossib!e that gas may have escaped ,
trough the coal stratum until it secu.
iulated in sufficient volume to cause
he disaster.
Two women. a wife and mother OF en-
ight. One tried to throw herself down
" mine sahft, $50 feet deep. The state !.
rescued her, and ordered
Pr away. She was Mrs. George Aeker
neeress. Her husband is known to Be
tho mine, and when she heard Of the
Iplosion she ran across the fields from .
,r home, tearing her hair AZ she went
rived at the roped inclosure. she
lshed her way through the silently
aiting crowd State constabulary and
bout 80 recently sworn-in deputies were
anding within the ropes IS guards /
hev were ordareino the crowd ~ keen