Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-01-29
TRAP IS; z DEAD.
Mine Explosions at Somerset,
Pa, Kill Many.
RESCUE PARTY FACES DEATH
Blasts Follow Entrance Of Men in Eff
fort to Locate Bodies of Victims
Fumes Work Havoc-Remains of
Superintendent Brought to Surface.

Pittsburg, Jan. 27.-From SO to Is
men are reported imprisoned in the
Boswell coal mine, Somerset county,
following the explosion there yes
terday which killed three men, The
entombed men entered the mine after
the explosion to investigate and were
caught by subsequent explosion. Ac-
cording to reports late last night % of
them are dead.
Two men are known to be dead
and 20 others are believed to be dead
as the result of three gas explosions
in the Boswell mine early to-day The
men were members of an investigat-
ing party that had entered the mine
to make an inspection of suspicious
gas traces before allowing the miners
to go to work.
List Of the Dead.
The dead are:
Superintendent G.. j. Logan.
Andrew Stoncki.
Among those believed dead are:
Assistant Superintendent George
Norris.
John Cole
William Hay.
Seventeen other men,
Until ten a. m. signals were heard
from the imprisoned men. Later the
signals ceased and it is believed that
all the men had come under the in
f1uence of the deadly fire damp
Thorough Investigation, Made.
About 1880 o'clock small explosion
occurred in the mine and as result
of this and other conditions that need
ed attention it was decided to make
thorough investigation of the under
ground workings and entries. This
was in charge of Superintendent Lo-
gan and 81 men volunteered for the
dangerous work. They entered the
mine shortly after five o'clock and
while they were in the mine a second
and third explosion occurred, about
six o'clock.
Tear Down Tons Of Coal.
These explosions had the effect Of
tearing down great quantities of COAL
slate and rock in the interior, com.
pletely preventing the men from
reaching the outside State Mine In
spector Lowther of Somerset was
soon at the scene and from the miners
who had not been allowed to go to
work until the investigating party re-
turned rescuing shifts were quickly
formed.
Unable to Penetrate Mine.
The rescuers were unable to pene.
trate the mine any great distance, but
worked heroically in an effort to reach
their imprisoned comrades All the
while the rescue party received en-.
couragement by the signal tappings
coming from the entombed men. To-
wards midnight the interior of the
mine became intensely warm, and it
was believed fire had broken out. For
tunately this was not correct. The
body of Superintendent Logan was
recovered. He had succumbed to
black damp"
Rescue Party Overcome.
short time later Andrew Stonchi's
body was found and five members of
the rescue party were overcome by
the poisonous gas. They were car
ried to the open air and revived with
difficulty. A rescue crew again entered
the mine, but at that hour 1t was not
expected that any of those entrapped
would be brought out alive Since mid
night not sound had come from that
part of the mine where the party had
been caught and it was apprehended
by those at the scene of the accident
that they had been overtaken by the
deadly "black-damp" and, like Super
intendent Logan. had become its vic
tins.