The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-27


of August, 110S, at Patiield, in the par
ish of Chester-le Street, about o'clock
IN the morning, by the sudden eruption
Of violent fire from the mine, with
as great noise as the firing of n cannon
or the loudest claps Of thunder. sixty
nine persons were destroyed, in mn i'm
slant Three of them, two men and
one woman, were blown quite mp from
I he bottom of the shaft fifty-sevcn
fnthomS deep, into the AIR n consider
able distance from the mouth Of the
pit; The fish which were i'll the rivulct
which runs twenty yards under the
level, and as great distance from
the mouth of the pits, were in great
numbers taken up dead, floating on the
water, by several of the iuhabiiants.' -
A Quick Drop Saves Lives.
Persons in the mine are aware Of
an explosion before the force strikes
them-once III thousand times. il far
enough away. man may feel the two
or three seconds warning in time to
drop on the floor, and perhaps not be
killed outright. First there is "A shock
in the air. then an ominous whisthng
sound, while the ear drums sink in with
the pressure with sickening cifcct-all
this in a second IS time. Lucky is the
Outside, the explosion is evident in
an instant Often the flames shoot high
in the air, and hosting machinery is
carried away. In the Virginia City
mine explosion of five years ago flames
roared from the slope. and killed man
on the tipple two hundred feet away. 1t
rs a good thing If the fan is not dam
aged, so that ventilation can be re-
stored. Then comes the call fer res
cuers.
Men, I want volunteers TO 20 down.
| don I want married meu-thcrc are
enough of those dead in the pit already.
You know what the dangers are. / viii
lead the party myself and these few
words of the leader are Il call for as
brave sclfsacrice rs ever stirred
the souls of men. If there were moth
ing else to their credit. the eVcr-rcadi.
ness of miners 10 give their lives In
trying to save their "buddicsp would
stamp them with the mark Of highest
! courage. The fact that they go down
knowing the conditions makes the bray
cry the greater; the chances of sec
ond explosion, of being overcome by
the deadly after damp or by smoke, or
of falling roof, make safe return inn
probable One has only to recall the
Hanna. Wyo.. disaster. when twenty
were killed in an effort 30 save twice
their number, and such an example as
Il
when tWeDty-seven rescucrs were Killed,
and rs MANY more took their places IN
minute. There are such deeds every
time,
The work Of rescuing does not call
for rasbness. but for the coolest of
thinking in the midst of danger. \ mo-
mcnt-s foolhardincss may cost 4 life
Never was better or braver work done
than once in Alabama. when the mine
boss led the way in three minutes at-
ter the explosion. and groDing his WAY
in on hands and knees, with head swHth-
ed in cloths 20 enable him 10 stand the
scorching heat, pulled out eight uncon-
scious men. saving them from the after
damp, He worked in the darkness
afraid to carry even a safety lamp. and
with n rope about his waist; when he
found body he clwng to il, and the
two were pulled out over rocks, tim
bers and all. Several times he came
out with clothes on fire; and he only
stopped when overcome by the after
damp himself
Others went in To fill his place immc.
diatcly. Into that sccthing pit. with aw-
full deafeuing noises, groans Of wounded
men and OF frcD zied mules. and the fall
ing of the roof. they made their way.
and brought out every man whose heart
was beating. when they found him. The
| first wounded man they came TO was
ImpaIcd on the sharp end of a broken
| plank: the point was through his body
| q good three inches, and he writhlng
on it, Men blinded and crazcd with
| burns, or with broken bones, were car.
ried TO the top, where the doctors
wrapped them in blankets soaked in lin
| seed oil and frantic relatives made
work almost impossible, That, too, was
! typical,