Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-09
Disasters in Two Mines Claim
Nearly 200 Victims.
BODIES BADLY CHARRED
All Taken From Pancoast Colliery.
Far From Banner Mine.
CRIMINAL NEGLECT CHARGED
officials Begin Thorough Investiga-
tion of Both Disasters, With
View of Placing Blame.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SCRANTON, Pa, April s.-Seventy two
charred and mutilated bodies of miners
makes up the total death list of the ca
tastrophe that occurred yesterday at the
Pancoast colliery at Throop.
Officials at the colliery stated tonight
that every section Of the tunnel in the
China vein, where the men were at work
when the fire broke out had been ex-
plored and all Of the bodies had been
removed to the surface, identified and
taken in charge by relatives.
The disaster. which ranks as one Of the
worst in the history Of the anthracite re-
gion. is to be investigated by national,
state and county officials. That there was
criminal neglect on the part of some one
seems to be the opinion of every one.
superintendent of the State Bureau of
Mines James Rodertck declared today
that had care been used the accident
could not have occurred.
He declared the loss of life was due to
the erection of an engine house at the
shaft head which was built of inf1am
mable material, and would give his per-
sonal time and attention to finding out
the cause and fixing the blame.
DR.. Holmes Investigating.
The United States government is repre-
sented by DR.. James A. Holmes of
Washington. head of the national bureau
of mines. who was on the scene few
hours after the first report Of the dis
aster, directing the work of the govern
ment rescue squad. He. too. has gone
into the mine and declares that he Will
cause a minute investigation of the
causes leading up to the loss of life.
James F. Saltry, coroner Of Lackawanna
county, with County Detective M. A.
Rafter, representing the district attor-
ney's Office, also entered the mine today
lead to criminal prosecution in the local
courts.
The local officials of the United Mine
Workers were also on the ground today.
and while they would give out no state
ments, it was learned tonight that the
labor organization of Lackawanna county
will insist on criminal prosecution of
those guilty of permitting the men to re-
was first discovered. without giving them
any warning until the clouds of smoke
and gas-laden air blinded and overcame
them at their work
Stephen J. Mcdonald, president OF the
Scranton central labor union. who him
self worked in the mine for years. when
interviewed this evening declared that
the accident was the result OF modern
1ZeQ greco ana declared tndC OTSdu1ZeQ
labor would make an effort to send some
of the officers to jail. Mr.. Mcdonald said:
Attributed to Greed.
''The accident was the result Of greed
The company employed a man to run two
l.airs of engines situated about 200 feet
from each other. This saved the COM
pany $1.SO per day. 1t cost seventy-two
human beings their lives, leaving hun
dreds of orphans and dozens of widows.
The Pancoast mine has been an in
dustrial slaughter house for the past
twenty years. The town of Throop is so
situated geographically that 1t is rather
hard to get news from it,
Thousands have been manned and
commercially murdered in its depths
since it commenced operations twenty
PEELED to work in its gaping depths for
less than SO per week. but this need not
occasion much surprise when the fact is
taken into consideration that l worked
in the mine for eight years when a boy
and never saw a dollar of the money I
earned 1t was stopped in the pluckme
store.
1T was impossible for the poor vic
Tins to make their escape There was
no means of escape. The fire was dis
covered at O'Clock in the morning, and
operations in the mine and breaker were
not suspended until eleven o'clock. Some
oi tne oHlClalS IOoilShly thOught they
could get the fire under control, and the
safety of the men was the last thing
thought of
This is proved by the fact that Joe
Gall. who escaped from the mine, told
those who met him at the surface that
one of the officials said about that time
(11 Oclock) he would issue orders to sus-
pend work. Poor old men, those in the
Prime of life. and little buds of humanity,
known as 'nipoes boys were sacrificed
upon the altar of greed, and I'D till mid
night not one of the mine owners had
made his appearance upon the scene
An investigation will prove that the men
worked in death trap: that there was
not one chance in a million for them to
escape"