Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1911-04-13
MANY MINERS DIE
AT LEAST so KNOWN TO HAVE
Persisted IN PENNSYLVANIA y
COAL SHAFT.
TERRIBLE SCENES AT PIT
Among Lost is U. S. Rescuer-When
Blaze Breaks Out, Men Are
Caught Like Rats
In Trap.

Scranton Penna. - One of the
most serious mine disasters which has
ever visited this section of the mining
country occurred at the little village
of Thorp, short distance from this
city, when the lives of between so
and 60 men and boys were snuffed
out
Among those known to have per-
ished are Joseph Evans, who was in
charge Of the United States mine res
cue car; Isaac Dave, fire boss, and
Walter knight, foreman. A tenn
porary morgue had been erected at
the opening to the mine and here
were congregated hundreds of women
and children, relatives of the victims.
Relatives Grief Stricken.
Their grief was pitiful. Children of
tender years clinging to the skirts of
their mothers, while older male mem.
bers Of the family sought to soften
the anguish of the distracted mothers
and sisters of the unfortunate men
and boys.
None of the bodies recovered was
mutilated, death doubtless having
been caused by inhaling flames and
gases.
The fire started in an engine house
at the opening of slope leading from
the diamond vein $50 feet from the
surface. There were 400 men in the
mine when the fire started, about 60
of them in the working into which
the slope led. These 60 were at work
in blind" tunnel at the end of the
slope.
Escape was completely blocked by
fire, smoke and the generated gases,
possibly before these men and boys
realized their danger. The other men,
scattered in different workings, got
out by various exits.
Boss Gives Alarm.
James Vickers, fire boss, who was
near the engine house when the fire
broke out, gave the alarm and tried
to get to the tunnel where he knew a
large body of men were at work He
could go only a short distance be-
fore he was forced to turn back, and
it was with difficulty he dragged him
self through the smoke at the point
of the fire. He was so exhausted that
he had to be carried to the surface.
Gangs of miners at the Pancoast,
led by Mine Superintendent Joseph
Birtley and assisted by the Throop fire
department. carried hose into the
mine and fought the fire under great
difficulties.
The United States mine rescue car
stationed in Wilkesbarre was sum-
moned early in the afternoon, and,
later on, the Delaware, Lackawanna &
Western railroads hospital car and
the Lehish Valley coIpany's mine res
cue force from Wilkesbarre came to
the scene.
Three men with the oxygen tanks
and helmets on succeeded in pene-
trating the slope for hundred feet
after the blaze at the engine house
had been suhdued and they came up
on the bodies of two men and a boy
Their faces were buried in the wet
culm as if they had died trying to es-
cape the deadly gases and intense
heat.
All Believed Dead.
The finding of these bodies led the
rescuers to believe that no one was
alive in the tunnel and the rescuers
renewed the attack on the burning
area to reduce the awful heat. When
this work had proven somewhat effec-
tive a corps of the expert rescue men.
with the latest style rescue armor,
pushed on into the slope and later
along the roadway where the men had
fallen over one another in their fren-
zied fight to get to the end of the slope.
The bodies were carried to the foot
of the shaft and stacked up in piles in
the narrow space, to be taken out
after nightfall, SO that some of the hor>4
ror of the spectacle would be hidden
by the darkness from the sight of the
distracted wives, children and other
relatives of the victims, who thronged
the mouth of the shaft.
Thorp bought officials, deputy pa
| trolmen and a squad Of the state con-
stabulary were summoned from Peck
vile. three miles away, to take care
Of the crowds. There waa no VIC
lence, although it was feared there
| might be some disorderly demonstra.
ton on the part OF friends of the for
eigners among the victims.
The colliery is owned and operated
py the Price-Pancoast Coal company.
at the head of which is John R. Bry-
den, general manager of the Ontario.
& Western collieries in this region.
| is one OF the largest and most
up-to-date collieries in the region
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