The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-04-11
aliners Ave Caught Like Rats in Trap
ind Lose Their Lives.
ANOTHER Mine HORROR
Fire and Gas Block Their Escape, and
without Warming Between Fifty
and Sixty Men and Boys Meet Ter
rible heath in Pennsylvania Coal
Mine Village.
Mine Village.

One of the most serious mine disas.
ters of that section occurred Friday
at the little village Of Throop, short
distance from Scranton, Pa, when
the lives of between fifty and sixtv
men and boys were snuffed out.
Among those known to have per-
ished are, Joseph Evans. who was IN
charge o. the United States mine res
cue car; Isaac Dave, fire boss,
and Walter knight, foreman.
Evans death was the result OF a
defective. oxygen charged ar-noI.
Charles !1nsian, the expert in charge
of the mine rescue work for the Eel
eral Government, was also overcome,
and is said to be in a critical 2ondi-
ton.
Up to late hour Friday nisnt
nearly two score of bodies have been
piled at the bottom of the shaft, but
it was thought advisable not to bring
them to the surface until the crowd
had dwindled. A temporary mtrgue
has been erected at the opening 10
the mine, and here were congregatel
hundreds Of women and children, rel
atives Of the men and boys fho had
been so suddenly snatched from them.
Their grief was pitiful, children of
tender years clinging to the skirts 81
their mothers, while older male mem
bers of he family sought to soften
the anguish of the distracted mothers
and sisters.
None IF the bodies recovered was
mutilatei, death doubtless having
been caused by inhaling flames ard
gases. The rescuers are pushing into
the mine, and it is thought all CT the
bodies will be rescued within a few
hours.
The fire started in an engine house
at the opening of slope 75O feet
from the surface. There were 400
men in tie mine when the fire started,
about sivty of them in the workings,
into which the slope led. The sixty
were at work in "blind" tunnel at
the end ?pf the slope.
Escape was blocked by fire, smoke
and the generated gases, possibly,
before the men and boys realized
their danger.
James Vickers, a fire boss, tried to
get to the tunnel where he knew
many men were at work. He could
go only a short distance before h.
was forced to turn back, and it was
with difficulty he dragged himself
through the smoke at the point Of
the fire. He said no man could live
five minutes in the tunnel he had
tried to traverse.
The United States miners on the
car stationed at Wilkesbarre were
summoned early in the afternoon and
later the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western hospital car and the Lehish
Valley C'ompany's force, from Wilkes
barre, came to the scene.
The finding of three bodies led the
rescuere to believe that no one was
alive in the tunnel and they renewed
the attack on the burning area to
reduce the awful heat. When this
work had proved somewhat effective
a corps Of the expert rescue men,
with the latest style rescue armor.
pushed on into the slope and later
came upon several bodies strewn
along the roadway.
The bodies were carried to the foot
of the shaft and stacked up in piles
in the marrow space to be taken out
after nightfall, so some of the horror
would he hidden from distracted rei-
atives of the victims.
The colliery is owned and operated
by the Price-Pancoast Coal Company,
at the head of which is John r. Bry-
den, general manager of the Ontaria
and Western collieries in this section.
It is one Of the largest and most up
to-date collieries in the region. I"
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