The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-07-27
TWENTY-FIVE MEN
DIE IN WATER BORE.
Explosion Near Cleveland Results
in Loss of Life.
FUMES KILL RESCUE PARTY
Intrepid Band, Eager to Save Their
Comrades, Are Themselves Victims
OF Disaster - PulHotors Bring
Many From Jaws Of Death.

Many From Jaws Of Death.
Pittsburgh, Pa, July GA party
OF trained rescuers from the Pitts
burgh station of the bureau of mines
left here today for Cleveland to as,
sist in relief work In the waterworks
tunnel They took with them the Gus.
tomary equipment of mine rescue up.
paratus. ii. NJ. Wolfiin, engineer In
charge of this division. ordered the
mine rescue car with It's entire crew
TO hurry from Barnesb0ro, Pa, to
Cleveland with all possible speed.
Heavy Toll Taken by Death.
AT least dozen of the men died I'M
stantly when workman's pick pune
tured a pocket of gas in The ten-foot
tunnel and spark from electrical
machinery set the vapor Off. .."
Five other men were killed when
they went through compressed air
lock into the blackness OF the tube In
an effort to rescue the men trapped.
A second rescue party of IL men
We're trapped In the death tube and
only two of these came out alive.
Sixteen men were In the tInne.
when the explosion occurred. or these
only one was saved by the first rescue
party of seven. of which three cid not
reappear A second party composed
OF ii volunteers was then lowered
through the shaft and all are believed
TO have persisted. Several men who
came In contact with the escaping
fumes were dragged out of the dam
ger zone and pulmotOrs used In eff
forts TO revive them, while helmets
were being rushed out frem shore In
tugboats to be used by rescuers.
Efforts to ascertain the exact num-
Der of dead were baffied because some
of the injured who were placed on
boats and taken ashore Succumbed be-
fore reaching hospitals, while others.
who at first were thought to be dead.
were brought back to life with the pull
motor. e5'i ..." ,7e
Twenty known to Be Dead.
Cleveland, o.. July 2G.--At least
twenty men are known to be dead aud
a dozen injured ans result of an ex-
riostor Of gas IN water works tunNel,
under construction between pumping
sutton on land and an intake crib
five miles out In Lake Erie late last
night. ......
The men were working fifty feet be-
low the bottom, of the lake, which Is
seventy feet deep at that peiht. placing
them 100 feet below the surface. They
were LOO feet shoreward from the
'rib. The explosion came us the tun-
lei workers broke through n gas vein
With their picks and shOvels and the
fumes ignited from electric sparks.
The night shift had returned to work
asst night after three days Iay-ofr
because gas fumes had been discov-
cred and tests were made to ascertain
he safety Of further work.
Although suspicious OdorS had been
noticed for several days and work had
,een halted the men were permitted to
inter the tube without helmets or other
means of safety.
Var Vain Effort at Rescue.
At eight o'clock last evening eleven
men descended the shaft. An hour |
ater worknen on the surface detected
,as and attempted to signal the men
n the tube. Receiving no response !
hey sent rocket signals into the air |
0 attract Iifesavers on shore, there be-
ng no other means of communication. /
/ was almost midnight before aid !
cached the scene and then rescue |
arty was quickly formed which made |
he descent. OF this party of eleven !
escuers seven succuinbed to the
uines. the original eleven having per-
she'd. |
After the first rescue party had met !
he same fate as the eleven worknIen.
o more men would volunteer TO aid in |
he rescue work until helmets could be |
REQUIRED. There was considerable de-
~ In getting helmets and not until
ster daylight today was the rescue
FORK taken up nv men properly
quipped to Withstand the deadly
apor.
Ten bodies were brought to shore on
tugboat at 10 a. M. today. Nine
Iore are known 10 be In the tube and
he rescuers are digging their way
trough the debris to bring out the
,maining bodies.
The identified dead:
s. H. yoKEs. assistant superin-
ndent OF tunnel.
THOMAS CLARK,
y. nj. WOODS.
w. LAHRSTEIN.
ARCHIE TURNBULL. i,
STEPHEN HAYS.
JOHN FLYNN. IA
JOHN MACKEY. II
JUSTICE AFRO. Ii
FRANK REEP. II
LOUIS JAPPISOLLL K
w. WOMAN
HARRY HATCHER.
Senator Demands Reoert