The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-10-30
NINETEEN WORKERS BELIEVED DEAD.
IN THE AMSTERDAM NINE DISASTER
Fire, Starting Near the Main
Entry Of Y. & O. Mine
Spreads In Every Direction
-l36 Men Make Their
Escape, But the Others Are
Imprisoned and Probably
Dead

, Special To The Tntcl!iGcnccr:
AMSTERDAM O.. Oct. 2o.-Ninctccn
miners imprisoned in the burning No. 2
| minc Of tho Youghiogheny & Ohio Coal
| Company. hero. arc believed 10 have
! succumbcd late tonight from smoke and
gas fumes. with which every entry OF
| the workings has been filled since noon
| today. when an electric fan caught hre
, near the main entry. and quickly
sprcad in all directions. Although their
! light - expected 10 prove in vain. hun
! drcds 81 miners are working 1cVerlshly
i tonight in hourly shifts. in desperate
efforts to reach the imprisoned men. VINO
; arc in Entry No. Is, far from the en-
0 trance. The rcscuers arc in constant
danger from falling timbers ana IRON,
sufrocation by smoke and gas. but are
hravcly continuing the battle to save
! the lives Of their follow workers.
The victims;
| Tho irnpr,soned miners. none OF whom
IS believed to have survived are:
| JAMES GRAY, IS. day hand.
JOHN CIOTTI. loader.
JAMES JUNoSKT. loader.
GEO Rl.Fi OAhIC1, lOdQCT. ...-,
1o,--HtCT9R- 0RfsG0s ioater.S
AUGUSTA BARTOLI.A. loader. ..
CARMELLA EARTOLLA. loader.
TONY FARCUS. loader.
CHARLES JESKI. loader.
JOHN BASS0, loader.
MIKE PALESKI. loader.
y. FLORIANI. loader.
THOMAS SUTCLA. loader.
CHARLES CHOKINSKI. loader.
TONY RAINOTSKI. loader.
JOE TOTRAL, loi Ter.
$TGNY HINOSKI. loader.
LOUIS LESKELLI. machine miner.
PETER GAEOTTA. machine miner.
1876 Men Escaped.
One hundred and ffty-fve miners
were in working when the fire started
All but nineteen succeeded in making
their escape through the several en-
tries. Three mule drivers guided TWEEN
ty-four miners to safety through an eS'
il two miles from the main entry after
il was feared the men had persisted.
Company officials sent an appeal 10
Columbus for aid Immediately after the
fire broke out. but up to Q o'clock TO-
night the mine rescue crew Of the state
department of mines had not reached
here. 1t waa reported held up at Denni-
son. Ohio. thirty miles distant on the
main line Of the Pennsylvania road
The rescue crews in the mine are build
irC hratticcs in an effort to get around
the fro which still burns ferccly and
spreads despite the streams OF water be-
ing poured upon the flames by de-
tachmcnt Of Steubenville 6remen. who
have a line Of hose leading from q near
by creek.
One Ray OF Hope.
Tho fire Is in Main Entry No. 2. and
the nineteen imprisoned miners are be-
lIeved to be in Entry Is, in a remote
part Of the workings. The one ray OF
hope for the men is the belief that they
may have p. coedcd in building brat
tees that exclude the smoke and
gas. 1t is at least twenty-foul
hours more ', >lapse before the res
cucrs can reach the victims.
When the alarm was sounded at noon
every one Of the eight or more mines ir
the district shut down. and one thous
and miners rushed TO the Y. & O. No. 2
eager to assist in saving the lives OF
fellow workers.
Hundreds of women surround tho
mouth Of the mine late tonight. anC
wives and relatives Of the imprisoned
miners are giving way to their grief
Twenty members Of tn" Amsterdam Rec
Cross arc on duty, lending aid and com
fort 10 the afflicted ones.