The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-06-06
83 DEAD IN
EXPLOSION At
W|LkESBARRE;
FIFTY INJURED
VICTIMS LITERALLY
ROASTED In BLOW-UP
Short Circuit Sets Off 300
Pounds of Black Powder
With Deadly Results

WILKES BARRE. Pa. June g.
/ EIshty-thrce men dead and fifty others
burned and manned. many Of whom will
die. is the toll Of terrible disaster In
! the Baltimore tunnel OF the Delaware
| and Hudson Coal Company in the east
! end section OF this city early to-day.
The disaster was caused by the explo-
, sion 81 800 pounds OF black powder ana
| the dead and tho manned were literally
! roasted by the super-hcatcd gas flames
! following lhc explosion. The Tragedy
occurred while the mcn were on their
way to work this morning.
! Owing To their working places being
| two mics fr6m tho mouth Of the OF the
I tunnel the men were making the frip
in a train Of fourteen mine cars drawn
, by an electric motor. the powder being
! carried in two cars in tho middle OF
the train. The train had penetrated the
tunnel about 200 feet when August Rud-
dIca. one Of the survivors. declared the
overhead trolley which saggcd. touched
, a steel kcg head and formed a short cir
Crt.
In an instant there was a shower OF
I sparks and then the powder exploded
with a terrific blast and a great sheet
OF flames, drawn by the air current en-
I veIoped the helpless men who were hud-
died closely together in the cars with
no possible chance to escape. Owing to
the ycntiiating system the flame was
drawn inward and the first intimation
Of the disaster 10 those on the surface
was the shrieks Of anguish OF the III
jurcd
Rescue corps were at once formed
and the dead and injured were rapidly
4 4tsstF1 ~
were given first aid treatment by physi-
clans and then rushed to hospitals in
ambulances. and vehicles OF all sorts.
Even the fire apparatus was used in the
emergency.
When tho rcscucrs first entered the
trLnel they found the dead and dying
piled up in heaps in the cars and along
the tunnel. Bodies OF the dead were
burned 10 n crisp and cooked flesh came
off in strips from the limbs Of the liv-
Ing. or the dead sixty mine were found
dead in the tunnel and fourteen others
succumbcd 10 their injuries at hospitals.
But forty-ninc of the dead nave so far
been identified.
Among the men killed outright was
James j. McCloskey, a former baseball
pitcher al one time a member OF the
Philadelphia National League CLUB.
Assistant General Manager Buchanan.
OF the Delaware & Hudson Coal Com
pany. after an investigation. gave il as
his opinion that tho explosion was not
caused by tho SagEnS OF the overhead
wirc. He Is Of III, opinion that A steel
bar or drill carried by one OF the mon
came in contact with the wire forming
tho short circuit which caused the now
der 10 give way. According to the COLI
pany'S figures li3 men and boys were
beng carried by the train and but II
escaped injury.
Seward Hutton. chief OF the state bu-
-rau Of mines. informed the Associated
Press tonight that the state code con-
In nod regulations governing the storage
Of explosives in magazines and working
places, hut WAS silent on its transporta-
iion. Mr.. Button declared this was
gricrous omission in tho law, and that
acting on his own responsibility he
would is'-us regulations tomorrow MORN
ing which would check the present care
loss met hndS, and insist that they lie
oheyci until they can be enacted into
law.