Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-05
7O-1OO LOSE
LIVES; MANY
ARE INJURED
Powder Blast on Train
Carrying Workers Into
Wilkesba1re Tunnel.

Wilkes Barre, Pa, June g.
A death list that may reach
one hundred is the awful re-
suit of an explosion today of
blasting powder attached to a
trainlOad of miners being
transported to their work In
the Baltimore No. mine of
the Delaware & Hudson Coal
company in this city.
~ The disaster is, with one ex-
ceptiOn. the greatest that has
ever occurred in this vicinity.
Seventy-eight men lost their
lives in the explosion and fire to-
day and 81 were injured according
to list given out by the company
officials at noon today.
Forty-one bodies have been iden-
titled and 81 remain unidentified
The comp-ny's injured list is not
complete and it is certain that the
number of injured will reach about
forty
More than one hundred mine
workers were riding to their work
crowded into what is known as a
trip of mine cars drawn by a mo-
tor The rear car carried u kegs
of black powder used for blasting
loose the coal in the chambers.
The mine is modern and equipped
electrically The trolley wire snap
ped when the train had gone about
200 feet from the entrance. The
wire sputtered and sizzled and the
sparks accidental ys-tsaehed of the
powder.
Men Helpless to Avert Doom.
The terrified men on the cars in
stantly were aware of the danger
that confronted them, but were
powerless to avert it.
There was a roar and in an in
slant every man and boy on the
train was either dead or dying.
Terribly mangled bodies were
found everywhere by the rescue
crews which instantly rushed into
.-tFe mine. Fire fighters. working
frantically, succeeded in a short
time in subduing the flames which
followed the blast.
Then came the gruesome work
Of taking out dead and injured.
Those who had not already sue
cumbed were so badly burned that
in nearly every case death is a
matter of only a short time
Law Violated.
Carelessness and violation of
mine laws of the state caused the
great loss of life. One of the most
drastic provisions of the anthracite
mine code is the section forbiddin5
the transportation of men on a car
or train which carries explosives.
Yet the train of little cars convey
ing its freight of miners had at
tached to its rear Il car of a dozen
kegs of powder. Investigation will
disclose whether the men or the
company is responsible for this
Violation of the law.
Bodies Burn.
Some of the first bodies brought
from the tunnel were burning
when they reached the surface.
Clothes had been burned away and
the flesh was roasting from the
intense heat Water was poured
on these to put out the fire 1t
was such sights as this that made
brave hearts turn sick
Company employees state that
there is a pull" of $4,000 cubic
feet of air per minute in the tun-
mel and that the air pulled in the
flames from the powder directly
over the men. Alongside the tun-
mel there is a ditch and at the
fash of the flames some men were
walking along the side of the trip
of cars dropped into the water and
saved their lives.
Flames, Not Blast, Cause of Death.
Several employees state that it
was not the force of the eXplo-
sion that killed the men Flames
and lack of air caused all the
fatalities. All admit that the act
was the result of a violation of the
law, but they state that miners are
accustomed to these violations
Thomas Dougherty, a miner, one
of the survivors, was thrown out |
of a car by the blast and saved
himself by jumping into a ditch.
Tells Story of Tragedy.
He said:
we were riding along about If |
ty feet in the tunnel. There was !
a binding flash. l was thrown |
from the car. l saw the water and |
l hurled myself into it. Bodies !
were all about Some l knew were /
dead, others were crying. The /!
flames were terrific. We were in |
a veritable hell. No man could !
possibly hope to escape with his
life unless he got in the water, I
buried his face and rolled over !
and over as l did. There was
powder in the car. There were |
about 10 kegs and besides there !
hxy hn n
course. l do not know what set !
them off but I believe the trolley |
wire broke and that sparks ignited |
the powder"