The Washington times., 1938-01-13
'HEROISM MARKS
BLAST IN MINE
COSTING 10 LIVES
Women Made Widows,
| rs Children FatherIeSS


Stirring tales of the traditional
heroism o. the mines were told
here today as the last of the
bodies of the 10 men who died
in a gas explosion in the Hard
wick mine were brought to the
surface by masked rescue squads.
There was Thomas Keffer, S6,
rock r1achine operator, who
screamed instructions for his men
to escape as the hot gusts Of air
scared his eyec and lungs when
the explosion occurred. He shouted
to his men to fan the air and
cover their faces if possible and
then fell, overcome by carbon
monoxide he had inhaled in shout
ing the orders. When Andrew
Humanik and his buddy found
Keffer, the rock machine operator
was dead. He left a widow and
three small children.
NARROW ESCAPE
Steve Vanosky, 38, could re-
count miraculous escape from
the deadly gas. He was a mile
away from the explosion. which
was so forceful it knocked him
into an opening in the rib" or
wall of the tunnel. When he
came to his wits again, he saw
the black dust rolling past the
opening; it was rock dust, scat
tered through the mines to snuff
out explosions. The dust settled
and Vanosky crawled on his
hands and knees a mile to the
entrance.
With him was his buddy, George
PassozewitZ, a trackman. They
came upon their fore boss, H. H.
Kelly, So, of Mars, Pa. Kelly was
dragging Joseph Kropivnikar. He
was almost at the end Of his
strength, yet he tugged and lifted
the limp form of the man.
DRAGGED TO SAFETY
Vanosky and PassozewitE
stopped. They examined KopriV-
nikar. He was dead. They pulled
the dazed Kelly from his body
Kelly collapsed. Together they
pulled him the tortuous distance
to the shaft, where help was at
hand. Passozewitz was treated at
the scene and sent home. Kelly
was taken to a hospital.
The last two bodies brought 20
the surface were those OF Frank
Ciesielski, 43, and Anthony
Weiner, 40. Ciesielski'S wife,
Mary, had envisioned some sueh
castastrophe as an explosion in q
"terrible dream" and vainly
pleaded with her husband not to
go to work. He went and was
killed.
The blast, the second serious
tragedy in the mine in S4 yeal ),
left eight women widows and 70
children fatherless.
Mrs, Ciesielski had dreamed
Tuesday night that all her teeth
were pulled. She regarded the
dream as a bad omen and had
begged Frank to stay at home yes
terday.
The other eight victims whose
bodies were removed last nlgnt
and early today were:
Thomas Keffer, 36, a rock ma
chine operator, who leaves a
widow, Frances, with three young
children.
FATHER OF SEVEN
Matthew Anderson, SIS, assist
ant mine foreman, father OF
seven, one of whom watched al
body was brought out.
DoSs Nicholas. Al, a fire boss
whose wife of three years, Zelda
%. heard the first news of the
disaster over their radio at home
John Kruszek, 81, who started
to work as a miner about three
years ago. He leaves widow
Gladys, and a 16.months-old son.
Joseph Koprivnikar, Al. father
of five children. He leaves q
widow. His body was found by
his brother.
Frank Harpster, Acmetonia,
trackman's helper.
Joseph PreleSnick, a trackman
of Springdale.
Joseph Lerch, "a, a loader,
whose father, Joseph, sr., was
killed in the same mine in 1886
He leaves a widow, Alberta, %.