Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Umpire Mine Explosion
September 23, 1898
MANY MINERS ENTOMBED
Fatal Explosions of Coal Gas and Fire Damp Near
Brownsville, Penna.
EIGHT MEET SUDDEN DEATH.
Six Scores In Peril – They Escaped, Injured and
Nearly Choked by the Fire Damp – Walked Four
Miles Underground to Safety – Wild Scenes at the
Mouth of the Shaft – Loose Coal Causes Accident.
BROWNSVILLE, Penna. (Special).-- Seventy men
were entombed Friday in the Empire [sic] Mine of Snowdon, Gould & Co., one fourth of a mile below
town, as the result of an explosion of gas,
followed by another explosion of fire damp. Of
the number entombed, all escaped or were taken
out by rescuing parties, except eight, who were
killed outright, and three who were more or less
hurt.
The list of the dead includes JOHN HALSTON,
SALEM HALSTON, ROBERT DAVIDSON, JOHN BENNETT,
WILLIAM PRITCHARD, HENRY HAGAR, JOHN CARTWRIGHT
and JAMES HALL. The following were injured:
GEORGE BAKER, JOHN BAKER and SAMUEL McINTYRE.
The explosion is said to have been caused by
the loosening of a large block of coal which
opened a pocket of gas. Immediately following
the explosion of gas there was a second
explosion of fire damp. There were seventy men
at work in the mine at the time of the disaster.
When the mine was reached willing hands at
once went to work. Everybody seemed to want to
go into the mine, it was by sheer force that
those in charge at the entry kept the crowd out.
It was announced that there was a sufficient
force of men inside to do rescue work, but a
weary and painful wait of hours took place.
Just above the entrance to the mine there is
an artificial plateau. From the edge of the
plateau a good view of the track leading to the
mine could be had. Here women stood wringing
their hands in anguish and weeping. The hundreds
of people realized that they stood at the
entrance of living tombs.
It was several hours later that the tingle of
the electric bell in the engine house announced
that a train of coal cars was coming from
within. The scene of the disaster is more than a
mile from the entry. It took about ten minutes
for the first load to reach the outside world.
When the little train of cars emerged, a
shudder was visible in the crowd. First there
came two cars loaded with coal. Then three cars
in each of which there were two bodies. In one
there were two brothers, side by side, JOHN and
SALEM HALSTON. In the others were ROBERT
DAVIDSON and JOHN BENNETT, WILLIAM PRITCHARD and
JOHN CARTWRIGHT. JAMES HALL was in the last car.
Wagons were in waiting, and the bodies were
taken to undertaking establishments. When the
bodies were brought up from the mines they
presented a ghastly appearance. After the first
lot of bodies had been brought out the
excitement and anxiety grew more intense.
It was announced that many men had come out
of the mine through an abandoned entry nearly
three miles distant. This allayed the fears of
many, and as fast as the men were accounted for
to their friends and families rejoicings and
congratulations followed.
The Cranbury Press New Jersey 1898-09-30
Transcribed by Stu
Beitler Thank you,
Stu!
Disasters - on Sept. 23, 1898 an explosion in
the Umpire Mine killed 8 miners
Virtual Museum of Coal Mining in Western
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