Osage County KS Archives News.....Terrible Accident - Nine Men Lose Their Lives at Carbondale 1881 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Debra Crosby http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002467 April 15, 2020, 9:35 am The Osage Couonty Chronicle Thu May 12, 1881 1881 The Osage Couonty Chronicle Thu May 12, 1881 TERRIBLE ACCIDENT Nine Men Lose Their Lives in a Mine at Carbondale ---- No Escape Other Than the Main Shaft, Which Burns. ---- The First Deaths by Black Damp in Osage County ---- Sad, Scenes, Coroner's Jury, Etc. About three o'clockon Friday afternoon last, the news reached Burlingame that the hoisting shaft at Green's mine, on Carbon Hill, Carbondale, waa on fire, but as the burning of a shaft has been no uncommon occurrence in this county, little attention was paid to the matter, it being supposed that the usual air shaft was some distance from the hoisting shaft, and that the men would escape by it. However, the sad news was received the next morning, that there was no other escape from the mine but the hoisting shaft, and that nine men had been suffocated. The shaft is situated about a mile southeast of Carbondale, on what is known as Green's Hill, the mine being owned by W. L. Green. It is an ordinary shaft, about thirty-five feet deep, and constructed of plank, in which aare two cages, one going down, while another comes up. On one side of the shaft and air ventilator is constructed, by a partition of pine boards. The air to supply the mine passes down the main working shaft circulates around the mine and returns up the air shaft which is partitioned off as described. To create the necessary draft a fire in a furnace is kept at the base of this wooden air shaft. The fire heats the air in the ventilator and draws upon the supply in the mine, which in turn is supplied from the working shaft, and so a constant current is kept passing through the mine and out of the ventilator. The furnace in this case was twenty feet from the base. The air was very light on Friday, and when it is so, the dangerous gases accummulate more rapidly than when the atmosphere is dense and heavy The theory is, that the carbonic acid gas, or "black damp" in the coal, exudes or escapes when the atmospheric pressure is light, but is kept back when the atmosphere is heavy and the pressure against the face of the coal is greatest. Such was the atmospheric conditions on that day. The Superintendent, John Raby, had instructed a boy in charge to keep up a good fire, as he had found the air bad in passing around the workings. The boy built up his fire strong, the soot caught in the flue, the boards took fire, and the shaft was soon in flames. About two o'clock the boy noticed some fire in the air ventilator. Mr. McArdle, a miner stood near, having just come out with a box from his "room." The boy called McArdle's attention to it and notified the top man, Mr. W. H. Thomas. Thomas could not see any fire, but called to the boy to go and tell his father, who was the responsible man. McArdle, too, seeing the danger, urged him on, and though he could readily have got on a cage and been hoisted out, he ran into the mine and notified the men of their danger. In the meantime the boy's father arrived, and told the boy to get a box of water, and he took his pick to wrench off a board so as to get into the ventilator. This was done, but the instant an opening was made it let in more air, and the flames shot up to the top evelo- ping the whole shaft and ventilator in a few minutes. Thomas raised one man at this moment on the cage, but was then driven away. Soon McArdle returned and the men from below gathered to see their only escape cut off. One man climbed up the shaft about eight feet, but was badly burned and fell bacwards. The smoke at the base of the shaft becoming dense, the men scattered. Three of them went into a "room" and banked themselves in, as all knew their lives depended upon keeping the black damp away from them, and husbanding the air. Still another parter, McArdle with them, retreated to a spot where there was known to be a crevice into an old worked-out mine, through which, when the furnace was burnign, some air was drawn into the mine. This party put out all but one lamp, so as to save the precious air that was to keep life in them until rescued. Others took the matter as philosophically as they could, lying around. One man in a room, as soon as the dreead news was told him, fainted. It should be remem- bered that the excavations in these mines are nowhere to exceed two feet except where the little boxes of coal are drawn to the shaft to be hoisted. A mine is a bad place at any time to a person not a miner, but under these circumstances, with the men crawling in the darkness away from the encroachments of the smoke and the "damp," it is more terrible than can be described. The Superintendent had been sent for, and soon arrived at the top of the burning shaft. The flames were seen fom the city and surrouonding mines, and from the cottages of the men in the vicinity, and soon a vast crowd of excited men, women and children gathered at the place. Salt was procured, with water, and poured down the burning shaf, but it was not until fifteen barrels had been used, and two hours of pre- cious time passed, that it was possible to go down. At about four o'clock a timber was run across the mouth of the shaft, and a rope hung over it, with a stick fastened in the end. Getting astride this stick, the brave superintendent, grasping the rope, gave the order to lower away, and was soon out of sight down in the smoking mine. Anxiously the men watched the rope until it slackened, which announced his arrival on the bottom, and a suspense followed whicih cannot be described. Soon the voice of the superintendent was heard "hoist away," and a miner was brought up near- ly insensible, sitting astride the stick and with a half hitch of the rope under his arms. The rope was lowered and then a second was brought up and then a third. At the fourth hoisting of the rope which was drawn over the rough edge of the timber on the shaft, and which was kept from wearing by pouring water upon it, the superintendent came up. He could not stand it any longer. In a litle while he went down again but in a short time was compelled to come up. Three volunteers went down, and one after another the men were brought up, nearly all insensible and three dead. The workers too suffered greatly. Still three men were left in the mine It was ascertained that these were dead, and prudence prevailed, and no other men went below. A large majority of those brought up were unconscious. The anxious inquiries of relatives, the joy of recovery, the sadness of death, all mingled to form a scene never to be forgotten. It was thought best to leave the three bodies in the mine until a ventilator was rigged as the damp was so bad, it was almost suicide for any man to descend. However, at three o'clock in the morning three miners from Scranton volunteered to go below and bring the bodies up, stating that they could not stand by and have their comrades lying there. All they wanted was a guide, as they were strangers in the mine. A relative of one of the men below volunteered to show them the way and a fifth volunteered to help, and the five men descended, but under the protest of all the experienced miners around, including Superintendent Raby, who parti- cularly cautioned the not to advance too far, and not to go farther than their lamps would burn. What happened below it is hard to say, but only two men returned alive, and these almost insensible. It is said the guide followed with the light instead of leading, and as soon as he saw the man fall forward in front of him, returned to the shaft, after an ineffectual effort to drag him out. Certain it is that the three men in front, crawling forward, suddenly became enveloped in damp, and fell forward, on their faces insensible, and soon died. In fact every body found dead in the mine was lying face downward. It is also stated that these men went along an "entry" until they came to a closed door, or hatch, which was pushed open and three entered. The opening of the door would drive the damp back and then passing down along the bottom of the entry, would envelope the men. Certain it is that the fourth man saw the one in front of him fall forward, and he escaped from the horrible place. This "black damp" is something not generally under- stood, and we heard it asserted the next day, by miners of forty years experience, that if there had been proper precautions used, all the men might have been saved. Certain it is that the next morning five experienced men went below with a canvass screen, and pressing the damp backward, and by agitating the atmosphere by rolling empty boxes along the tracks, they succeeded in reaching and recovering the bodies of the six men and brought them to the surface, and thus ended the terrible tragedy. The following is a list of the dead from Carbondale: 1. Michael Mullen, aged forty-five, who leaves a wife and five children. 2. Michael[sic] Mullen, son of the above, aged twelve years. [this was Patrick Mullen] 3. J. P. Hungate, (the last taken out,) aged [Iraton?] thirty-six, leaves a wife and two children. 4. Charles Jones, aged twenty-seven, married 5. Andrew Warner, aged twenty-six, married 6. Jacob McDonnell, aged thirty, wife and one child. The numbers from Scranton who lost their lives were: 1. George Evans, aged twenty-three, single 2. Abraham Benedict, aged twenty-five, single 3. Neal McGonigle, aged twenty-nine, single. The names of the men who were the last to go down, and who brought up six bodies, were: Thomas McNeash, John Winner, George Robertson, John Mitchel, and Dan Woods. There is a singular circumstance connected with the death of the first six named. They were all members of three families: Jones and Warner were brothers-in-law Hungate married McDonnell's sister, and the two first, father and son. THE CORONER'S INQUEST In compliance with our request, the coroner furnishes the following: BURLINGAME, KAS., May 9, 1881 To the Editor of THE CHRONICLE. MY DEAR SIR: The Coroner's jury found that the men came to their death through the negligence of the proprietor of the mine in not complying with the law, by providing the necessary escape. Yours Respectfully, J.A. WILLEY, Coroner Additional Comments: submitter is not related and has no further information File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/osage/newspapers/terrible38nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ksfiles/ File size: 11.1 Kb