Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1898 — DEATH IN COAL SHAFT [ARTICLE]

DEATH IN COAL SHAFT

FIFTY MINERS ENTOMBED AT BROWNSVILLE, PA. Explosion of Fire Damp at Umpire Mines Takes Several Lives—Several Bodies Recovered Striking Electricians Cut Out Lights in St. Louis. Killed by jfire Damp. Fifty-four men were entombed in the Umpire mine of Snowden, Gould & Co., one-fourth of a mile below Brownsville, Pa., by an explosion of gas. Immediately following the explosion of gas there was a second explosion of fire damp. There were 140 men iu the mine at the time of the explosion, work having been begun for the <jay a short time previous. Of these fifty-eight were in entries No. 9 and No. 10. Five men, Jacobs, Davis, Whetzell, Walker nnd a Hungarian, were near the mouth of the entries. The others were far in. When the explosion came these men made a rush for the main heading, which they succeeded in reaching, though all were more or less injured. They filially crawled out to the open air. Fiftyeight men were in entries 0 and 10. Intelligence of the disaster Boon spread nnd crowds gathered around the mouth of the mine. Terrible scenes of grief and horror were presented. Wives and children of the entombed men were frantic with grief and their shrieks and wails were frightful to hear. Notwithstanding the great danger, the rescuing . parties worked bravely, and several dead bodies were taken out. EXPRESS CAR BLOWN OPEN. Bandits Rob a Passenger Train in the Suburbs of Kansas City. A Missouri Pacific passenger train was stopped by robbers placing an obstruction on the track five miles southwest of Kansas City. The engine was wrecked aud the robbers blew the express car open with dynamite, but officials of the Pacific Express Company say they got little money for their pains, as few of the night trains carry money packages out of Kansas City. The train was stopped in the heavy woods that line Brush creek. The robbers prevented the train crew from leaving until they had accomplished their task and decamped. Before .committing the hold-up the robbers entered the Frisco station at Belt Line, just east of Leeds, ajid overpowered the operator. After breaking the instruments in his office they took the operator with them to the scene of the robbery. ET. LOUIS IN DARKNESS. Striking Electricians Cut Wires and Shut Off Many Lights. Striking electricians cut twenty-one circuits, extinguishing over (100 lights in the fashionable west end of St. Louis the other night. The first report was at 11 o'clock, and thereafter until almost daylight the lighting department was notified of a cut circuit every few minutes. They were left hanging in the streets and alleys, and that no one was electrocuted is considered as There was scarcely a lamp left burning in all the residence district, either arc or incandescent. The electricians have been on a strike for several wc*el:s. Ten Sank with the Vessel. Australian papers report the wreck of the schooner C. C. Funk, at Flinder’s Island, with ten of her crew. Only two seamen. Albert Krough and John Peterson, were saved, and but one body had been recovered when the Alameda sailed. It was that of Peter Neilson. The vessel was driven ashore by a gale and went to pieces in the surf.

1 Women Are Excluded. Methodist women have for some time been trying to get a standing in the courts of the Methodist Church of Canada, but the clergy will not permit it. The matter came before the Methodist general conference at Toronto and a motion to admit women to the courts of the church was almost unanimously defeated. Australian Bank Robbed, Australian papers report a daring bank robbery at Penhurst, about 200 miles from Melbourne. An unknown man entered the local branch of the Bank of Victoria, and covering the manager, Mr. Jamieson, with a revolver, bound ami gagged him and abstracted about £(100 in notes and gold and made off. lowa Man Stabbed. At Oskaloosa. lowa, James Raymond was stabbed and almost instantly killed by Jacob N. Moyers at the latter’s boarding house. Moyers was insanely jealous of Raymond, who had been attentive to Mrs. Moyers. Tito huslaind found the two talking in his wife's room and the fatal encounter ensued. Saved Wife, but Child Drowns. Thomas McVeigh, who has a cottage at Newcomb. N. Y„ was boating with his wife, daughter and Miss Alice Hollenbeck. The craft capsized and nil were thrown into the water. McVeigh succeed ed in getting ashore with his wife, but Miss Hollenbeck and his ehiTd were drowned. Devastation by Typhoons. Floods and typhoons wrought great damage along eastern and northern shores of Formosa. Five thousand buildings destroyed or rendered unhabitable and 400 people killed and injured is the record of the ruin in the northern district about Taipeh, Formosa’s capital. Great Floods in Spain. The southern (uirt of Spain has been visited by terrible Hoods. At the village of Berrern, near Cadi*, eighty persons have been drowned. A great number of cattle have perished nnd the olive hat vest is lost, ••specially in the provinces of Seville and Granada. Great French Wheat Crop. The French wheat crop is estimated al 123.tMMt.tMMt hectoliters, the largest since 1871. when the yield was 13ti.tHXi.tMMt hectoliter*. This will render France independent of foreign importations of wheat. Fatally Scalded iti a collision. A renr end collision between freight trains occurred <>n ttie Union Pacific near Grand Island. Neb. Engineer Hoddy wns fatally scalded, his engine demolished nnd several ears wrecked. bhoots Two Constables. At Garrett, Pa., F. I’. Myers shot jml killed two constables wljo were trying to arrest him. He was finally overpowered and locked up in jail.

NO TRUST IN SILVER WARE. Scheme to Merge Big Concern* Into One Has Fallen Through. A death blow has been dealt the movement to consolidate all the leading concerns manufacturing silverware in this country, controlling 75 per cent of the total output, into a colossal corporation. According to seemingly well-warranted assertions, one company, said to be R. Wallace & Sons of 225 Fifth avenue, New York, and Wallingford, Conn., after engaging in the preliminary organization, withdrew and was immediately followed by two other companies, whose agreement to the proposal had been conditional upon the first company’s remaining. Many of the manufacturers considered that if they merged their individual reputations into that of a general body the value of trademarks earned by years of honest struggle would fall to nothing at a stroke. The upshot was that a reaction followed and several withdrew. FALLING CRANE HURTS FIVE. Breaking Guy Line Has Seriou* Results at Neville Island. Five men were injured at the new (Government dam at Neville Island, near Coraopolis, Pa., by the breaking of a large traveling crane. The accident was caused by the breaking of a steel guy line of (he crane, which precipitated a large derrick from sixty feet above the crane to the ground. In its descent the derrick tore away the supports of the crane, which crashed down upon the workmen. A huge block of stone which was being raised when the guy line broke fell a distance of forty-five feet among a group of workmen, but fortunately the men ran for their livest and all but five escaped injury. Teutonic Narrowly Escapes. The White (Star line steamship Teutonic, which arrived at New York from Liverpool, had a narrow escape from going to the bottom when almost in midocean. It was during a dense fog, and the machinery had to be stopped to avoid a collision. Those aboard were unable tc ascertain the name of the big steamship which ran across the Teutonic’s bows. People Starving in Ohio. There is much suffering among the miners in Hocking County, Ohio. Three thousand five hundred people are in dire need of the necessaries of life. In many localities families are reported to be starving. The children are living skeletons. The miners have had but twenty-two days’ work since April 1. Gov. Bushnell contributed $2,500. Absorbed by the Trust. A deal was consummated in St. Louis, Mo., whereby the Brown tobacco plant becomes the property of the American Tobacco Company. The price paid was $1,250,000. Paul Brown, president of the Brown Tobacco Company, will become manager of the business there for the American Tobacco Company.

Freight Cars in a Ditch. The first section of a north-bound freight train on the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton road was wrecked -at the Detroit and Lima Northern crossing, two miles south of Leipsic. Ohio, and the entire crew was killed. The train went into a ditch, all the cars being piled up on top of the engine. Lives Lost in a Fire. Ten persons cremated, eight more fatally burned and eight seriously injured is the record of the most disastrous fire that ever occurred in Toledo. The spontaneous combustion of dust in the grain elevator owned by Paddock, Hodge & Co, caused this terrible destruction of life. Burial of Miss Winnie Davis. Miss Winnie Davis, the “daughter of the Confederacy,” lies at rest in Hollywood cemetery, Richmond, Ya. Business in the city was practically suspended and more than 70.000 people either took part in or gathered on the streets to look upon the procession. lowa Bank Robbed. The Botna Valley State Bank at Hastings, lowa, was robbed the other night by cracksmen, who blew the safe to pieces. The robbers, of whom there were probably three, secured $2,135 and escaped with their booty. Two Governors Nominated. Michigan Republicans have renominated Gov. H. S. Pingree. The Democratic ticket in Connecticut is headed by Daniel N. Morgan for Governor. Voorhees for CJovcrnor. Acting Governor Foster W. Voorhees has been nominated for Governor by the Republicans of New Jersey.