| The following account of the West Leisenring
Mine Disaster of February 20, 1884 was found in the Connellsville Courier,
Feb., 1884 and submitted by William J. Heffern.
TOO TERRIBLE TO TELL
Nineteen victims of Fire-Damp
A Mine Horror of West Leisenring that Marks a Black-letter
Day for the Connellsville Region.
Wednesday, February 20th, 1884 will be remembered as a
Black-Letter Day in the history of the Connellsville Coke region. In the
calendar of the miner, that the day will hereafter be surrounded by a sable
border to call to mind the most terrible mine horror ever known to this region,
a horror before which all the catastrophes of years past sink into
insignificance. The deadly fire-damp, heretofore comparatively unknown in
this region because of the few instances of deep mining, has suddenly announced
its presence with awful effects. In the little village of West Leisenring,
on Wednesday, cold and stark in death, some mutilated beyond recognition
and others un-scarred, calm and peaceful in death, lay the bodies of nineteen
victims of the insidious "King of Terrors," whose pent-up force rends Nature
asunder, whose sheeted flame burns human flesh, and whose expiring breath
chokes it's victims with the iron hand of death. The bright sunshine, the
balmy air, and the blithesome songs of birds that gladdened the hearts of
the villagers only one short day before, were replaced by lowering skies,
bleak winds and sounds of weeping. All nature seemed to feel the awful desolation
of the moment.
THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER
West Leisenring shaft is a part of the large plant of the
Connellsville Coke and Iron Company, who own a continuous body of over 8,000
acres of coal. They have at this place 261 ovens, and at Leisenring 504 ovens.
The latter village is only a few miles from Connellsville, but West Leisenring
lies near Vance's Mill, about 8 miles west of here, in a little hollow among
the hills, surrounded by farms. It is on the line of the Opossum Run branch
of the Pennsylvania road over which all it's coke is shipped, but is several
miles removed from any other coke plant. The works give employment to over
a hundred men, seventy-five of whom are miners. Quite a little town has sprung
up along the hillside above the works, out of reach of the smoke of the ovens;
the company has built a number of tasty houses for the accommodation of their
employees. The coal is reached by a shaft 420 feet in depth, being the deepest
in the region. The coal seams to dip in that direction, the shafts at Leisenring
and Trotter coming this way, being more shallow as they approach nearer to
Connellsville.
THE TERRIBLE THUNDER SOUND
On the fatal morning sixty miners were at work in all parts
of the mine, many of them half a mile apart. Their dim flickering lamps pierced
but a few feet of the Egyptian Gloom that surrounded them, and their labored
breathing, the dull thud of their sharp picks, the shouts of the drivers
and the tramp of the patient mules were the only sounds that fell upon the
ear. Suddenly there came a sound like thunder, the earth trembled, a sheet
of flame lit up part of the mine like the glare of the midday sun. The explosion
took place in a butt-heading about 800 feet distant from the bottom of the
shaft. All but one of the men in this heading were numbered among the victims.
Some were burned to death and others choked by the deadly after-damp. All
their lamps were blown out and they were left in darkness and confusion.
They had not time to recover from the shock until they found themselves unable
to breathe. The explosion of the fire-damp, a term which miners apply to
the light carburetted hydrogen, or natural gas that issues from crevices
in the roofs of the mines, left the mine filled with after-damp, which contains
no oxygen, and renders it impossible for life to be sustained for any time.
This after-damp is densest in the upper part of the mine, and hence the men
hovered near the bottom, but even here they did not long find relief.
THE INSIDIOUS AFTER-DAMP
The rush of air through the mine was terrific, and blew everything
to atoms. Cars were blown to pieces and tracks torn up. Two mules were standing
at the bottom of the shaft, 800 feet from the explosion, and the rush of
the air blew on of them through the wooden cage, shattering it to pieces.
The other mule died from suffocation. Great confusion reigned among the men
in the mine who were working at a considerable distance from where the explosion
took place, and many rushed wildly to death in their panic-stricken efforts
to escape. The force of the explosion drove the foul air into remote parts
of the mine, and all the men were more or less affected. Many of them, wild
with fright, wandered from safety into danger and were overcome with the
gas.
AN ONLY SURVIVOR
Of all the men who were in the heading where the explosion
occurred, Dick Balsley alone escaped to tell the awful story. When the explosion
came and all the lights were blown out, Balsley was just changing his clothes.
He at once wound part of his clothes tightly around his face and mouth to
keep the foul air from choking him and he gave the rest of his garments to
his companion with the instruction to take the same precautions. He started
for the main entrance, bidding his companion follow. They ran over bodies
of men and shattered wagons. They could see nothing but could hear the groans
of dying men. Presently his companion protested they were not going in the
right direction, and turned back. Like lot's wife, he perished. Balsley pushed
on and finally saw the light and was taken out. His escape is regarded by
experienced miners as one of the most marvelous on record. He said some of
the men kept their heads under water as long as they could, and would have
to change from the water to the after-damp until they finally gave up the
unequal struggle.
Another almost marvelous escape was that of George Cleaver,
who was some distance from where Balsley was working, He was hurled with
such terrific force into some wagons that his shoulder was broken, and his
head badly cut, but the plucky fellow gathered himself up and made his way
out, never losing his presence of mind for an instant.
THE SHOCK ABOVE GROUND
Though the scene of the explosion was 1400 feet from the mouth
of the shaft the rush of air to the surface was so strong as to blow the
roof off the derrick, which stands 100 feet above the mouth of the shaft.
This phenomenon and the muffled detonation that accompanied it struck terror
to those above ground, most of whom too well knew its terrible result. The
coke drawer dropped his scraper and the driver stopped his Lorry to listen.
For a few minutes no sound disrupted the death-like silence. Then one man
turned to another. Blanched and trembling lips framed low, hoarse inquiries.
A moment more and there was a general movement toward the mouth of the shaft.
The women in their houses on the hillside also heard the terrible sound,
and intuitively divining its fearful portent, hastened down to the scene
and mingled with the awe-stricken men, besieging them with agonizing cries
to go to the rescue of those below. None of whom these prayers were addressed
needed any urging to begin the work, but when an attempt was made to descend,
it was discovered that the body of the shaft was filled with the foul air.
Nearly two hours elapsed before the descent could be made in safety, hours
of mental anguish to the anxious-browed watchers above. Pit-Boss Thomas Jenkins
was among the first to descend and make his way into the chamber of death.
He worked with almost super-human energy until the last man was taken out,
when he was brought up more dead than alive, overcome by his tremendous exertions
and the subtle influence of the deadly damp. In speaking of the catastrophe
and the destitute condition of some of the deceased families, his feelings
over-mastered him and he was obliged to retire to conceal his agitation.
THE SCENE WITHIN THE MINE
The sight that was revealed by the glare of the lamps carried
by the first persons who descended was horrifying in the extreme. Dead bodies,
broken wagons, twisted timbers, and in the south headway inanimate forms
of men who had, a short time before, been full of vigor was what they saw.
About the entrance of the other headways were evidence of the great force
of the explosion, but in distant rooms were the balance of the miners, no
one was injured. The swift current of air that passed through the mine from
one entrance to the other having proved an effectual barrier to the gas when
it reached that part of the mine from which various headways diverge. Several
who worked at different portions of the mine had not heard the explosion,
and knew nothing of it until their companions brought the tidings. The wives
and children of the miners, whose death was regarded as certain, were removed
to their homes and then the cage began to bring ghastly burdens to the light
of day. It was not until half past one o'clock that the last body was removed.
The time rolls were examined and it was discovered that all were accounted
for. The death roll is as follows:
THE LONG DEATH ROLL
MICHAEL HEFFERN, Irishman, thirty-two years old, Burned in
face. Leaves a wife and six children.
JOHN BUCKLEY, Irishman, thirty years old, unmarried, No visible injury.
PATRICK KENNEDY, Irishman, twenty years old, burned in face: unmarried and
only child of a widow.
JAMES TRACY, Irishman, forty-five years old, badly burned in face and body:
single.
JAMES BAKER, Irishman, thirty-four years old, unmarried, terrible burned
in the face, leaves a wife and two children.
DAVID LLOYD, Welshman, twenty-two years old, unmarried, burned on the head
and face.
WILLIAM DAVIS, Welshman, single, twenty-three years old, no marks.
THOMAS McGAREY, Irishman, thirty-five years old, badly burned, leaves a wife
and three children in Cumberland County England.
JOHN HART, American, twenty-five years old, single no marks.
MICHAEL REPKO, Hungarian, thirty-five years old, leaves a wife and two children.
GEORGE KALLIS, Hungarian, twenty-five years old, leaves a wife in old country.
DANIEL BUCKNER, Colored, leaves a wife and two children.
JOHN MURRAY, Irishman, thirty-four years old, been in America since May last,
he leaves a wife who came in August and one child.
PETER WATTERS, Irishman, thirty-one years old, single, brother of Mrs. Murray.
WILLIAM SEARING, American, aged about thirty-five leaves a wife and four
children.
JOE BAKOS, Hungarian, twenty-eight years old, leaves a wife.
ANDY WARMUS, German, thirty years old, single and sent his wages to his mother
in Germany every month.
ALBAN N. HACKNEY, American, thirty-five years old, leaves a wife and one
child.
GARY E. MAY, Nothing known about him except that he was from Maryland.
DEATH FROM SUFFOCATION
Most of the above have no visible marks of violence, but had
died from suffocation. Their faces were generally very black, the smoke and
dust having been blown into the skin. The last man taken out alive was Henry
Wilson, who had managed to subsist on air in the very bottom of the mine
for seven long hours before he was found and brought to the top. He could
remember nothing except that he heard a great noise and was struck on the
breast. He was almost gone. Many of those who were in other parts of the
mine suffered severely. The company immediately assumed all expenses of the
funerals and coffin-ware ordered at once. Superintendent Taggart and his
assistants have been un-wearying in their efforts to comfort the grief-stricken
ones. Yesterday was devoted to preparing the bodies for burial and today
most of them will be buried. Baker, who has been a resident here, is well
known. His remains will be laid in the Catholic cemetery. Hackney was a member
of the Red Man Order and his obsequies will be conducted under their
direction.
THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION
At two o'clock Coroner Batton arrived on the ground and impaneled
a jury consisting of Dr. John Sturgeon, Dr. L. S. Gaddis, Isaac Hurst, George
M. Baily, J.K. Ewing, Jr., and W.H.Cooke. All the bodies were viewed and
identified, when the jury adjourned to meet at the town hall, Uniontown,
on Saturday to complete their labors. Mine Inspector Steiner, who arrived
about the same time as the Coroner, at once descended the shaft to investigate
the cause of the explosion. He remained several hours and when he returned
stated that he could not account for the presence of gas in a large quantity
save in the story that a portion of the roof had caved in and opened a crevice
in which gas had accumulated. Superintendent Taggart and the mine boss say
they cannot conceive the cause. The fire boss, whose duty it is to traverse
the mine with a safety lamp every day says the mine was free from gas the
night before. The accumulation of so much gas in the mine as to cause such
and explosion is a matter of much surprise. No accident ever before occurred
here, and it was regarded as a very safe mine.
THE THEORIES ASCRIBED
The most plausible theory ascribed is that the dangerous gas
found its way into the fatal chamber through the carelessness of some one
of the miners in leaving the door open at the entrance of the butt heading
and that is the generally accepted theory, though some experience miners
say that a "feeder" or vein of natural gas of unusual volume may have been
struck which filled the chamber. Several excited Hungarians from Leisenring
visited the Youngstown Coke works yesterday and informed some of their countrymen
that the English had made a big fire to kill the Hungarians and had been
killed themselves. So everyone has his own theory. It is generally believed
that the problem will be solved when the mine inspector testifies before
the inquisition on Saturday and that body publishes its decision.
THE FUNERAL TRAIN OF THE WEST LEISENRING VICTIMS
The testimony before the Inquest--Averdict censuring the Company
and finding fault with Inspector Steiner.
The closing act of the West Leisenring mine horror was witnessed
last Friday when the bodies of the nineteen miners was consigned to earth.
A special train conveyed the dead and their mourners from the scene of the
disaster to Connellsville. The first stop was made a Uniontown. Here the
coffin containing the bodies of William Davis, Edward L. Lloyd, and Wm Searing
were left off. They were borne through the large crowd that had gathered
around the depot and at once taken to the cemetery. The body of Searing was
taken to Hopwood, a short distance out of town. Davis and Lloyd were buried
in the Presbyterian cemetery. There were no special services. At Dunbar,
the bodies of John Murray, Patrick Kennedy, Michael Heffern, Patrick Waters,
John Buckley, and James Tracy were put off the train. Every person for miles
around had gathered at the depot, and such a funeral as that which followed
the coffins to the Catholic Church was never seen in town before. The church
was filled to overflowing before half the crowd got within. Those who were
compelled to remain on the outside lingered around until High Mass for the
repose of the dead had been said and then followed to the cemetery. As the
first clods fell upon the coffin of Michael Heffern, his wife burst into
loud shrieks and had to be held by two men to prevent her from throwing herself
into the open grave. This incident excited the other women, and as they were
led away from the cemetery, their cries could be heard for a long
distance.
AN EXCITING SCENE AT CONNELLSVILLE
At Connellsville, the bodies of Michael Repko, A.N. Hackney,
Garey May, Joseph Bakos, Thomas McGarey, George Kallis, Andrew Warmus, and
James Baker were buried. They were also received at the depot by a large
crowd. High Mass was held at the Catholic Church and it was nearly noon when
the cemetery was reached. The mourners cried pitifully, and at the grave
there occurred a scene that shook the stoutest heart and created for a time
an intense excitement. When the coffin containing the body of Hackney was
opened to allow his wife to take the last look at the remains, she took hold
of his hand. It was warm and about his face were drops of moisture. She screamed
that he was alive, and would not permit the sexton and his assistants to
lower the body into the grave. It was after some delay that it was agreed
to have a medical examination. Dr. Newcomer was sent for, and after inspection
the remains pronounced Hackney dead. The bright ray of hope that for the
nonce illumined the heart of the weeping widow was extinguished into the
gloom of despair by the remorseless verdict of science, and the interment
was concluded. The bodies of John Hart and Daniel Bucker were forwarded to
Washington City.
AN EXHAUSTIVE EXAMINATION BY THE JURY OF INQUEST RESULTS
IN A COMPROMISE VERDICT.
The first legal act in the Leisenring catastrophe began last
Saturday morning, when Coroner Batton and his jury, composed of Dr John Sturgeon,
Dr. L.L.Gaddis, Issac Hurst, George M. Baily, Wm H. Cook and J.K.Ewing Jr.,
met in the town hall at Uniontown, Pa., at ten o'clock to officially investigate
the cause of the nineteen newly made graves that mark the last resting place
of the latest victims of the Fire-Damp fiend. Both the Coroner and his jury
were comparatively youthful looking, but what their appearances lacked in
wrinkles and gray hairs it made up in brightness and intelligence. The room
was crowded with witnesses, reporters and spectators. Prominent among the
former were Augustus Steiner, mine inspector, hump-backed, keen-eyed and
talkative: Superintendent Taggart, wiry and intelligent: Mine-boss Jenkins,
grief-stricken and subdued. Several other mine bosses stood about, and a
son of President Leisenring occupied a chair near the counsel. S.S. Mestrezat
was present as attorney for the company and R. H. Lindsey attorney for some
of the widows was also present in the interest of his clients.
TESTIMONY OF THE FIRE BOSS
Morgan Richards, the fire boss, was the first witness called.
He did not respond promptly and Richard Balsley was called. Mine-inspector
Steiner objected to the examination of Balsley before Richards and said that
he would rather see the inquest adjourned than that any one should be examined
before Richards. The coroner heeded this protest and waited until Richards
appeared. The latter entered in the course of a few minutes, and was at once
placed on the witness stand. He is Welshman, and had been at Leisenring five
or six months. His duties embraced track laying and an examination of the
mine every Monday morning for fire-damp. He examined the mine for fire-damp
but found none. Had made no examination since. Replying to Mr. Steiner he
said he had been in rooms 1, 3, 4, and 5 and in cross-entry 4 on Monday morning,
but found none. On Tuesday afternoon he was there again and in rooms 3 and
4 found there had been a slight fall of coal and slate. This time he was
carrying a naked lamp and if any gas had been there he supposed and explosion
would have followed. The witness was examined touching his ability to measure
air currents. He thought he could do so with an aerometer, but was unable
to make any calculations of his own as to the amount of cubic feet distributed
to the rooms and cross entries. The air shaft of the mine had not been completed
but he thought the men could have used it if they wanted to.
THE MAN WHO FACED DEATH
Richard Balsley told the jury of the manner of his escape
from the mine, as already related, and the death of John Buckley and Michael
Heffern. He said that on Tuesday afternoon about four o'clock as they were
loading cars, he remarked to Buckley that he could smell fire-damp in the
mine. The miners had complained among themselves for some time.
He had not notified the mine boss of this fact because he
thought it was the duty of the mining boss to inform him. There were only
two "dug-outs" in the mine. Dug-outs are excavations, which the law requires,
shall be spaced every thirty feet in the mine wall and whitewashed that they
may be seen, to which miners may step to avoid cars. The witness said that
if the air shaft was in a condition to use, he did not know it, and had never
been told. Thomas Farrell, Morgan Glendinning and James Dawson testified
that Morgan Richards, the fire-boss, had warned a number of men on Thursday
of the week before February .... not to enter the second trap door.....the
3rd and 4th butts, because they had been idle the day before and had not
been inspected. But Dawson said he had gone into the 3rd room the day before
the explosion, and over the fall therein, with his lamp in his hand, and
returned through the same room with it on his head.
WHAT MINE BOSS JENKINS SAID
Thomas Jenkins, the mine boss, said that on Tuesday afternoon
he was in the mine looking around to see that everything was all right. He
went all over the mine with a naked lamp. He had not explored the mine with
a safety lamp for fire-damp since the previous Thursday, and had measured
the air current but once in four weeks, although he was expected to do the
latter every week. He had seen men pass up and down the air shaft, but he
had never done so himself and had never notified the men that it was ready
for use. The amount of air supplied to the mine was 46,000 cubic feet a minute.
The witness said the carpenter had notified him the air shaft was completed,
but he had never told the miners. If the air shaft was covered he did not
know it. There were "dug-outs" in the mine but they were not
whitewashed.
AN EXPERT ON FIRE DAMP
Charles Conner is the mine boss at Leith Works, about a mile
south of Uniontown. He holds diplomas from two mining schools in England,
and in all matters pertaining to his business is quite intelligent. He said
sometime ago he examined West Leisenring mine, and found the ventilation
ample. With some modification he would consider the mine one of the best
he ever saw. He examined it again the day after the explosion, and detected
the presence of fire-damp. Conner was questioned at length touching the
constituent elements of fire-damp, when it is least and most explosive and
everything of that sort. He said fire-damp is of slow accumulation, and being
lighter than air rises to the top of the mine and lies along the roof entering
any crevices and holes that may be there.
DUG-OUTS UNNECESSARY
When the inquest was resumed in the afternoon, mine-boss Jenkins
was recalled and testified that the mine was the best one he had ever had
charge of. On Tuesday afternoon there was plenty of air in the mine, more
than was required by law. Jenkins said he took great pride in the mine, and
had always tried to keep it in such order that it would be considered to
best in the district. He examined it carefully every day, and took every
precaution he could think of to insure the safety of the miners. He said
the main and butt entries in the mine were a foot wider than usual in order
that miner and cars might pass without colliding. This precaution rendered
dug-outs unnecessary. Moreover, there were rooms every twenty-sever feet
into which the miner could stop to avoid cars. Jenkins had a brother-in-law
who was a victim of the disaster, and was affected to tears when asked, during
a course of questions as to his precautionary measures, whether any relatives
of his were in the mine.
GAS IN THE MINE
John Clendenning told the jury that he had complained three
weeks ago to boss Jenkins that the air where he was working was foul, that
if some alteration was not made in the heading, the men would have to quit
working. James Tracy, who was killed, had stated to the witness some time
before that number 4 butt was full of gas. James Curry had hunted for gas
two weeks before the explosion, but could find none. Tony Gallagher said
that the fire boss always went through the mine after it had been idle a
day, and made an examination before the miners were permitted to go to work.
He had never detected any gas in the room. James Duffy had worked in room
number 7 and had quit because the floor was raising. He never noticed any
gas in the mine.
THE CONDITION OF THE AIR SHAFT
Edward Raynus, the carpenter, said the steps in the air shaft
were nearly completed except at the bottom, where they could be reached by
an eight-foot ladder. He had never seen any of the miners use the shaft as
it was so much easier for them to make their exit by the cage. The air shaft
is not finished yet. Barney Welsh said that he had been working on the air
shaft ever since the 28th of last month, and that the top had been tightly
covered up every night since then, so that no one could fall into it. At
the bottom of the shaft there was a lot of lumber and debris of all kinds,
which would necessitate great difficulty in getting up the shaft. Welsh also
said that he noticed that there was a railing around three sides of the air
shaft opening, and that on the other side he had laid boards to prevent anyone
from falling into the shaft. He thought there was plenty of room for the
passage of air.
INSPECTOR STEINER ON THE STAND
Augustus Steiner, mine inspector, said he had gone down in
the shaft as soon as he arrived on the ground. He found gas three feet deep
in the first four rooms, a distance of 100 feet, he judged, and was much
astonished. He measured the air current and found that the velocity was 795
feet per minute, and the amount of air in circulation was 41,600 feet per
minute. At the inlet he found the velocity 1,600 feet or 30,000 feet in
circulation per minute, he had been convinced from subsequent visits that
the amount of air immediately after the explosion was greater than usually
circulates, for the reason that immediately after the explosion the heat
in the shaft was very great. His theory was that when the roof fell down,
the gas generated there and caused the explosion. Five of the men were killed
by the violence of the explosion. The balance were killed by the after-damp.
It was very hard to say, but he thought the gas ignited in room seven. The
law says that in a mine where fire-damp is generated, the mine should be
inspected every day. He thought mine-boss Jenkins might be a practical man
but that he did not seem to have and scientific knowledge of gas or of its
properties.
WHY THE MINE WAS NOT INSPECTED
Dr. Sturgeon, ex-coroner, wanted to know why Steiner had not
examined the mine prior to the explosion, if he thought Jenkins an incompetent
man. Steiner said he would explain but the ex-coroner said he didn't want
an explanation, he wanted a direct answer to his question. Steiner, very
emphatically, informed him that he should have the explanation whether he
wanted it or not; that he did not propose to be placed in a false position.
He then proceeded to state that under the late act of assembly it became
his duty to gauge the mine cars as well as do all other acts pertaining to
his office; that since this law went into effect he had been overcrowded
with work, that the testimony of Jenkins that the mine was free from gas
led him to postpone his inspection until he could spare more time from the
then pressing duties of branding pit wagons, about which, at many times serious
disputes had arisen. He thought the gas had come in from the broken roof
to the rooms where the fall overhead had occurred.
Elijah Parker mine boss at Trotter, said it was possible that
the gas had accumulated suddenly, or that it accumulated gradually, but that
in view of the fact that there had been a recent fall of the roof and no
gas had been detected prior to such fall, the presumption was in favor of
a sudden accumulation. Milson Rosser, mining boss at Jimtown, said he had
examined the Leisenring min and thought it had been very well arranged. On
general principles he agreed with Parker. He had talked to one of the Leisenring
miners the Saturday before the explosion, and had been informed that there
was no gas in the mine.
TAGGART TAKES THE STAND
Superintendent Taggart next took the stand. He said that his
instructions to his subordinates had always been to spare no expense in making
things right. His instructions from the officers of the company were to the
same effect, and he had used every endeavor to carry these instructions out.
He had a talk a short time ago with Steiner about mine bosses, and had asked
him to recommend a good man. Steiner had declined to do so giving as a reason
that he thought Jenkins was a good man and that he was supposed to stand
between the miners and the employers, and that if he recommended any particular
man others might accuse him of partiality. Taggart continued his testimony
by saying that he had always been told there was no gas in the mine. He had
been all through it with and open lamp and had never detected the presence
of the dangerous element. Lawyer Lindsey called his attention to the fact
Jenkins and Morgan had admitted that they had not measured the air current
at the face of the headings. In reply to this, Taggart said that it was well
known among practical miners that the air does not circulate at the face
of headings when there is no cut through. For this reason a measurement at
the headings would have done no good. Lindsay then asked whether Taggart
did not know that they had gas at the Trotter shaft, and at East Leisenring,
and that the strata at West Leisenring was the same as at the two places
named. Receiving an affirmative reply, he asked why, then, special pains
had not been taken to prevent an explosion at West Leisenring. Taggart affirmed
that special pains had been taken; that he had left nothing undone and had
labored earnestly for the safety of his workmen.
THE WRANGLE OVER THE VERDICT
The jury met for consultation just after supper and did not
reach a verdict until 10:30. Some were in favor of exoneration the company
altogether but others would not hear of this, and for two hours a most animated
discussion was indulged in. The jury finally went, in a body, to the residence
of ex-judge Wilson and solicited his advice touching the requirement of the
law that all mines generating fire-damp shall be inspected every morning
before miners are allowed to enter.
It was contended by some of the jury that the West Leisenring
mine did not come within the scope of this law. The view was opposed by others.
Judge Wilson, after reading the law, said it was defective in meaning and
that the jurors would have to construe it as they understood it.
The jury then rendered the following verdict.
We find that the said men came to their death in the coal mine at West Leisenring
from an explosion of fire-damp which explosion was due to the negligence
of the Connellsville Coal and Iron Co., through their mine boss, Thomas Jenkins,
who had not examined the mine every day as required by law, and we also find
that Augustus Steiner, Mine Inspector for this district, has been negligent
in his duty, in that he had never been in this mine prior to the
explosion.
A COMPROMISE VERDICT
The verdict is in the nature of a compromise. There seems
to have been two elements in the jury, and as neither could carry its point
entirely, they united on the verdict rendered, It is a great disappointment
to the Company. Superintendent Taggart says that no matter what might be
claimed, there was not in America, a better ventilated mine than the West
Leisenring. The mine has been put in order again, the bratticing replaced
and the men have gone back to work again. There has been no hesitancy on
their part about resuming work, as might have been expected. On the contrary,
many were inpatient over the delay and anxious to resume. Work was begun
yesterday. Superintendent Taggart has given orders for the fire-boss to go
down every morning hereafter and make critical examination of the mine before
the miners go to work.
A subscription has been started among the gentlemen here that
are connected with the Company, and the amount raised reaches almost $2000.
E.R. Leisenring gave for the company $1000; J.K. Taggart, $100; J.R. Taverner,
$100; M. Diehl, $100; J.A. Esser, $100; C.W. Howell, $100; Thomas Jenkins,
$50; Toney Gallagher, $10; and the balance in sums of $1, $2, and $5, donations
from the miners. Father McDermott, the Catholic Priest at Uniontown, received
from the H.C. Frick Coke Company $500 and he immediately went to West Leisenring
and distributed the money among the needy widows and orphans.
THE VERDICT--HOW IT IS REGARDED HERE AND ITS EFFECT ON
DAMAGE SUITS
The verdict is freely discussed, both here at home and in
mining circles elsewhere. About here, where the stricken families of the
victims reside, public opinion is divided. That portion reflecting upon the
Company finds much favor in some quarters, but the censure of Jenkins and
Steiner is generally regretted and by many condemned as unjust. Sympathy
for the widows and orphans is universal, but many are found who do not approve
of casting the awful responsibility where it has been placed; who feel that
censure of the living cannot bring back the dead. President Costello of the
Pittsburgh miner's association expresses dissatisfaction with the verdict.
He says Inspector Steiner has too much to do, and that he cannot be blame
for not having inspected the West Leisenring mine, under all the
circumstances.
Lawyers say the verdict of the jury goes for nothing so far
as suits for damages are concerned, as it is a rule of law that the verdict
of an inquest cannot be introduced as evidence in a civil court. It can and
is introduced in criminal court. Whether this verdict is sufficient upon
which to indict Steiner and Jenkins, the District Attorney will have to decide.
The Company will most likely be sued by some of the relatives, in which case
the defense will undoubtedly be contributory negligence and a plea that due
and reasonable diligence had been used to prevent the accident. Under these
pleas, recovery by the plaintiffs will be doubtful at best. There are materials
in the case for a close and stubborn contest. Beyond the subscriptions noted
elsewhere, the company has, thus far offered no compromise with the families
of the victims.
The management of the company are not saying anything about
the verdict, but are doing all they can to make the destitute ones comfortable.
Superintendent Taggart merely affirms that no matter what the jury says,
there is no better mine in the region today than West Leisenring.
INTERVIEWING THE INSPECTOR--STEINER HAS A WORD TO SAY IN
HIS OWN DEFENSE
The Courier scribe ran afoul of Inspector Steiner yesterday
and found him in some excitement over the unwarranted newspaper reports about
him in the daily press. He denounced the Pittsburgh Commercial-Gazette
especially, charging it with deliberate unfairness, and saying its utterances
were warped by the malice of a personal quarrel between himself and one of
the writers on that paper. He thought the verdict was most unjust, and showed
the writer a copy of the act of June 1st, 1883, which makes it mandatory
upon the inspector to brand the pit cars every three months, or upon three
days notice by the check-measurer, or any five miners, that the cars are
not of a uniform capacity, under penalty of $10.00 per day for such neglect.
He also produced a written opinion from the Attorney General setting forth
that the duty of branding cars could not be delegated to any one else, but
must be done by the Inspector himself.
Now, said Inspector Steiner, " I have 110 mines in my district
to look after; and I have these pit cars to brand. "Rome was not built in
a day," neither can all these duties be consummated between the rising and
setting of one sun. The mine at West Leisenring was regarded as one of the
best on the region; no sign of gas has ever been discovered therein; hence
I devoted my time in other places, reserving this mine until I had examined
others that I had reason to think more dangerous. I might have inspected
the mine a dozen times before the explosion, but if the testimony of the
witnesses is to be credited---and there is no reason to doubt it, had I examined
it the very day before, I would have found no gas, and could not, in the
nature of things, have averted the disaster. I cannot inspect each of my
110 mines every day. How foolish, then, to throw the responsibility of this
disaster upon me because it happened that I had not been through the
mine."
"Do you think the disaster was unavoidable?"
That is difficult to answer. The stories as to traces of gas
in the mine the day before, are conflicting. If there had been gas there,
the fire-boss would have discovered it, had he inspected the mine on the
morning of the disaster, if the gas formed suddenly, from a fall of the roof,
the accident could have been averted only by the use of safety lamps.
"Will this terrible experience with fire-damp result in the
general use of the safety lamp?" queried the scribe."
THE USE OF THE SAFETY LAMP
The safety lamp must come into general use. I notified the
Youngstown works to allow no miner to enter without one. This mine has been
troubled with gas. You will remember that a man was killed there several
months ago. Ever since, it has been inspected every morning. At present the
miners are extensively engaged in drawing ribs and the danger from gas is
greatly increased, hence my precautionary order. The trouble with so many
of he miners, and in fact, the mine bosses too, is that they do not seem
to understand the working of the safety lamp. I called on the fire-boss of
a certain works a few days ago and found him with a safety lamp in his hand
just emerging from the pit. I asked to examine the lamp. It was clogged with
dirt and a hole in the wire gauze had been plastered up with soap. His safety
lamp was no safer than a tallow dip and yet he was blissfully ignorant of
the fact.
"What do you intend to do about the verdict?"
"If I a allowed an opportunity I shall be only too glad to
have the matter of my official conduct thoroughly sifted in the courts. I
feel confident that I can vindicate myself completely. In Case I cannot get
such a hearing I shall have to resort to the newspapers but I prefer the
courts."
POWERS AND DUTIES OF MINE INSPECTORS
The mine inspector is appointed by the governor for a period
of four years, and receives a salary of $2,000 per year payable by the state.
Prior to his appointment he is examined by a board of five persons, three
of them practical miners and two of them mining engineers. He is require
to be a man of temperate habits, over thirty years of age and on who has
had five years experience in the bituminous coal fields of Pennsylvania.
Upon examination the candidate must give evidence of such theoretical and
practical knowledge of the working of coal mines and noxious gasses as will
satisfy the board of examiners. He is authorized to procure such instruments
and chemical tests as may be necessary for a thorough examination of mines
in a proper discharge of his duties. He is required to devote the whole of
his time to the discharge of his duties, examine the mines of his district
as often as possible, make a record of each examination and note how near
the operators are living up to the law. The operators of a coal mine are
compelled to employ a mining boss to keep a careful watch over the ventilating
apparatus and report monthly to the mine inspector the condition of the mine.
The inspector is supposed to judge from the report received from the various
mining bosses of his district which mines are in a bad condition, not properly
ventilated, etc., and visit those first which are supposed to be in
danger.
NOTES AND COMMENTS
There had been a big storm the night before the accident and
a lately developed theory in regard to its origin is that the present of
a low barometer removed the atmospheric pressure from the gas receptacles
and permitted it to escape in great quantities.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Charles Conners, none boss at Leith, a
graduate of several English Schools of Mining and a man of intelligence and
experience will deliver a lecture on "Ventilation, Fire-Damp and the dangers
of mining, in Uniontown. The proceeds will go to the afflicted people of
West Leisenring.
The catastrophe has set the appeasers of natural gas in agitation
again. One learned professor asserts that natural gas is nothing but Fire-Damp,
pure and simple, and says that if it is conveyed into cities by pipes and
used in houses and stores, there is a great danger of explosions with more
dire results than those which occur in coal mines.
(Courtesy of William J. Heffern, Meyersdale, Pa. 15552.) |
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