40 MEN KILLED IN SECOND EXPLOSION.

COAL DIGGERS TRAPPED BY DUST BLAST.

WATER QUICKLY RISES, BLACK DAMP FLOODS WRECKED MINE IN PENNSYLVANIA.

RESCUERS HALTED.

TOLL OF 72 LIVES IS TAKEN IN TWO PIT DISASTERS IN 24 HOURS.

Shanktown, Pa. -- (Associated Press) -- Hope for the lives of forty miners, entombed late Saturday by an explosion in the Lancashire mine of the Barnes and Tucker Co., here was practically given up Saturday night when rescue workers reported that the wrecked mine was dense with "black damp" and the water was rising rapidly in the underground passageways.
The fan house of the mine was put out of commission. The poison gas, the water and the lack of fresh air and a heavy fall of rock, impeded the progress of volunteer rescue workers who dug valiantly in an effort to reach the entombed men.
Word of the disaster spread rapidly and within a few hours the rescue manpower of the entire western Pennsylvania bituminous coal field was rushing to the aid of the stricken community.
Special trains from Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona were carrying trained rescue crews of the United States Bureau of Mines, the Cambria Steel Co., and the Bethlehem Steel Co., to the scene. It was hoped that these men, wise in their calling would be able to combat the poison gas and water and fight their way thru the fall of rock to the number six heading where the entombed miners were at work when the blast came. The first inkling of an explosion to those on the surface was a slight shock. A moment later a cloud of black smoke drifted from the main entry, and the big fan stopped its humming. Superintendent HAMILTON, in charge of the mine, knew had happened and he flashed the word to Starford, a town nearby. Miners off duty soon reached the scene and the work of organizing volunteer rescue crews was begun. The first rescue team had penetrated the wrecked passages only a few feet when they came upon six miners, staggering along the heading. These men, suffering from gas, were taken to the surface and sent to the Dixonville hospital.
Hope Gives Way.
Other rescuers were sent in, for it was soon discovered that the deadly gas was so thick a man could work only a short while. Fighting their way thru the rising water, the rescuers made their way toward the sixth heading. But at heading No. 4, they found a fall of rock, which, it was believed extended back to the sixth. Halted by the fall, the miners used a hammer to signal on an airpipe to their entombed fellow workers. But the signals were unanswered, and hopes gave way to despair.
On the surface there was the usual gathering of men, women and children, some related to the miners who had been trapped. Stricken dumb by the disaster, they were unmindful of the intense cold, a heavy snow and a high wind. The mercury stood at two degrees below zero.
After a careful check of the miners on the Lancashire payroll. Superintendent HAMILTON estimated that from 40 to 45 miners had been trapped.
While the cause of the explosion was not known, miners familiar with the workings expressed the belief that it was a dust explosion, as the Lancashire was known to be free from gas.
Shortly after 10 p.m., word came from the mine that the rescuers, digging thru the fall of rock, had located the body of a miner.
The man who had been caught in the cavein and had been crushed. The body was located just off the sixth heading and shortly after it was taken out the toiling miners broke thru the rock fall. Their hopes that the remainder of the workings was clear was soon blasted when they came upon another cavein just inside the heading. Here they were delayed until timber and canvas was brought in to make brattices.

Listing of the Miners Killed In The Lancashire Explosion
JOHN STONE, superintendent.
ALBERT J. STOKER, foreman.
JOE PARKINS.
JOSEPH KELLY.
CHESTER WILLIAMS.
ARTHUR CAPARELLI.
JOHN YENDRAL.
DON GOODLON.
MIKE MEKITKO.
GUST LESKY.
LOUIS STRAFFO.
JOHN SCHULICK.
ELLSWORTH SICKENBERGER.
JOE FARANSHA.
JOHN CHAPELA.
LAMILLO BOSLET.
MIKE MILSCHAK.
JOE MELITIA.
PETER KRAWASKY.
MIKE SCRAMKO.
BLANTINO BURETTI.
JOHN BUTA.
JOHN UHURAN.
FRAN KNOVAK.
KEITH URIAS.
GEORGE GETSEPP, JR.
GEORGE GETSEPP, SR.
JOHN HUDAK.
MAX CAHARSANSKY.
CHARLES CRANDELL.
JOHN CRANDELL.
ANDY SHERMANSKY.
JOE CIGHT.
JOE LAPASKA.
WALTER BROWN.
EDWARD KELLY.

The Lima News Ohio 1924-01-27
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!