Tank's Poetry
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united states mine rescue association
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Tank's Poetry |
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Eight men working a mile or more beyond the explosion area escaped unhurt. They did not hear the blast and left their work only because the power was shut off. The dead were:
Daniel Polus, 22, brother of Mike, and Albert Valenbaid, 27, were badly burned but were able to walk from the mine with the assistance of some of the men who escaped. They were taken to a hospital at Wheeling five miles away. Those who escaped were Steve Sadaly, machine boss; Frank Vidie, straw boss; Louis Postle, Frank Swead, Vara Bozajkovic, Joe Colvin, Robert Rogers, Jr., and George Sage. Hitchman company officials said the explosion occurred about 2 a.m. and was localized about a quarter-mile from the foot of the 700-foot slope. Those who escaped were a considerable distance farther inside. A blast of flame which a witness described as "like a great flash of lightning" rolled out of the mine mouth, charring timbers of the tipple. Windows in nearby houses and buildings were broken. The mine is located over the corporate line of the town of Benwood but is within three blocks of the heart of McMechen, one of several industrial towns along the Ohio River south of Wheeling. Normally employing about 300 men, the mine had a night crew of about 90 until two weeks ago when the shift was suspended. That accounted for the fact that only 13 men were inside at the time of the explosion. |
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