Blast in a Coal Mine Kills Eight Men
Logansport Pharos, Indiana
January 15, 1907
Clinton, Ind., Jan. 15. -- Eight dead and two injured miners have been taken from mine No. 7 as the result of an explosion. The search for dead was continued all afternoon, but it is believed that all have been taken out.
The dead are:
Joe Joseph
Ed Wolfe
Harman Drehemer
Anton Hotorik
Joe Pohoda
John Gregor
John Herman
Frank Dabrovusk
Seriously hurt:
Anton Abe, head and body badly cut
Charles Osborn, head cut
Two hundred miners had descended into the mine for work. At 6:45 a.m. a terrific explosion shook the interior of the mine, followed by blinding clouds of smoke. There was a rush for the bottom of the shaft, and as rapidly as possible the miners were hoisted to the surface.
A rescuing party to bring out the dead and injured was organized and an effort made to ascertain the cause. It is believed that a miner in entry No. 10 set fire to a keg of powder by a spark from his lighted lamp, and the explosion ignited gas in the mine.
For several hours it was impossible to enter the mine on account of the heat. The trap doors had been blown down and air could not circulate in the entries. Temporary doors were arranged and the mine was cleared of smoke, allowing men to enter.
The bodies of the dead men were found badly burned and disfigured. In several cases identification was difficult. Four of the dead men had families, members of which were gathered at the shaft entrance when the bodies were brought to the surface. The interior of the mine is wrecked.
