Splinters 1898

Saturday, March 12, 1898

A sad shooting accident took place on the hill near the Hooker stripping last Tuesday morning by which William the 14 year old son of Mr. and Mr. Edward Scherr lost his life. There being no work on that day young Scherr, George Lewis, and a number of other companions procured two guns and started for the mountains, intending to spend the day shooting mark several test of skill were made by the boys each in turn when Scherr playfully insisted on taking the gun from Lewis, and grasped the barrel of the weapon with that intent a friendly dispute arose and during the interval one for the disputants pressed the trigger and the charge exploded. The entire load of shot struck Scherr in the breast just above the heart and coursing upward entering his throat. The unfortunate lad fell to the earth with a startled cry an din a brief time was a corpse. Brams team was quickly procured and the body removed to Mr. Scherr’s home from where it was interred. Yesterday, young Lewis is horror stricken over the accident and while entirely blameless takes the affair much too hard. Deputy Coroner Hillan expedited a jury and held an inquest last evening.

A number of witnesses were examined but no verdict had been arrived at up to the time of our going to press.

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Scherr through the columns of Splinters wish to express heart felt thanks to the many friends and neighbors who so kindly gave their assistance and sympathy during their late bereavements.

John Gothie of Third Street was kicked in the face and badly cut by a mule at the Hooker striping on Monday.

While enroute from the stripping to the Hooker Colliery on Wednesday afternoon the loaded cars became detached from the locomotive and jumping the track were precipitated over the embankment into Sealeys Field, all were broken into kindling wood.

James O’Donnell of Wadesville employed at the Wadesville shaft was instantly killed at his work Tuesday afternoon. He was ascending the shaft in a cage and was almost near the top when he lost his footing and fell outward. his head caught between the timber and guides breaking his neck and fracturing his skull. He leaves a wife and six children and was 44 years of age. Coroner Hillan was notified and after holding an inquest his jury rendered a verdict of accidental death. Funeral takes place this morning. High Mass will be celebrated in St. Mary’s Church after which interment will be made in the parish Cemetery.

Pine Forest shuts down unless orders to the contrary are received in a very few days. Pine Forest Colliery will be a thing of the past, Forman Tiley and McDonald have been sent instructions to suspend all work today and prepare to remove the machinery. The boilers, pumps, etc. will be taken out when the work of demolition is complete. Their will not be employment enough to keep a half dozen hands busy about the place. Between four and five hundred men and boys will be thrown idle. Most of these reside in Saint Clair but the suspension will only temporarily affect our town as work at Wadesville will be hurried forward.

About 25 foreigners were discharged from the P. & R. Collieries at Eagle Hill and Silver Creek this week to make room for Americans who were thrown idle by the suspension of the Pine Forest Colliery.

John Lundy of Third Street now occupies the house vacated by Mr. Tiley on Pine Forest Hill.

Mr. Edward Dougherty was painfully injured at the Chamberlain mine last Sunday. He was performing his usual work when in some way probably threw a defective lamp the gas became ignited badly burning him about the head and body.

Mr. John J. Mehle and Mrs. Anna Mohrhead two very popular young people of Saint Clair were married in St. Boniface Church at 9 o’clock last Tuesday morning in the presence of several hundred people. The grooms brother and sister the later of Philadelphia stood for them. The ceremony being performed by Rev. Sauers. After the wedding the bridal party enjoyed a short drive and then gave a reception at Mr. Mehles new home.

A heavy piece of rock fell on the foot of Michael Fritz and crushed it last Wednesday at the Hooker stripping.

Martin Muscavage was struck on the foot by a piece of rock while picking coal west of town on Thursday and had his ankle broken.

Adam Lescavage age 34 years was instantly killed last Saturday morning at the Chamberlain Colliery. He was laboring in a gangway when a fall of rock weighing several tons occurred burying him underneath. His neck was broken the remains were removed to his boarding house on South Front Street and on Monday were interred in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Florence Evan Davis was painfully injured at the Wadesville shaft on Monday. He with a number of men had stepped upon the car with the intention of descending and then gave the signal to lower. In some way probably due to the slipping of the engine, the car started upward. Seeing the peril they were in Mr. Davis attempted to alight and in so doing was caught between the timbering and had several ribs broken. The car was stopped before reaching the top of the shaft.

Saint Joseph’s German Catholic society will celebrate its 25^th anniversary on Saturday next in an appropriate way. The organization will attend a High Mass in St. Boniface Church after which a flag raising will take place in the yard of the Parochial school. The members with their families spend the remainder of the day on the old camp ground at Pine Forest. St. Joseph’s Society was organized on the 8^th of June 1872 and has grown to be one of the strongest bodies in Saint Clair. The officers are President, Anthony Schaeffer, Vice-President, Jacob Klein, Treasurer Joseph P. Post, Secretary Frank Betz.

The Ivy League and Mt. Hope baseball teams played a game of ball on Pine Forest Hill last Sunday. The Ivy League boys were victorious.

While working at the Chance Colliery at Broad mountain on Thursday, John Garniz lost his balance and fell head long down a coal chute sustaining serious injuries. He was removed to his home on Lawton St. Street.

Frank Delcamp was terribly burned and scalded at the Colliery of the Saint Clair Coal Company on Monday. He was working about the boilers when a flue burst, a cloud of steam enveloped him. His head and face suffered most. He is being treated at the Pottsville Hospital.

Frank Keyer of Morris Street employed at the Eagle Hill Colliery was seriously injured on Wednesday. He was performing his usual work of mining when a fall of rock occurred burning him underneath. When taken out it was found that his leg was broken. The young man was removed to the Miners Hospital.

A seven year old son of John Miletta fell down an embankment at the Hooker stripping on Tuesday. he was severely cut across the cheek by striking a piece of slate.

The injunction against the Marion Coal Co. has been continued until the defendants comply with the mining laws of the state. As that colliery was the only one in this vicinity that worked steady for several weeks, it’s closing will prove a severe blow to our people.

While drawing a trip of cars from the stripping to the Hooker Colliery on Wednesday the locomotive brake down causing a suspension of work for the remainder of the day.

A flag was raised at the Colliery of the Saint Clair Coal Company last Saturday evening. The Saint Clair band was present and played several national airs after which Rev. A. J. Amthor delivered a patriotic oration. The party was then driven in carriages to the new Davis Colliery at Broad Mountain where a flag raised over the breaker and the exercises repeated.

The Marion Colliery which has been closed down by the injunction from Court resumed operations on Monday.

Thomas Dodds of town was caught in a fall of coal and badly injured at the mine of the St. Clair Coal Co. on Monday.

Rev. Father Sauers of the St. Boniface Church is arranging for a monster picnic which will probably be held on Labor Day.

A dam in the abandoned working known as Snyder’s old mines at Mill Creek burst about 8 o’clock on Thursday night and washed out over 150 feet of the road bed. The ties and rails of the electric railway were left without support; the damage was repaired yesterday. It is said that the volume of water that escaped covered the surface for a quarter of a mile, had a trolley car been caught in the flood doubtless lives would have been lost.

-The Chamberland colliery resumed operations on Wednesday after several day’s idleness, caused by the flooding of the mine.

-Mr. Childs, of Mill Creek , had his hand caught in some machinery at Eagle Hill and was badly crushed, one day early this week.

-The picnic of the St. Boniface Church will be held at Harry Hughes Garden on Labor Day, September 5.

-D.J. Roderick, formerly assistant superintendent at Stockton under Linderman & Skeer, he had been appointed superintendent of the Marion Coal Co.’s Collieries. The collieries over which he will have supervision are located here and at Pottsville.

- Thomas Symons had his hand caught in a piece of machinery at Hooker Colliery on Wednesday and badly crushed.

- Jeff Kantner of South Mill St., had his foot severely injured by a piece of coal falling on it at the Chamberland Colliery, on Tuesday.

- Some unknown person has been soliciting aid for the German Catholic Church of St. Clair here and in Pottsville. As no one has authority to make such collections, the public is warned against the fraud.

- A set of nine-ton tubular boilers was received at the Hooker Colliery on Thursday. They will be placed in the new “nest” first built.

- Frank McMullin had his hand caught between cars and badly crushed at the Ellsworth Colliery on Monday. The injury was dressed at the hospital.

- John Faley was severely injured at the Chamberland Colliery, where he is employed as a miner on Wednesday. He had ignited a shot and after waiting a reasonable time for the discharge, went back thinking the fuse had burned out. Just as he reached the spot the shot exploded and he was hurled backward in the breast. His arms, head & body were terribly cut and bruised, but no bones were broken. He was removed to his home on Lawton Street and is resting quietly.

- Mr. Samuel Kynor’s fine bay horse died at the Hooker Colliery stable on Tuesday form the effects of lockjaw. The animal was a very valuable one.

- G. H. Richards, on Thursday, brought suit against the St. Clair Coal Co. before Justice of the Peace Schlottman, for wages he claimed were due him. After hearing the evidence, a verdict in favor of the defendant was rendered.

- Owen Williams had his arm broken at the shaft of the Patterson Colliery on Monday. He was employed as door boy and in attempting to close the door after a wagon passed through, he slipped and fell, breaking the bone below the elbow. The injury was dressed at the Pottsville Hospital.

- John Higgins, of Mt. Hope was painfully injured at the colliery of the St. Clair Coal Co. on Tuesday. He is employed as driver at the shaft. He was passing his team of mules, when on e of the animals kicked him on the breast and stomach. He is badly cut and bruised, but no bones are broken.

- John Mellody had his arm badly cut by being struck with a pick in the hands of a clumsy Hungarian at Silver Creek Colliery on Monday.

- John Winter, a young man employed at the plane at the Hooker Colliery, met with a serious accident on Monday. He was walking across the rail, when he slipped and the wheels of a loaded wagon passed over his leg, crushing it seriously. He was removed to the miner’s hospital.

- The condition of John Krebs, the young man who had his leg crushed at the St. Clair Coal Co. Colliery sometime ago, has become so bad that the hospital surgeons this week decided amputation was necessary in order to save the patients life. The operation took place yesterday, when his leg was taken off above the ankle. He stood the operation fairly well and was somewhat improved last evening. A speedy recovery is now looked for. Mr. Krebs has the sympathy of everybody in this sad affliction.

- Serious accident - a large body of gas in a breast of the Marion Colliery, below town, became ignited early Monday morning and three miners, John McIntyre, of Cumbola, George Parfitt and John Sweeza, of Port Carbon, were terribly burned, McIntrye dying within a few hours. The particulars of the accident are very meager, and such as could be learned were not divulged until late Monday afternoon. The victims were removed to the Pottsville Hospital, were Parfitt and his laborer are improving. Mr. McIntrye was the father of ten children, who are left in destitute circumstances. The jury impaneled rendered the following verdict on Thursday. “James McIntyre came to his death by an explosion of gas at the Marion Colliery, October 31, 1898 which accumulated by reason of neglect to carry air into the face of the breast. The gas became ignited from a defective safety lamp containing inferior oil in the deceased. The investigation was held at the office of Mine Inspector Maguire and was very searching. A half dozen witnesses including Superintendent Roderick and other officials of the colliery, testified, the evidence showed that the mine laws had been violated.

- William Walsh, a young man residing with his parents on South Second Street was killed at the Marion Colliery last Sunday. He, with a companion, was engaged in repairing a road over the burning culm bank when he was overcome by the fumes of sulfur escaping form the fire, and fell, face downward, upon the bank, when assistance arrived Walsh was found to be dead, suffocated by the gas. The deceased was an exemplary young man with many friends who speak highly of his character. His funeral took place on Wednesday. Interment was made in Minersville deputy coroner. Hillon impaneled a jury, conducted the inquest on Wednesday evening. A verdict in accordance with the evidence submitted was rendered.