Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-01-31
From the ~ Y. Commercial Advertiser
LIVING BURIAL AND ESCAPE.

| uioustCi Ut Sdl dHu tuC uiuloSt
miraculous escape of man who was buried in
the crushed mines, we are indebted to the Rev.
| Mr.. Rowland, pastor ofthe Presbyterian Church
in this city. The narrative is equally interest.
| ing and extraordinary.
| Correspondence of the Commercial Advertiser.
HoNEsDALE, Jan. Is, 1916.
On Monday morning last, about nine o'clock,
| an accident occurred in the coal mines of the
Delaware and Hudson canal company, at Car
bondale, which has produced considerable ex.
citement in the community. A large portion of
| tend, following the law of gravity suddenly
descended OH the honey comb cavities within
its bosom, burying all the unfortunate indv.
duals within IFS reach. Very many acres des.
cended in a mass and so great was the pres.
sure of the atmosphere, occasoned by this de-.
cent, as to shoot out from the mouth of one of
the mines, as from a cannon, a train of cars
with horse and boy, throwing them TO con.
siderable distance. Think of u bellows moved
by mountain power, and you will form very
correct idea of the blast Painful to relate,
fifteen individuals were beneath the decending
mass, only one of whom has had the good for
tune to escape; and his adventures exceed
every thing on record. The remaining four
teen are buried alive if not crushed, and may
be now hopelessly wanderingJn those gloomy
| caverns, beyond the reach of human aid, and
shut out forever, in all probability, from the
light of day.
To present distinct idea of his occurrence,
| must first give brief description of the mines,
| and the manner of working them.--There are
several openings TO the coal which are number
ed as ], 2, 3, a, &c ; two of them are above the
bed of the Lackawana, and the others are below
it. These openings are holes in the side of the
hill, about six feet by eight and are the main
entrances to the mines From these mouths
are roads leading into the interior of the noun.
I tain, following the dip of the coal, sometimes
descending. The extent of the mining opera.
tons will be perceived from the fact that there
are thrty-five miles of railroad laid under
ground in the bosom of the mountain including
the main roads with all thei: ramifcations
The coal lies in a horizontal stratum of from
four to six feet in thickness, between strata of
slate. The method OF mining is, to cut out and
remove the coal, leaving only piers of it to sup.
port the hill above, aided by wooden props made
of sections of trees, cut OF a suitable length
AS fast as the coal is removed, the lateral
| branches OF the road are aba oned and the
main avenues pushed on the coal beyond. In
/ this way the coal has been removed tor n mile
and half under the mountain. and the road:
extend that dstance.-About a mile from the
| mouth of mine No. an air.hole was cut to the
surface, up an inclined plane, by which acces:
could be had TO the surface of the earth, ant
down which props were taken. The excava
ton for coal extends half mile or more beyond
this opening 1t was in this vicinity that the
accident occurred. and by closing the mouth ot
his passage cut off all hope Of escape to those
within, in this direction.
As fast as the coal is removed, no particular
care is taken to support the mass above, in The
chambers which are abandoned; the props ar,
left to decay that the rock and earth may gradu
ally settle down and fill up these cavities, al
it has done in former instances; but care il
taken to guard the main avenues 10 the Goa
from being thus obstructed.
The coal lies beneath mass Of slate, above
the slate is the sand stone rock, and above th
are gravel and soil. have often noticed, il
passing through the mines that many of tht
ends of the props, which support the slate above
were slivered like broom, from the vast pres
sure on them; and never saw this indication
without thinking what might happen, shoult
the mass from above take notion suddenly L
descend and always breathed easier when ha
passed through the mines and emerged to tn
light of day.
Symptoms of the working of the mass abov
had been for some time observed and thes
. symptoms had greatly increased for few day
previous to the catastrophe. Every thing wa
done which could be done in these circum
stances to avert danger. No one supposed
possible that the rock above would prove SO firm
or thatit would settle suddenly or in mass.
Only few of the workmen. of whom ther
; are nearly four hundred employed in the mine
E had gone in on Monday morning, when NJ
(. Clsrkson, the superintendent, discovered tn
. ominous appearances, and Immediately set som
hands to work in propping up the slate o
coming out Of the mines, about 81 O'Clock,
. met Mr.. John Hosie. (who is well known on Il
n Croton water works as one of the ablest mason
2 L. IauL Lan III l..