Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-19
THE AVoNDALE HORROR
Startling Developments The Ca
lamity Not an Accident.
From the \. y. Express, l4th.7

2 I o H.
SCRANTON, September l3.-To-day'
Morning Republican publishes the kol
lowing editorial article in connection
with several columns of evidence Ia
ken at the inquest, which begana a
Plymouth on Saturday, and has beeI
| adjourned to 8 o'clock to-morroV
| Tuesday morning, the 18th inst.
THE intense interest felt in the Avon
dale disaster will not be Iessened bs
reading the reports Of the evidenes
elected before Coroner Wadham's ia
ry, at Plymouth, on saturday. The
theory of the fire which has generally
been received, viz: That the wood.
work of the shaft was ignited by the
/ heat from the Yentilating furnace-is
secuted by every experienced miner
who was examined. There was NO
difference of opinion on the point,
while the working of mine with but
one opening, and the building of the
/ breaker over the mouth of the shaft.
were generally condemned. All the
Witnesses whose opinions on the point
were of any value, were unanimous
| in considering the furnace entirely
safe. The opinion that the fire was
not caused by the furnace in the mine
is supported, not only by the expe-
rience and Judgment Of experts, but
by positive evidence Of a well-nigh
conclusive character. This is found
in the present condition of the brat
tice, or wooden partition which divi-
ded the shaft into a hoisting way, and
an air way, or an up-cast and down
cast. This brattice is discOlOred at
the top, not at the bottom, except
lew feet which was ignited by
the burning debris and ashes which
fell to the bottom of the shaft, when
the breaker building was consumed.
The brattice was the only material
which could have carried the fire from
the bottom to the top of the shaft, if
the fire had been communicated to the
brattice at the bottom, as it would
have been had the furnace communi-
Gated it. Ii is impossible to believe
that a portion of the brattice at pOint
only twenty feet from the bottom, and
thence upward for one hun
dred and thirty feet, could have re-
manned unburned as Il now remains.
What could have extinguished the
flames twenty feet from the bottom,
and rekindled them one hundred and
thirty or one hundred and forty feet
higher up? The thing is inconeeiva-
Bile. Not one of the witnesses could
assign for the origin OF the fire any
cause connected with the working OIL
the mine. Most Of them thought il /
not TO attempt any eXpia- |
nation at all, and only one Of the |
hundreds ventured to give positive |
expression To the horrible suspicion |
that evidently lurked in the minds Ofl
ill. One witness on his oath said he 1
believed the mine was Intentionally |
fired. Let uS not attempt further to /
excite the horror which the mere sus-
DiciOn Of such an enOrmity at once /
lrOuses, but examine for a moment /
the facilities for incendiarism afforded /
Jy the peculiar situation. George /
Morgan SWOre that he believed the fire
began at the mouth of the tunnel, /
)r a little below if. The tunnel re-
erred to affords the best possible cover
or incendiary operations. beginning
under the lower SHE Of the breaker, il
-an under the building and opened /
INTO the shaft at q point about forty
fet below the surface The parts Of
-he shaft into which it opened was mol
.he hosting way, which was cuntinu-
iily traversPd by the carriage, fro
lupntly with men aboard, and in
which any suspicious appearance
would almost certainly have been no.
iced. The tunnel opened into the air
,hat or upca7t by a wooden door.
fhiS point in the air shaft is forty feet
beneath the surface, was perfectly
screened fr0ni observation. ltWas up
his air shaft that the fire came, and it
anne with the speed and force OF an
explosion, bursting into the engine
house, as the engineer sWOre. with the
Jutf Of an explosion of powder. This
Explosive character of the flame is
partly accounted for by the strength
If the draft in the air shaft, but the
lse of the quantity of highly inhama-
be material 9t the mouth Gf the Jun-
lei would have tended TO produce pre-
.isely the same effect. What is more
'9sy than to enter the tunnel, cav
Il dayhreak, change its mouth and
he hrattice opposite with guam
ity Of kerosene ar other intiamma-
lie materials, say a slow fuse connect
ug with IL, light the fuse, escape un-
IOticed, and be miles away before the
came. The fuse and mag
zine would be most efiectually con- !
ealed while the former was burning.
{ is Il dreadful thing % feel compelled
0 advocate such a theory; but is any
ther possible? Can it be conceived !
hat such a oOnilagratinn, II occurring
rom any accidental cause, Ur at the !
ottom of the shaft, could have es-
apcd the notice of men passing up q
nd down the shaft only fifteen min
ties before the flames burst from its |
mouth. Was not the mouth of the
Innel the only point opposite the
armed parts of the brattice at which
re could have been cOmmunicated3
Vas it not impossible for any fire to
come from the tunnel9
n brief, l. not the theory of inoendi-
rism possible, and all others lnpos-
bile?
In reaching this conclusion we do
ot take into account the reports about
races Of kerosene at the mouth of the
mnel. II will be time enough to
Dnsider those when they have been
iicited on oath in open court. The
vidences of the most Notwithstanding
rime on record are far stronger than
'e could desire them to be already.