Mower County transcript., 1869-12-30
BREAKING THE EARrH', CRUST.
Truck with Two Mon sudde q My DIS
appears near Mauch Chunck.
'E From the Nanurl, CburcL c,,o.@.

0cA WIN Two men suddenly DIS
appears near Mauch Chunck.
From the Naunch Chunck Gazette.
. On Saturday night, about 124 o'clock, q
remarkable and fatal accident occurred near
Ooleraine,. on the railroad between Beaver
Meadow and TrescAow, in this county. A
Mr.. Duttey and wife bad been attending
wake in Beaver Meadow, and on returning
atoot along the track of the railroad, Mr..
Dutfey being in advance of his wife, saw q
depression of the rails a short distance
ahead, and on approaching noarer, the ties
suddenly began to give way under his feet.
He barely saved himself ! by jumping to one
side, and Immediately after the road, rails,
and left cavern about sixty feet deep.
There had been an old coal mine under
meath. and some of the pillars having be-
come worn out or displaced. the whole SUI
perincnmbent mass of earth and rock had
fallen in. Duffey and wife proceeded to their
house in Coleraine, near the track, and re-
tired to bed, when shortly after truck was
heard approaching Duffey at once fore
saw the consequences, and rushed out to
give the alarm. The truck contained two
young men, Charles Mcconnell and Ed.
Sweeney, belonging to Tresckow, who had
started down to attend the wake Sup
posing Duffey only wished them TO stop so
that he could get on himself, they disre.
garded bis warning. and the truck rushed
on ut furious rate, until suddenly it was
precipitated into the abyss.
The truck brought up ON q projecting
bank part way down, but the men were
thrown tho entire distance to the bottom,
which was atterward ascertained to be
about sixty feet from the surface. Sweeney
had sat ct the rear of the truck, and was
therefore thrown forward with greater
impetus, as the truck turned in mid-air.
He was evidently much hurt by the fall. and
called to Mcconnell to go and help him.
The latter replied that he had himself an
arm badly broken, and could do nothing
for him. Soon after another masss of Garth
fell, covering Sweeney many feet deep. aud
smothering and hushing his cries for as
sistance -.
DuHey, having tried in vain to prevent
the disaster, now hastened through the
town and neighborhooda and rallied a crowd
to assist in getting out the unfortunate VIC
Tins. Men hocked from Tresckow, Beaver
terrible danger of being engulfed by another
caving in of the earth, went bravely and
intelligently about the work of rescue.
Two men were let down with rope to the
bottom of the pit, who fastened the rope
about the body of Mr.. Mcdonnell, and the
latter was slowly and painfully drawn up,
though not till he had been let part way
down again several times, to avoid being
further mangled against the projecting
rocks. When brought to the surface Nc.
Council was found to be not seriously in.
jured beyond the breaking of his left arm
at the elbow and his rioht leo inst ah0ve
the ankle.
Gangs of men then descended at the i'm.
minent peril of their lives, and began the
laborious task of unearthing Sweeney,
whose locality was told by Mcconnell.
After digging two hours and q. half his life
less body was exhumed and taken te
Tresckow. Sweeney had relatives il
Mauch Chunk, and the body was after
wards brought here for interment. HI
was about twenty-one years of age and moi
married .-.''