Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-12
rHE Brave ROMANS.

How Calmly They Met Terrible Fate.
The recent appalling disaster at Scran-
ton, Penn, in Whic', about two hundred
miners were sufFocated or burned TO death,
was the most extensive and complete acci-
dent Of the kind that has ever occurred in
this country. 1t is TO be hoped that one
of its results will be to 60 direct public at
tenton 10 collieries and the manner OF
working them as 10 make, by legislative
enactment if necessary, q repetition OF the
Scranton horror impossible. In what pre-
else manner these brave sons of toll met
death in that great prison-house oil
fire is no: yet known, the only
facts yet received in regard
to the disaster beiEg embraced in the
meager statements furnished in our tele-
graphic dispatches. Who can imagine
the feelings and emotions of men about 10
die-not after being Frustrated by disease,
or when the blood is heated by the strife OF
battle; but when they see inevitable death
slowly but certainly approaching them,
and know in exactly SO many minutes 1t
will seizs upon them and eXtiDguish the
life of their bodies? Do they rage and
struggle against their fate? or do
they meet it with the dignity
Of calmness and resignation? In
connection with this inquiry it may be in
teresting to mention few of the incidents
of arecent terrible colIiery explosion in
Saxony. On that occasion all the miners
were not killed Immediately, as was at
first supposed; number Of them were I'm.
harmed by the explosion, and were killed
after an interval of some time, by sufocs'
ton. Some of these poor fellows occupied
the last moment of their lives in writing
messages in their notebooks to their
wives and children, and these were found
J when the bodies were discovered. There
is strong pathos in some Of these mes
sages from the grave, but the calmness and
resignation which they manifest is thsil
most notable feature. These men, in th,
very presence of death, had thoughts fol
: every one but themselves. Dear wife,
writes one of them, "take good care o
Mary; in book in the bedroom you will
frd a thaler. Farewell, dear mother ant
sisters, till we meet again." One by thu
name of Schmidt had pinned paper L
he breast of his blouse, on which hi
had written the following words: "My
dear relations, while seeing death before
me l remember you. Farewell till VI
meet again inshappiness" A man nance
Bahr wrote thus in his note book: "This il
the last place where we have taken refuge
I have given up all hope because the ven
tilation has been destroyed in three sepa'
rate places. May God take myself ant
: my relatives and dear friends who mus
die with me, as well as our families, unde
His protection" Another had written
"Janetz has died; Richter left his famil.
to God. Farewell dear wife; farewell dea
children; may God keep you." One onl!
uttered complaint, and it was not VIC
lent one: Farewell, dear wife and chill
dren; l did not think it would end SC
T Oberman." One reads these simple mes
ssges with moistened eyes, and pictures 4
: himself the scene Of these rough handel
but soft-hearted men spending their las
: moments, not in wild cries for mercy an,
, screams of remorse, nor in repinipg
against their cruel fate, but in sendinj
these farewell words TO their loved one
) who were even then bewsiling them a
dead.