Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-11
1 UNION AND AMERICAN
@. GRIFFITH a. CO., PrOprIetors
THE AVONDALE MINE
DISASTER.
me Bodies Of the Victims
Reached. q
A dangerous State or Feeling
Among the Miners.

correspondence of;the Cincinnati Commercial
8 AvoNDALE, Pa, via. SCRANTON,
ESept 6--The great mine disaster
Eat Avondale has paralyzed the
Ewhole anthracite region Of Penn.
sylvania, in the Scranton, Wilks-
barre, Pittson and surrounding vil-
klages, and hamlets. Business has
Ebeen entirely suspended to-day, as
Eever since the catastrophe occurred.
EThousands have been gathered all
Eday about the fatal shaft, and al
Ethough the demonstrations Of grief
Ehave not been violent, the crowds
khave been decorous and awed.
b When the dead bodies were
Ebrought from the mines they were
kscrutinized by Mr.. Phillips, the
koutslde superintendent, and, with
hrare exceptions, were recognized,
Eand the name and late residence of
Ethe man was announced to the
kcrowds outside. Very rarely did
saDy violent demonstration eff grief
follow, but in every case the friends
of the victim came forward and
took possession of the corpse.
5 The owners ofthe mine had pros
Hvided coffins, and the remains being
Bpiaced in them, were delivered to
& the friends for burial.
S In consequence of the slowness
swith which the bodies were raised,
Ethe purpose of great public fu-
5neral OF all at the same time was
sabandoned.
The mine that has proved the
stomb of at least one hundred and
Shity human beings, was constructed
sas death trap. 1t had but the one
Sshaft; an accident to that was sure
to cut off pure air from the persons
! In the mine, and sure to result in |
Ssuch q disaster that has occurred.
zThis fact was commented upon
freely and fiercely by the crowd |
sgathered at the scene, and there is
emo danger that any mine in the anr
sthracite region will be operated |
Sunti! the owners have provided it
swlth an airNhole, separate from the
main shaft. In the case of the Avon~
dale mine, such a Continuance would
have cost about 500, 900, and would
:have saved all these lives. The
miners know this, and, in conse
IL. |
Tonight. There must he bitter
reckoning between owners and
miners, and il is sure to come at the
inquest, which has been announced
TO begin at Plymouth on Saturday.
Tue miners unions and the own
ers OF the mine have been notified
TO appear, and it is the intention of
the authorities to sift the affair to
the bottom, and put the blame
where iC belongs.
The scene when the bodies were
found in the chamber of the mine
was narrowing beyond anything in
the annals of American mining.
When the disaster had occurred the
miners had fed before the rapidly
carbonic acid gas, and
had closed the doors of the mine
behind them, and finally, finding
The noXious vapors pursuing them,
had thrown up a barricade and
stuffed the clothing from their per-
sons in the crevices, in the vain en-
deavor to make it alright. Be-
hind this sixty-three were found
dead, huddled in a heap together,
in a single chamber. Nearly all
as if they had sunk down
i'm gentle sleep, to pleasant dreams,
30 placid were the expressions upon
the faces of the dead. Others of
the miners were found sfngly, in
different chambers, showing that
they had been overpowered by the
deadly gases generated by the fire,
without warning.
The work Of exhuming these vic
tins of parsimonious negligence has
been provokingly slow, and, at the
rate at which it was carried on to-
day, can not be concluded until
Friday. The air in the mine, how
ever, is becoming constantly purer,
and the work may be materially
expedited tomorrow.
The spirit evinced by the miners
about the mines has been savage
beyond description; in fact, every
where throughout the mining re-
gion, they are absolute masters
whom none dare offend.
They greet everybody not miners
as pager collar wretches, and heap
|contumely upon the representatives
of newspapers who desire ordinary
facilities for the performance of
their duties. There may be nothing
serious result from this suddenly
developed antagonism between CAPT
tai and labor, but tonight the
chances are against it. The capi~
talists are evidently fearful, and
are making every possible conces-
sion 10 the miners. The latter take
possession of railroads and mines
without question.
Twenty thousand people have
visited the scene of the disas ter, to-
/ day, and every one has gone away
{ IA muttcrer against the parsimony |
fthat made the accident possible.
Asa Packer has offered s., 500 to |
sufferers, and Gov. Geary $500.
Samuel Sloan, President of the
Delaware ,Lackawanna and Western
company, lessees Of the mine, has
ordered the suspension Of work and
e free trains on the 9th and 10th, the
days of the funeral.
Flags are now displayed at half
Emast IN Scranton and Wilkesbarre.