Mower County transcript., 1869-12-30
BREAKING: TIE EARYN', CRUST.
~ fruck with Two Men Sssilale My DIS
appears near Nj auch ChuDck.

H'oH tuo malhcn Chunck Gazette.
On Saturday night, about ~! o'clock, n
remarkable and fatal accident occurred near
Colcraine, on the railroad between Beaver
Meadow and Tresckow, in this county. A
Mr.. Dutfey and wife had been attending Il
wake in Beaver Meadow, and on returning
atoot along the track of the railroad Mr..
Duffey being in advance of his wife, saw IL
depression of tho rails II short distance
ahead, and on approaching nearer, the ties
suddenly began to give way under his feet.
lie barely saved himself by jumping to one
side, and Immediately after the road, rails,
ties, embankment and everything caved in,
and left IL 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 su-
perincumbent mass of earth and rock had
fallen in. Duffey and wife proceeded to their
house in Coleruine, near the track, and re-
tired to bed, when shortly after a 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-
gardad his warning. and the truck rushed
on at q furious rate, until suddenly it was
precipitnted into the abyss.
The truck brought up on projecting
bank part way down, but the men were
thrown the entire distance to the bottom,
| which was atterWard ascertained to be
about sixty feet from the surface. Sweeney
had sat at 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 All
arm badly broken, and could do nothing
for him. Soon after another masss of earth
fell, covering Sweeney many feet deep. aud
smothering and hushing his cries for as.
| sistance
Duffey, having tried in vain to prevent
| the disaster, now fastened through the
town and neighborhood and rallied crowd
| to assist i'll getting out the unfortunate vic.
Tins. Men fiocked from Tresckow, Beaver
| Meadow, and Coleraine, and despite The
terrible danger of being engulfed by anothe,
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 tn,
latter was slowly and painfully drawn up,
though not till he had been let part Wa!
down again several times, to avoid being
further mangled against the projecting
rocks. When brought to the surface Nc
Connell was found to be not seriously in
jured beyond the breaking of his left arm
at the elbow, and his right leg just above
! 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 a half his life
less body was exhumed and taken t.
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 no