Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-09-15
TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE.
Fire fn a-COal SHAFT One Hundred and
Fifty Miners Suffoe ated-Heart Rem
ding Scenes-Great Loss of Property
and Imm euSe Excitement.


and Immense Excitement.
SCRANTON, Pa, Sept. 6-There is great
excitement here in consequence of the
burning of coal-breaker at Avondale mine,
Plymouth, about 20 miles south of this
| city. There are POI men and boys in the
mine, and the shaft, which is the only
means of escape, is choked by forty feet of
burning coal and rubbish. Ventilation is
totally stopped, and there are great fears
that some, if not all, will be suffocated.
SCRANTON, Pa, Sept. 6-6:10 p. m.-The
latest information from the Avondale mine
states that the shaft was cleared and two
men went down and penetrated sixty or
seventy yards to closed gang-way door,
which they could not force open. They
found three dead mules outside the door.
and sulphurous fumes were pouring out
through the door. No signs of life were
discovered, and it is feared that all are dead.
SCRANTON, Sept. 6.-The fire began at ten
o'clock this forenoon. All experts agree
that 1t must have communicated from the
ventilating furnace to the woodwork at the
bottom of the shaft, which is 327 feet be-
low the surface The flames then rushed
with great violence up the shaft, and broke
out in the engine-room at the top. The
engineer barely escaped with his life. The
buildings covering the mouth of the shaft
were 100 feet high and 200 feet long. all of
wood and dry as tinder. They were almost
instantly enveloped in flames, and it was
impossible TO reach the mouth of the shaft
to help the men below
Dispatches just received from Avondale
say that Thomas W. Williams, ofPlymouth.
and David Jones. of Grand Tunnel. who
went down to make further investigations,
were suffocated to death. On second at
tempt Williams dead body was brought out
by David III. Davis and Benjamin Jones.
Thomas Williams went down and dragged
David Jones some distance to the foot of
the shaft, when he was compelled to come |
up. John w. and Isaac Thomas then went
down and brought mp the body All who |
attempted to go down are now out alive. !
except Williams and Jones. No further at |
tempt will be made go down until small |
engine is rigged
The loss by the burning of the Avondale /
mine works is from eighty thousand to one
hundred thousand dollars, not counting
the loss by the stoppage of mining opera
tions
SCRANTON, Pa, Sept. S.-Four men who |
went down the shaft yesterday afternoon
and explored gange-way, opened door
leading to the furnace, and found il full OF |
burning coal, and heap of coal near by
blazing. One became overpowered and
they returned to the mouth the shaft, where
they were with difficulty restored from the
effects of the gas and blue-damp which was
them.
IL had been determined to pour water in
10 the mine to extinguish the fire, and after
some four hours another party went down
md carried hose to the furnace. They re-
ported the fire dying out in the furnace
Other parties went down and placed the
hose in position to throw water on the fur
mace. After the water had been turned on
two hours, two oparties went down, the last
me returning in bad condition from the
effects, of the blue-damp, which arose very
freely.
About o'clock this q. m, another gang
went down and brought up the bodies of
.wo miners, which were in a bad and un-
recognizable condition, being badly bloat-
I'll about their mouths. One is a young
nan, the other middle aged. The excite.
nent was intense. The air in the mine is
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. SIS p. ma spe-
nal dispatch from Scranton dated 4 O'Clock
.o-day, report the finding of nearly 200
lead bodies of miners piled up together in
Avondale Mine.
LATER-A private dispatch says that one
hundred and three dead bodies have been
brought up from the mine.