New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-09
DElTB IN THE MINES.

gradually brought to light. There is part OF
1.-THE closing moments of the awful agony
of those two hundred men,-which can never
be described. Even the manner IN winch t'e
catastrophe originated is mainly matter OF
conjecture. In all human probability, not one
of that wretched company survives to tell the
secrets of their prison house, and 80 70 'he NC
tual horrors of suffering and death Is aVoeo 'ie
gloom of an impenctrablc mystery.
The colliery in which this terrible accldenV
occurred is entered by perpendicular Shalt
327 feet deep, on the side OF mouh'a'n'
From the bottom of it, 40 feet below the sur
face of the valley, run two main galleries,
sloping upward, one 800 and the other l'"oo
feet long. Smaller passages ana chambers 90
IN .pumher branch off from these. There is no
access TO the open air except by this single
shaft. which had to serve all the purposes OF
n hoist-way for the wOrkmen and the coal, ana
a channel for the ventating current which In
all mines must be constantly forced ny
machinery through the various galleries
and drifts. The sides of the shaft were built
up with wooden supports, and wooden par
tition ran perpendiculary through Its whole
length, dividing it into two passages, one lOr
the inward the ether for the downward cur
rent Right over its mouth stood great
wooden building, containing the machinery for
hosting and for breaking, sorting, and cleaning
the coal. TO assist in creating current OF
air fire was always kept burning in furnace
at the foot of the shaft, and from this 1t Is
supposed the woodwork must have caught.
On Monday morning two hundred men went
down that shaft to resume work after long
MI ell OH *.
by one of the mule-tenders, with hay for his
beasts. AS he reached the bottom he was
heard to cry Fire! but what he saw we never
shall know, for in an instant fierce column
of fame rushed up the shaft, caught
the breaker as if that had been
house of paper, and wrapped the
whole structure in sheets OF fire. The mouth
of tie pit belched forth destruction. Hun
dreds of tuns Of coal in the shutcs and bins
were soon in a white glow, and dropped with
the falling beams into the shaft. 1t was seven
or eight hours before the engines which were
hurried TO the scene of disaster from all the
nciohboring towns succeeded in cxtinguishing
the burning mass. Workmen had Hooked TO
the spot from the entire mining region,
for it was known that two hundred OF
their brethren were imprisoned among the
deadly vapors of that awful pit. The
rubbish was cleared away from the mouth, and
fifty experienced miners volunteered to at
tempt the descent Ii was now about D III
the evening. TO test the purity OF the ar
dog and n lighted lamp were first lowered into
the shaft as far rs they would go. AT the end
of five minutes they were drawn up; the dog
was alive, the lamp still burning. A miner
~. thnn "A o.
connoiter. but about half way from tho bottom
he found the shaft blocked with fallen tmbers.
Two fresh volunteers were then 10"
crcd with batchets. After 20 minutes
they were drawn up again. faint and
breathless. They had penetrated 20 or 30 yards
into a gangway. finding three dead mules, and
coming at last to closed door. They ham
mered at it and waited for an answering
sound, but no answer came, and through the
crevces poured clouds of sulphurous vapor-
the fatal "black damp" Several other parties,
| in the course of the evening and night, made
| attempts to penetrate into the gangways, but
| with little more success Few could remain
more than five or six minutes, and when drawn
up they were all speechless and exhausted. Sew
eral were brought back by their companions en-
tirely insensbe. TwObTaye fellows. Daniel Jones
| and Thomas Williams, were brought back dead.
| There was no hope now that any OF the
miners remained alive, unless possibly they
had succeeded in walng themselves in at
some remote part of the mine so elcctually az
to prevent the entrance of the foul gases from
the shaft. 1t was only tho shadow of hopo,
still the work went on, while women sat wiring
ing their hands and weeping for their hus-
bands and children, and miners from distant
regions came in hundreds to offer their
assistance. BY 0 o'clock on Tuesday
morning an engine and fan had been
placed in position to force fresh air
into the mine. All day long parties went
down at intervals, but the black damp drove
them back, and the fans did not seem to gain
upon it. About in the afternoon it was dis
covered that the fire at the foot of the shaft,
which was supposed to be entirely eXtnguished,
had been revived by the fresh current and COM
municated with mass of coal lying near.
Thus the workmen had actually been accel-
Grating the generation of gas. and destroying
what little vcstige of hope might remain for
their imprisoned comrades. A stream of water
was with some difficulty brought to play upon
the flames, and the greater part of the night was
devoted to the suppression of the fire, the clouds
of gas that came up the shaft being mean
while so awful that workmen at the mouth
were removed insensible Between and 3
o'clock on Wednesday morning two bodies
were found, both fearfully dsfgured and un.
recognizable. About G:30 party of four sue
ceeded in penetrating some distance into
one of the principal galleries, and
came upon the bodies of over sixty
more where they had met their fate to-