The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-09-08
THE PLYMOUTH DISASTER,
THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED
Preparations 10 Explore the
Mine. f fN
Distress Among the Miners
Families.
subscriptions for their Relief.

subscriptions for their Relief.
SCRANTON, September Z, i A. M.-The
donkey engine and fan were put in op'
Grafton about an hour since, driving in
fresh air to the shaft. Carson and
Davis then went down q hundred feet
and then lowered lights within fifteen
feet of the bottom of the shaft. The
lights burned freely. After making
such observations as were possible, they
returned, and the miners who formed
committee to 60 down are now prepar'
ing to descend to remove the oeStruc,
tions and explore in search OF theli
brethren. Thousands of miners
women and children cover the hills ahu
grounds in the vicinity. Committees
are circulating among the lmihenss
throng for subscriptions Tor WIDOWS anu
orphans, who number over SIX hunureu
SCRANTON, Pa, September 7.-Speeia
trains this morning ran IRON mere u
Ayondale every hour, free, until eleven
o'clock, when the crowds became 80
dense that they INSTRUCTED the rSIiei
PARTIES, and they were suspended; Inc
whele community is thrilled Win nor,
ror here at the great calamity. All
work is suspended in the mines In thls
vicinity, and nearly the whole force OIL
miners, in their mining suits, have gone
TO AyOndale TO remain until their breth-
rem are brought ont, dead or alive.
Thousands have gone from this dlrec-
ton alone, and the whole country is
aroused and flocking to the scene OF the
disaster.
In the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth OF
Hyde Park Wards of this city, the streets
are thronged with women. The rela'
tives and friends of the men in the Avon
dale pit are eagerly beseeching every
person arriving from below for lntor'
nation, and their weeping fills the air
Mining cannot be resumed ut any OF the
works of the Delaware, Lackawanna
ard Western railroad companies mines
within a.week and az least until all fu-
nerals of the Avondale dead are over
The fact of the long and severe strike,
inst ended, adds greatly to the destltu-
zion which will follow the calamity.
The widows and orphans will number
not less than six hundred.
At eight O'Clock the crowd was clear
ed and a rope enclosure made around
the mouth of the shaft by the police.
The engine and fan were got to work at
$40 and shortly after it was connected
with the canvass conductor that reach
ed to the bottom of the shaft, two hun
dred and thirty-seven feet, at 1880,
Superintendent Corwin, of the Hamp-
ton mine, and j. =. Davis, carpenter of
the Ayondale, descended one hundred
feet and lowered three lamps to within
fifteen feet of the bottom of the shaft.
The lamps burned freely after remain
ing in the shaft forty minutes. They
returned from accommodating at Ills.
George Morgan, John Howels, Thomas
Davis and Thomas f. Davis, a commit
tee of miners, descended the shaft slow
ly and with care, and at ll:35 they as
cended to the mouth of the shaft, re-
porting that after leaving the platform
on which they went down, they pro-
ceeded about thirty feet into the gang
way, and finding great deal of carbon
ic acid gas and black damp, retreated.
As far into the miuc as they went the
damn was between two and three feet
deep on the bottom OF the kline.
At ll:55 Rees Evans, Thomas Carson,
Charles Jones and Isaac Thomas, an
other miners committee, began their
descent into the shaft. The fan was
kept constantly i'll motion during these
proceedings at the shalt. A committee
of fifty volunteers was formed and reg
ularly oflicored by the miners TO descend
and recover the bodies of their COmpan.
ions. The Rev. Mr.. Hunt headed COM
mittee of twenty citizens, who can
vasscd the immense thronG with sub
scription books for the orphans aud
widows of the unfortunate victims.
The most experienced miners have
gwen up all hope of finding any one
alive in the mine.
Forty-siX miners were enrolled under
the supeIintendency of James George,
of Plymouth, and Henry w. Evans, of
Pittstou. George Morgan, of the Nam
ticock mines, was appointed foreman on
the part of the miners, and Thomas l.!
Davis, of Nanticocl, and John I'll. Pow
ell, Of Taylorville, as advisers. They
have the direction of operations after
the descent is made.
Three hundred miners from Coalville
have arrived, and there are thousands
upon the grounds in the immediate vi
cinity, nearly one-half women and
children.
lP. M.-The second party of men re-
turned safely, as had the first. They
penetrated the gangway, dis,
lance of 10 feet, and found the large
door wide open. They then went one
hundred feet further in one of the pas
sages and found small door closed.
After opening this door to the free cir
culation of air around to the entrance
they returned. Had this small door
been open there might have been 4
shade of hope as the gas AMI smoke and
fire would have had free passage
around the circuit and out again. AS it
is the fears are that the smoke has pen
etrated the inner mine and sutfOcated
all the men. The main door leading 20
the mine has not yet been reached.
The third set of men, four in number,
went down and came back in fifteen
minutes, two of them SO overcome with
the effect of the gas that they were re-
stored with difficulty. The gas is com.
ing ont of the outer mine very fast since
the passage way was opened. The
widest excitement prevails, and the
mass of people are kept back with
great difficulty.
l:3O, y, M.-The two miners are saved
ut last. 1t seems idle to peril life by
any further attempt to go down as long
as the gas is strong. No attempt can OF
course be made TO reach the main door
or to penetrate the mine until the outer
gangway is cleared of gas. 1t is uncer.
tain how long it will take.
There is really no ground TO hope that
single life remains of those who were
at work in the mine. Everybody gives
them up, and nothing probably remain,
to be done but to recover the bodies.