Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-23
BREAKING THE EARTH'S
CRUST.
A Truck With Two Men suddenly
Disappear Near Mauch Chunck'
Pa.

A Truck With Two Men Suddenly
Disappear Near Mauch Chunck,
Pa.
The caving in of coal mine near Ha-
Zleton, Pa, on Saturday morning last, py
which ten persons lost their lives, LENDS
additional interest to the following account
of similsr tragedy which occurred just
a week previous. We copy from the
Mauch Chunck (Pa.) Gazette:
On Saturday night, about 124 O'Clock,
a remarkable and fatal accident occurred
near Coleraine, on the railroad, between
Beaver Meadow and Tresckow, in this
county. A Mr.. Duffey and wife had been
attending wake in Beaver Meadow, and
on returning afoot along the track OF the
| railroad, Mr.. Duffey, being little In al
vance of his wife, saw a depression OF
| the rails short distance ahead, and on
approaching nearer the ties suddenly be-
gan to give way under his feet He bare
| " saved himself by jumping to one side,
and Immediately after, the road, rails,
ties, embankment, and everything caved
| in, and left 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
superincumbent mass of earth and rock
had fallen in. Duffey and wife proceeded
| to their house i'll Coleraine, near the track,
| and retired to bed, when shortly truck
was heard approaching. Dutfey rushed
out to give the alarm. The truck con-
tanned two young men, Charles McCon-
nell and Edward Sweeney, belonging 10
Tresckow, who had started down to at
tend the wake. Surprising Dutfey only
wished to stop them so that he could get
on himself, they disregarded his warning,
and the truck rushed on at furious rate
until suddenly it was precipitated into the
abyss.
The truck brought up on a projecting
bank part way down, but the men were
thrown the entire distance to the bottom,
which was afterward ascertained to be
about sixty feet from the surface.
| Sweeney had sat at the rear OF the truck,
and was, therefore, thrown forward with
| a 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 an arm badly broken, and
could do nothing for him. Soon after
another mass of earth fell, covering
Sweeney many feet deep, and smotherlng
and hushing forever his cries for assist
ance.
Duffey, having tried in vain to prevent
/ the disaster, now fastened through the
town and neighbOrhOOd, and rallied
crowd to assist in getting out the unfor-
tunate victims.
Two men were let down with rope to
the bottom of the pit, who fastened the
rope about the body of Mr.. Mcconnell,
and the latter was then slowly and pain
fully drawn up. When brought to the
surface Mcconnell was found to be not
seriously injured beyond the breaking of
his left arm at the elbow, and his right
| leg lust above the ankle.
Gangs of men then descended, at the
imminent peril of their lives, and began
| the laborious task of unearthing Sweeney,
whose locality was told by Mcconnell.
After digging two hours and half his
lifeless body was exhumed and taken to
| TresckOw