New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-09
THE COAL MINE DISASTER.
TIE WORST FEARS REALIZED-A LARGE NUM-
Der OF BODIES FOUND.


all ehc[s had been directed TO extngush the fire IN the
shaft and afterward to Introduce air purify the at
mosqhere under the msapprehensOn, as it subsequently
proved that the fire in the furnace had been drawn out
by the miners the first alarm Of fire. ana that they
had afteTward Tereated TO OF the inner chambers
Now appeared from the report OF the last relay that
had descended that not only was the furnace found full
burning coal. that the fire had communicated to
heaye' OF coal, which then blazing mass there
fore he air that had been introduced during the day,
instead Of yentating the mine merely swept over this
burning furnace and carried all the gas and smoke into
the Of the mine This alone. continued
it had been all day, would the death Of every
inmate OF the mine, even II any had been for
tsnate enough 10 have been alive yesterday.
change Of operations Immediately decided upon
and 1t determined to make every exertion TO extin
gush the fire, further progress could be made until
II Was accomplished Hose was Immediately let down
the shaft and four men descended Nothing was heard
from them for fun twenty minutes, causing great anx
iey among their friends but at last they gave the sig
nal and hauled up They reported that they could
arrange tho hose owing TO the foul air but that the
fire seemed to DO dying out
In short time another party, =" med Thomas NJ Price,
Mark Evans, Vim. Bray, and d. W. Reese, went down.
and after apso of Is minutes returned and reported
the hose placed position for the water the idea being
throw the water against the roof at pressure OF zoo
feet, and let 1t fail on the furnace
While these men were down, those who anxiously
awaited the result Of their descent were considerably
frightened by the cracking Of the roof Of the tunnel and
the falling part Of IT, caused by the cooling Of the sur
face rock Fortunately no one was hurt The water
was turned on ut 10. At 11:l5 D. W. Morgan r. II. Will
hams, A. Philips, and VIM. j. Price, went down and
stayed minutes bad air coming up the shaft They re-
ported that pouring water upon the fire and
doing good execution They made no further advance
than the furnace.
At midnight David g. Jones, Henry IAtheren, Samuel
Morgan and John Williams went down, and, after IS
minutes came up in very bad condition the blue damp
shat now commenced arising making them quite sick
They had thrown water upon the fire. and thought IL
was out. At about the time this gang asked to be
heisted, George Morgan who watching at the open.
ing Of the shaft had TO be removed all except four
or five driven from the tunnel, the "bue damp
thai was coming up the shaft making them sick, and
placing all who might be in the tunnel in very perous
situation No further attempt made to 80 down for
two hours. The stream of water still kept running
At about o'clock this morning the next descent was
made. They found the atmosphere much improved, and
The Are nearly exnguished. They penetrated as far as
the stable and found bodies which they brought
with them. One middle-aged man and the other
young about ls but both so disfgured as TO
be unrecognzable The next party that descended
enabled to penetrate still further, and discovered some
dinner cans and cups They reported still further i'm.
prOvement in the atmosphere.
AtG:3Oa.m., Il. Williams, d. W. Evans, Jno. Williams
auo VIM Thomas descended and were gone thirty min
utes when they returned and reported the whole COM
yany Of miners lying dead the east side OF the plane
Preparations were then made TO send down six gangs
" EACH bring up the bodies as rapidly as
possible.
Alta o'clock one OF the gangs returned and reported
that they went up the plane, and just beyond found
barrier consisting OF packed around with coal
"cum" and clothing This they cleared away, and after
proceeding httle further met another barrier nearly
completed, constructed like the first One man was
found upOn the outside where he had been at Work lay
ing up the wall. All completed save small sper'
,Cl,io, TO adu Of ba human
body and it ia inferred that he had just finished his task
and was preparing 10 join his companions on the opposite
side by crawling back when death overlook him. This
barrier was also removed, when the Uhoe force OF miners
,cere found dead and piled one upon another.
Preparations then mado for the removal OF the
bodies which consumed the rest Of the day. owing to the
inefficient hOistmg apparatus The pumping OF air was
now commenced, and the miners assembled they re-
ported q steady improvement IN the condition OF the
mine Shortly after o'clock Coroner Emo OF Plymouth
impanueled jury, composed OF VIM. j. Harvey, Samuel
Van Loon. Martin Mcdonald James George Charles
Atkinson, and Thomas Patten, to view he bodies as
they brought up.
The body Of John Bowers Of Plymouth, a miner, aged
g. was the third brought up His left seye was partially
open, bat otherwise his countenance was placid. lie
leaves wife and one child, in Plymouth. He was found
outside the barrcaie behind which were all the other
bodies He was evidently overcome before he could get
through
In order TO facilitate operations it was announced that
= a
N made known and their relatives allowed TO enter the
lines The engaged in bringing up the bodies were
required TO be sworn the facts in each case T. L.
Norman and H. b. Payne, lawyers Of Wikesbarre, at
tended the Jury.
The fourth body exhumed that OF VIM. p Ewell OF
plymouth Turkey HID. His eyes were both open and
lis head turned aside His family in Europe, with
the exception Of daughter residing IN PIymouth ahua
son who worked in the mine.
The fifth body that of boy named IWm Williams
I.VIy had gnrh91
mine only one day.
The sixth body was that OF Willie Phillips OF the
Seuben Coiery He evidently died in great agony as
li. hands were clenched. The next was the body OF
william Evans a brother Of steuben. His hands were
also cenched One OF the miners reported that each OF
these boys found in the arms OF his father.
The next body brought up that Of Evan Hughes
'rside boss" lie found sitting down with his head
resting on his knees. His watch had stopped at 6l5
TLis Is supposed to have been Tuesday morning, as
the miners usually wind their watches at night Mr
Eyanss watch had stopped at Az At this time barrel
OF lime was down 10 mark the pathway to the death
chamber for the reason that two had lost their way
The ninth body that of an unknown man. found 800
az 400 yards west part Of the mine long distance
IRON the rest. He lying on his face, which had
.,parcuty been forced INTO the ground and was much
alsaeured The tenth body was that OF an unknown
man supposed however be Peters Of Upper Plymouth
He was also lying with his face down.
Up TO o'clock this evening the work Of bringing the
dead bodies TO the surface proceeded steadily Sixty
bodies have been raised and their funerals will be
held tomorrow at Av0ndale.
The scenes at mines when the bodies OF the miners
were brought out we're most heartrending Up to the
Hast moment the wives children, and relatives hoped
against hope shat the doomed men might be found
alive but as one Dackened corpse after another was
brought out the low sobs Of the women broke out
os.1, aaf