The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-09-11
OTTAWA FREE TRADER: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER II. 1869
a 'YxsMsYLVAHIA HORROR.

4 Y1lgN0YIvAV1A8 HORROR.
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The telegraph sines Monday has bean load
Cd With the dstailsof SeaRfal occurrence ct
Avondale coal mine, Plymouth, about twenty
miles south of Scranton, Pa, on the 9th inst.
The woodwork Of TIE vsntilstipg furnace at
the bottom of the shaft took fire, sending up
. sheet Of Aams and, setting ars to the coal
breaker, which was built over the shaft, burn
ing it and filing the shef to The depth Of for
ity feet with burning coal and rubbish while
in the mine, fromwhich the shaft was the only
iegress, and to which ventilation could only be
supplied through the shaft, were, at the time
lof the fire, about two hundred men and boys
at work. As soon - the fire in the shat,
could be extinguished and the shat cleared Of
the rubbish, (which took three OF four hours,)
two men descended into the shaft and pro-
iceeded in tho mine sixty or seventy yards,
till they came to a closed gangway. They then
returned to the shaft and sent word up to send
down pick and shovel TO clear the doors
with. Two other men started to the bottom
with the tools, but on reaching there found
the first two men dead. Various other Ct
tempts to reach the men in the mine were
made during the night Of the 9Th, but without
success. BY the morning Of the 7th, an en-
CINE and fan were got in operation, driving
fresh air into the mine. Numerous attempts
were then made to reach the mines, but in
each case those making them were driven
back by the blue damps. Some Of the men
who went down the shaft reported that the
fire was then all out. The presumption was
that when the fire broke out the miners had
kept their senses, and having dragged the
fire, had fled to the upper chambers, closing
the doors behind them. Surprising this to be
true, the rescues proceeded on the simple
plan of forcing fresh air into the mine. This
was continued till four o'clock in the after
noon, when party Of men, penetrating two
hundred feet and opening the door, made the
discovery that the fire was still burning in the
furnace, and had even ignited the coal piled
outside of it. Those understanding the stu
alton upon hearing this fact, saw in q mo-
ment that all hope was 1t an end, and that all
that could be done was to drag the lost miners
from their fiery tomb to Christian burial. A
change of operations was then instantly de-
cided on 1t was determined to direct imme-
diate effort to the extinguishment of the fire.
BY $50 A. n. on the morning of the 9th,
the fire was so far extinguished and the mine
cleared of gases, that the whole could be ex-
plored Four men then went down, and dis
covered the whole company Of miners dead
"on the east side Of the plane.' Before
reaching them, the men met . barrier consist
ing Of car packed around with coal and cloth
ing. This was cleared away, and proceeding
a little further, another barrier was met,
nearly completed, and constructed as the
first. One man was found upon the outside,
where he had been laying up wall All was
completed save . small aperture sufficient to
admit the passage Of q human body, and it is
inferred that he had just finished his task and
was preparing to join his companions on the
opposite side BY crawling back. This barrier
was renewed, when the whole force Of miners
was found congregated, piled one upon
another, and dead.
About $50 A. n. on the 9Th tho work com.
menced of bringing out the dead, and waa
continued without interruption until the 9th,
up to which time 108 had been brought up.
It il not thought now that there were any
more in the mine. }il3JH1-
The scene about the mine during all this
time Of course was heartrending. All around
tho shaft, and on, the hills in the vicinity
were congregated many thousands of people
and moving among them, frantic with griei
and filing the air with their cries and wall
ings, were the wives, children, fathers, moth.
ers and relatives Of the victims in the fatal
The Republican Vaccinations.
Iii an encouraging symptom that thus fal