Smyrna times., 1869-09-15
.MiSceIIUme 10 e Gus.
The Terrible Coal Mine Disaster.

The following is connected and correct ac-
count of the terrible coal mine disaster which |
occurred at Plymouth, Pa, last Monday week:
The cOlliery in which this terrible accident
occurred is entered by perpendicular shaft,
327 tt. deep, on the side of mountain. FROM
the bottom of it, 40 feet below the surface of
the valley, rup two main galleries, slOping up
| ward, one 800 and the other 200 feet long.
Smaller passages and chambers, SO in number,
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 hOist-wa for
the wOrkmen and the coal, and channel for
| the ventilating current which in all mines must
be constantly forced by machinery through the
various galleries and drifts. The sides OF the
shaft were built up with wooden supports, and
a wooden partition ran perpendicularly through
its whole length, dividing it into two passages,
one tor the upward, the other for the down.
ward current. Right over its mouth stood
great wooden building, containing the ma
cninery 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 it is supposed the woodwork must have
caught. On Monday morning over one hun
dred men went down that shaft to resume work
after long strike. They were followed, about
o clock, 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 flame rushed up the shaft, caught
the breaker as if it lad been house of paper,
and wrapped the whole structure in sheets OF
fire. The mouth of the pit belched forth des
T truction. Hundreds of tuns of coal in the
. shutes and bins were soon In a white glow, and
u 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 neighboring towns succeeded in ex
= tinguishing the burning mass WOrkmen haC
7 hocked to the spotfrom the entire mining region
for it was known that over one hundred of thei
brethren we're imprisoned among the deadly
vapOrs of that awful pit The rubbish wa
cleared away from the mouth, and fifty expert
enced miners volunteered to attempt the de
scent. 1t was now about in the evening. L
> test the purity of the air dog and lighte
lamp were first lowered into the shaft a. far a
er they would 60. At the end Of five minute
they were drawn up; the dog was alive, tn
lamp still burning. A miner named Charlie
Vartue then went down to reconnoiter bu
ne about half way from the bottom he found tn
c. shaft blocked with fallen timbers. Two fres
s os volunteers were then lowered with hatchets
"U After 20 minutes they were drawn up agaiI
ID faint and breathless. They had penetrated
- or 80 yards into gangway, finding three dea
ck mules, and coming at last to a closed doc
They hammered at it and waited tor an answe
ing sound, but no answer came, and throue
- the crevices poured clouds of sulphurous vap
the fatal black damp" Several 9th
parties, in the course OF the evening and nigh
made attemps to penetrate into the gangway
m but with little more success. Few could
Il main more than five or six minutes, and VIII
n' drawn up they were all speeches. and exhau
ted. Several were brought back by their col
panions entirely insensible. Two brave fellow
and md Daniel Jones and Thomas Williams, we
y! brought back dead. There was no hope nj
that any of the miners remained alive unle
possibly they had succeeded in walling the
selves in at some remote part of the mine
na, effectually as to prevent the entrance of {
ling lVui hd'oS y ol 'no ~ EaC. - ~ "os VI
ness women sat Wrlnglng their hands and Weepl
for their husbands and children, and min
from distant regions came in hundreds to o1
assistance By O'Clock on Tuesday morn
,ars, an engine ana ian nau Deen piaceu IN post
rden to force fresh air into the mine. AL DAY /
Seef partias went down at intervals, but the bl
.are, damp drove them back, and the fans did
seem to gain upon it. About 4 in the af
noon it was discovered that the fire at the
of the shaft, which was supposed to be ent
''cre " extinguished, had been revived by the Fl
current, and communicated with mass of
. living near. Thus the workThen had actu
and been accelerating the generation OF gas,
destroying what little vestige Of hope might
L an, mali, for their imprisoned comrades. A str
or ali of water was with some difficulty brough
play upon the flames, and the greater par
r. the night was devoted to the suppresslo