Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-08-17
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The COal Mine Disaster.


About 10 o'clock, Monday morning, an
explosion of fire damp occurred in the
Eagle Shaft, situated just on the line of
the borough of Pittston. Seventeen men
were in the shaft, of whom five escaped
unhurt. sa. d, =E...ll o. SIS. s...,s u.
Special dispatches state that the Pitts
ton disaster is rivaled only by that of the
West Pittston shaft on the 9th of May,
but in this case it is certain that all in the
mine, with the exception of two or three
who were near the bottom Of the shaft,
have persisted. Some time must elapse
before the bodies can be reached, owing
to the bad air and the vast amount of deb
ris to be removed. '' '--7'- .'..
On entering the chamber in which the
explosion occurred, a fall of rock was first
found, which lay partly upon car. COM
pletely blocking mp one side and leaving
space on the other just sufficient for
man to force himself through.
Some distance further in there was an
other fall, which completely filled the
passage, and behind this the men are
walled so completely that it will take
hours of most persistent labor to reach
them. -. s,. O. r...
Volunteers are now ct work endeaVor-
ing to get round this fallen rock SO that
they can reach the entombed miners, but
the density of the black damp prevents
them from prosecuting their work with
| full effect.
They are continually being brought up
in an exhausted condition, but their
places are Immediately supplied by other
volunteers, and so the work goes on I'M
remittingly.
All that mortals can do is doing to res
cue the unfortunates, but only blackened
and disfgured remnants Of mortality have
thus far rewarded the toilers.
Outside the scene is heartrending in
the extreme. Thousands of sympathizing
citizens, miners and others are present
and rendering all assistance possible un-
der the circumstances. Women and
|
children are weeping, wringing their
hands and mourning aloud for the loved
and lost, and waiting in anxious, hopeless
expectation for each new report from the
poisonous pit.
Women are everywhere doing what
they can to minister to the wants of the
exhausted volunteers, as they are borne
like helpless children back from the mouth
of the pit. Great chaldrons of steaming
coffee are ready, and all known restora-
tives are at hand.
Women's hearts and women's hands are
first in the work, and where brave men
falter and turn pale they neither SHRINK
nor turn away from their ministering mis-
sion.
The mine has been nearly exhausted
and was known to be filed with black
damp, and yet it was considered safe, and
has been constantly worked since the con-
clusion of the strike, although not TO its
full capacity.
1t is owned by J. schooly of Wyoming,
and worked by A. Tompkins, who Is ex-
teusively engaged in the business of min
ing coal and owns and operates several
other openings. ... -.s
Twelve feet of gas was found in a head
ing just off the gangway, which had been
traversed all day by explorers with a
naked light, aud the merest accident
would have caused another and worse ex-
plosion, involving a loss of at least fifty
lives.
During the fore part of the night those
assuming control have ordered the pumps
reversed and water has been forced down
the shaft, thus hoping to increase the vo?-
ume of pure air and expel the foul. At
II clock Superintendent Kendryck aud
Inspector Blewitt were preparing to de-
find their expectations of replenishing the
avenue with pure air realized, they will
hardly be able to draw away the debris
necessary TO reach the imprisoned miners
before morning.
At 10 o'clock midnight eight bodies had
been removed, all dead.
Three volunteers have just been taken
out insensible, and no further attempts TO
recover the bodies will be made before
daylight.
The theories and coniectures as to the
cause of the disaster are many. Some are
of the opinion that there WAS great fire
of coal in the chambers or passage, mile
or more from the shaft, which drove the
pure air out OF the mine, leaving the men
to die. The general opinion is, however,
that the calamity was caused by the ex-
plosion of the fire damp. The first iuti-
nation that anything was wrong was the
rafting and jost!ing of the detceuding
car as the air rushed out of the shaft with
such velocity Hs for moment TO stop its
descent.