The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-01
The Pittston Disaster.
STATEMENT OF A RESCUED MINER.

STATEMENT OF RESCUED MINER.
One Of the few miners who was entirely
conscious when lifted from the shaft, was
William r. Davies. He talked feebly
with those who bore him away, and be-
sought them "not to hurt his head" Soon
after, he made the following statement,
which is given in his own words:
am one of the men who have SO mar
rowly escaped death in the West Pttston
mine. now feel extremely weak and ex-
hausted, and very dizzy in my head, as
well as sick at my stomach. At the mo-
ment when first heard that the breaker
was on fire / was hard at work in my
chamber in the mine. As soon as the
alarm was given, and we understood the
exact nature of the danger, we all came to-
gether as quickly as we could find one
another, In the gang-way at the foot of the
shaft; and finding it hopeless to attempt
to go up, and knowing that there was no
other way of escape, we decided at once to
build barricade, and shut ourselves in
behind it.
We had one thing of the greatest i'm
portance in our favor. There was no fur
mace in the mine, and the air was fur
nished in the pit by large fan, which
drove it down. We were perfectly well
aware of the fact that our lives depended
almost entirely upon the barrioade we
were building, and we, therefore, made it
as strong as we could. We made it by
trimming off very large Jumps of coal, and
then putting them together closely in
stout wall. When it was completed we
knew that it was perfectly secure barrier
against the fire. We then gave the closest
attention by listening to what was going
on outside. For two or three hours, at
least, after the barricade was finished we
could distinctly hear the noise that was
made at the top of the shaft.
After that time the assurance seemed to
come upon us all that we should never be
taken out of the mine alive. The reason
of this change Of feeling was that so many
of us began to feel drowsy, and we knew
it must be the effect OF impure air.
After this we quite resigned ourselves to
the death which seemed certain, and went
to work to make our preparations to meet
it. We held prayer-meeting, with sing
ing and praying; and at last we gave each
us bidding every man an affectionate fare
well, with the hope of meeting one another
in heaven.
We, of course, thought much of what
could be done to attract the attention OF
the men outside, who we knew were doing
all in their power to deliver US, SO that we
might be found as soon as possible, and no
time be lost in search of traces of us.
For this purpose one man was sent to
the gangway, at the foot of the east shaft,
who wrote with piece of coal on the out
side of the door of the east gangway that
we had barricaded ourselves behind it,
You will excuse me, know, from trying
to remember anything more, Or from talk
ing further just now. | am too week, but
as soon as I recover my strength, will be
glad to recall and describe in full detail
everything that occurred in the mine.
The physicians attending Mr.. Davies be-
lieve that be cannot survive the effect of the
noxious gas which he inhaled. All the
victims receive the most devoted attention
from neighbors and friends, and aid is
freely proffered from all quarters, The af-
f1icted women, especially those who for
two days suffered from extreme alterna-
tions of hope and despair, are pitiably ex-
Lausted from broken hearted lamentations,
or from miDistering upon the injured men
lingering between life and death. Those
of the men who have been able to speak OF
their experience while shut up in the mine
have all related that death approached
them in the form ofdrowsiness, and almost
painless stupor. The clothes of some were
| torn nd tho Zach brp;cod 90 ;f froy,, uio
lent struggling; but this appears to have
taken place while they were unconscious