The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-29
Description of the Scene.

P1TTsToN, Pa, May 2S.-From midnight to
noon to-day the excitement around the West
Pittston shaft has been unabated. Thousands
of people arrived on the ground last night, and
the period of suspense was trying and intense.
Everybody had his own theory as to the chances
of life for the men in the depth beneath Some
thought that the miners would be saved on
count of the copious supply of water running
through the mines, but all the mining engineers,
superintendents, foremen, and experienced
miners thought the chance of salvation very
meagre. Avondale was tale-telling and sor
rowful precedent, and the surging crowd, argu-
ing more from analogy than any scientific
knowledge of the facts in the case, concurred
in the belief that the unfortunate men who were
lying in the subterranean channel of death were
beyond all hopes of recovery, Mothers and
wives participated in the same
FEELING OF DESPAIR,
and loud were the lamentations heard on all
sides, finding an echo in every heart, and draw
ing tears from every eye. The whole scene
around the shaft was perfect Illustration of
hopelessness and resignation, but the brave men
working necessarily, with no other incentive
than love of their fellow-men, did not diminish
their energy nor allow their ardor to cool.
Towards midnight preparations were completed
to enter the shaft. A temporary platform
carriages had been constructed and q hoisting
apparatus prepared. The rope attached to the
carriage was manned by five hundred willing
hands, and an efficient officer, Mr.. j. E. Patter-
son, had charge of the signals and hosting. To
keep the crowd away and clear passages for the
transmission of fresh air, circle of rope was
formed around the mine and nobody allowed
inside the enclosure.
At IL o'clock P. NJ four men volunteered to
enter the shaft. They were lowered down. but
could not penetrate further than 100 feet. When
hoisted up they reported
INDIsTINCT VOICES COMING FROM BELOW.
futtering of hope ran through the crowd.
At 1130 three miners voluteered again. but
after reaching the depth of 200 feet the signal
was given for hosting. They reported noise,
but 1t might have been an echo.
At IL M. three miners were let down, and
nothing was heard from them for half an hour.
The suspense was iptolerable. Many apprehen-
sions of danger were aloat wheE at last the
signal was given to hoist The explorers went
as far as the barricade built by the miners and
on that they found, written with chalk, the fol-
lowing inscription
''wE ARE ALL IN HERE"
From that time till noon to-day the men were
brought up gradually. sometimes one at a time.
Medical aid was plenty, there being large
number of physicians on the ground furnished
with restoratiyes and other medical stores.
The men around worked bravely, sus-
tanned by the hope that every new arrival
at the top of the shaft would be live man.
The sonorous voice of Patterson at the mouth
of the shaft proclaimed the fate of the men.
The air resounded at regular intervals with the
announcement dead" dying" breathing
many other equally descriptive and sad qualif-
cations. Those who volunteered to enter the
mines in search of the men were often over
come with choke-damp, and many of them are
not yet free from its effects.
THE LAST MAN.
At 11.30 A. NJ thirty. six men had been hoisted
up, and another man was reported missing.
Several parties went down in search of him, but
did not succeed. He was supposed to be al
the bottom of the shaft, buried under the
debris. Men were sent with shovels and picks
to clear the rubbish, and others volunteered
to explore the mines east and west Fol
two long hours the men worked with will
and for two long hours the people outside
were held in breathless suspense. At last the
long-expected signal to hoist was given, aud the
man brought up alive. He was found lying or
his side, with his arm under his head, abou
fifty feet from the place in which he usually
worked. He had crept into an airway, and the
water near the airway was waist deep. Had hC
been there an hour longer he would have beer
drowned. After being brought to the open all
the reaction was too strong for him, and at Z
O'clock he was added to the list of dead.
One of the miners working at the shaft wa
saved providentially. A short time before th'
fire broke out he was suddenly seized with
severe toothache. Without any delay he wen
out to have the tooth extracted, and before h
was dozen rods away the breaker Yves II
flames. One of the men who died (Martll
Crehan) could have been saved, but anxious TO
/ the safety of his fellows, he ran 20 the cas-
gangWay to inform them OF the impending ca
lamity, and returned too late to secure his owl
life.
INTERVIEW WITH THE SAVED.
At four o'clock this afternoon ] repaired t
the house of Thomas Edwards and his so
George two of the men who had been With
the gates of death. Neither of them had sui
fered much, and both were able to convers
freely. The following is the conversation whic
took place:-
Reporter-G George, l want you torelate, as fa
as you can remember, the events of the la
twenty-four hours: how you felt in the mine
and what occurred there?
George-We went into the mines this morn
ing at O. At 2 we were preparing to come ou
Upon approaching the loot l noticed sou
burning timbers falling down, and the trut
. came on my mind that the shaft was Cd fir
aud that We would all be shut in as they were
Avondale. The carriage above came dow
with a crash. and we rSn back along the ca
gangway. Robert SmaNcombe gave the fir
warning. After we got back about tn
hundred feet we commenced building
wall across the gangway to keC
away the smoke. One of the me
John Burroughs wrote on this barricade, ~
are all inside here" and after we got inside '
encouraged each other, and held aprayer NEE
ing and prepared for the worst Few of o.
men we're calm. At o'clock some of the
began TO sleep. tried to wake them but thI
would no sooner wake than they would fl
asleep again. / opened, the door and we
towards the shaft, but was nearly overcome wi
the smoke and sulphur. went back to b
men and found most Of them asleep. remeI