The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-06-02
ANOTHER COAL MINE HORROR
Fire in the Pittston Coal Mine-An-
other Avondale DisasteT-Eighteen
Men Taken out Dead.

Men Taken out Oeao.
PHILADELPHIA, May PA Pittston dis
paeh, dated 2:3o P. NJ, says the shaft of one
of the mines is on fire, and that all the miners
are inside and none Of them can escape.
| A second diapatch says the West PIttston
shaft, owned by the Lehigh Valley Railroad
and worked by Blake 81 Co., Of New York, is
/ burning. There is only one outlet. Part of
the men have been saved. No particulars
have vet been obtained, but it seems to be
repetition Of the Avondale disaster.
/ PITTsToN, Pa, May $3.50 z. Mail the
men in the mines, 80 in number, have been
brought M. Eighteen were dead. At half
past y last night they succeeded in effecting
an entrance at the bottom of the shaft, and
brought to the surface Andrew Morgan. They
also found Hiram Custer lying with his face
/ IN the water At l2:45 they sent up word
| that the men had barricaded themselves in,
and sent up the cage for more men and tools.
This morning the excitement at the shaft IS
greater than ever. Up to eight o'clock twen-
ty-four men have been brought to the surface,
| six of whom were dead. All were insenslble
when brought out, but one or two have so far
recovered as to be able to give an account of
| themselves. Morgan, the first one discov-
cred, is still alive, though his recovery Is doubt
ful. He is still Uneoncious.
Exploring parties are compelled to proceed
with the utmost caution, and are frequently
brought cut asphiXiated with foul gases At
ten A. II, thirty men were dead, and at twelve
o'clock not more than one or two remained in
the mine. Every one of the men brought up
for the past two hours was found dead.
The excitement was almost indescribable.
Thousands cf people crowded around the mouth
of the pit, and in their eagerness to see and
hear were with difficulty kept outside Of the
rope which stretched around the shaft.
At the time of the ignition of the upper part
of the shaft yesterday, the shifts OF miners
were being changed, and many were standing
and few others we're relieved by their com
panions coming out. The alarm being given
TO the engineer, McDermott, he at once COM
/ municated the warning Of danger to the bot
/ tom of the mine and began to hoist the carri-
age, bringing with the first four trips several
men. In the three succeeding trips no arrivals
were reported, and while the eighth trip was
being made, the rope slipped off the pulley and
all further means Of escape was beyond posi-
bility.
AT one time a young lad at the bottom of
/ the shaft two hundred and eighty feet down,
saw in a nervous twitching Of the bell wire,
which bell refused to respond, and led to sus-
picious of some disastrous accident among
them. He ran into the east gangway, several
/ hundred feet and warned his brother of the
circumstance. These two, with Mr.. Evans,
were the last to ascend from the pit.
In an hour and quarter the breaker had
burned to the ground, and men OF all yoca-
tons in life began removing the half consumed
| timbers that obstructed the passage TO the
mouth of the shaft No water but from
small well being available, it was drawn ID
wagons and barrels from the river mile dis
| tant. Telegrams were also dispatched to the
| Scranton and Wilkesbarre fire departments for
| assistance. The Scranton steamer arrived at
a quarter past three O'Clock and about the
same time came the hose companies Of Pitts
ton. The Wilkesbarre steamer arrived soon
after.
Bv 5 o'clock the water had cooled the iron
and wood near the shaft and preparations
were made to clear the mouth. In the mean
time hundreds Of women and children had
congregated near the scene of the disaster, and
sheir heart-rending cries pierced the air. At
$40 the mouth of the mine had been sufficient
| ly cleared to let down a dog. He was kept
down the first time for three minutes and then
let down again and kept for five minutes. He
came up alive.
AtP- III. the timber was brought to the
mouth Of the mine, and a temporary frame
work made to cover the opening; the platform
of the carriage is constructed and preparations
made to enter at s 2. NJ. Two men, David
Harris and William Warren are let down
sbout twenty feet they have lights, bell-ropes,
water and tools, they remove the burned tim
Der and charred scantings, and are construc-
ting partition to secure up and down cur
rents of air.
A few minutes previous to this VIM. Law
was let down by rope 75 feet into the shaft
but Immediately gave the signal for hoisting.
A strong current of air comes from the open
ing, carving with 1t thick smoke and obnoxi-
Gus gasses Preparations for the rescue of the
miners were continued to be pushed with the
greatest Yigor until 1880, when above stated,
the first man was reached. The fire origina-
ted by spontaneous combustion, by the friction
Of wood on the work Of a breaker.
PTTTsToN, May 28-Martin Cox, who was
taken out alive, makes the following state
ment: We went In at I A. NJ; my brother
Robert cut through from one air way to anoth-
er, and turned on the gas, and SIX miners
came out with him before their shaft was up
The air was so bad that they couldn't work
| ALI this was about Is minutes before 3, and
/ seven Of the miners came up 70 the top five
minutes before the fire was discovered. The
first intimation we had Of the fire was a sound
through the mine as if there was an explosion.
James English, miner, said it was on fire; we
were then working about fifty yards from the
bottom of the shaft on the west side. 1 then
ran TO the bottom Of the shaft, saw fire coming
and ran back and told by comrades "We are
all lost; the shaft is on tire" We were seven
in all within, and ran to the shaft, and the
burning timbers coming down, threw on water
/ to put out the fire, and smoke became so in
tense we were nearly sufocated. Dense vol
unes came down the shaft and filed the place.
We then ran over to the west side IN the di-
rection Of the river bridge down the the slope,
and got in at the door with eleven others,
making eighteen In all IN that place. The
smoke came In upon US SO badly that we gath
cred up 'sgob" Of fine stuff from the track
and pasted up the cracks of the door, and also
stuffed Goals IN the holes, which stopped the
smoke for some time.
We now had time for thought and reflection.
No one expected to see daylight again and
said, asecond Avondale" We all sang hymns
and prayed, calling upon God In his mercy to
save US. We all felt doomed beyond aid, and
We ran back and forth through the gang-ways
for fresh air. At 3:l5 P. NJ. Patrick Farley
fell. groaned twice and was found dead when
the men came in the place after the fire. 1
then went over to the west side for my coat
and TO help put out the smoke, as we would
aII be suffocated very soon. The men then
Dassed me, carrying back their comrades who
were diving in thir arms. More men on the
outside of the doors we're crying out In distress
and anguish, calling upon God Tor safety and
succor. None expected TO come out alive.
A boy told his father, amidst the horrible
CRYING. ave will come out safe, but If we must
die Ief us die Ike men" Father and son both
came out alive at 7:30 ?. n. became insen-
sible and remained SO until was brought out
by my brother Robert, about o'clock on Sun
| day morning.
6Ir. Cox IS an intelligent Irishman, aged
about p years.
PITTsToN, PA, May 29.-Every man who
was taken out Of the pit alive yesterday morn
/ ing is In imminent danger. Most Of them can
live but few hours, and a few Of them are
dead this morning 1t is impossible at this
moment to obtain graves for those who have
/ died to-day. The physician in attendance
now emphaticallY assert that not one Of those
thought to be rescued Gan recover from the
I injuries sustained.
| There was a great difference between the
ARRANGEMENTS Of the West Pittston shaft that
burned on Saturday and that at Avondale.
In the Avondale shaft there was furnace, but
here there was none, and the air was forced
down by means Of large fun. The breaker
caught ire at two o'clock On Saturday after
noon, and the fire was entirely extinquished to
The bottom.
It IS now confidently believed that if the
men In charge Of the resers had thought OF
] this construction work and had procured
nev fan and set IN operation imnedio4 4~iv.
enouri, air could have been forced down To
maintain Lii, In all men who were behind bar
ricade. But no fsn was brought until it was
too late, and most Of the men persisted for the
want Of air.