Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-06-02
Another Mining Horror.

Another Avondale disaster has occur
red in Pennsylvania. The shaft of
mine at West Pittston, Pa, owned by the
Leigh Valley railroad, and worked by
Blake,& Co. of New York, caught fire
at ten minutes past 2 o'clock on Satur-
day afternoon 1t was the time of chang
ing shifts, and three car loads Of men
had Just been hoisted. The engineer,
McDermott, was soon enveloped in smoke
but stood to his post bravely. He hoist
ed his carriage four times more, but none
came up. The seventh time the rope
burned and broke, and the carriage fell
into the shaft. The engineer could then
stand it no longer; his arms were severe
ly burned and it was with the utmost
difficulty that he escaped with his life.
BY this time the breaker and engine
house were one mass of fire, and by 3
o'clock the burning debris covered the
ground. Thousands of people had now
repaired to the scene. Fire engines were
telegraphed for, and men with buckets
brought water from the Susquehanna
river, half mile distant. A line of 500
was formed, who passed buckets from one
to another, and water was finally passed
in to the shaft, out of which a dense
black smoke continually issued. Shortly
afterfre engines from Pittston, Kingston,
Wilkesbarre and Scranton arrived, and
streams of water were soon played into
the mouth of the mine. Locomotives
were at once engaged in conveying wa
ter in tanks for the supply of the fire en-
gines, and by six o'clock the fire was so
far extinguished as to allow an inspection
of the shaft. At Is minutes before
o'clock dog was let down, and in three
minutes raised alive. In few moments
he was again let down, and, after remain
ing fveminutes, was raised with thesam
result as before At sos, William Low,
assistant superintendent of the Pennsyl-
vania coal company, went down rs feet
with rope around his leg. A carriage
and platform over the mouth of the
shaft was soon after completed, and at
7:45, Davis, Harris and William War
rem, miners, commenced a descent into
the mine, repairing the partition between
the up cast and the down cast, and clear
ing, away the Instructions of the fallen
tinbers as they vent.
The shaft of the mine was $50 feet
deep, and the work of rescuing the inn
periled miners was pushed with the great
est vigor. At half past II o'clock the
rescuing party succeeded in effecting an
entrance to the bottom of the shaft, and
brought to the surface Andrew Morgan,
who was insensible. They also found
Hiram Curtis, dead, lying with his face
in the water. At 12:40 they sent up
word that the men had barricaded, and
sent up the cage for more men and tools.
On Sunday morning the excitement was
greater than ever before. Up to s A. NJ.
25 men had been brought to the top, of
whom six we're dead. OF the insensible
but one or two have so far recovered as
to give an account of themselves. Nor
gan, who was first discovered, is still
alive, but be is still unconscious, and his
recovery is doubtful. The exploring
parties are compelled to proceed with the
utmost caution, and are frequently
brought out asphyxiated with foul gases.
At 10 A. NJ. thirty men had been brought
out, ten of whom were dead, and at -
not more than one or two remained in
the mine. Every one brought up for the
two hours before noon was found to be
stone dead AT $50 o'clock all the men
had been removed, but IS of the SO were
dead, The excitement at the scene of
the catastrophe on Sunday was almost
indescribable. Thousands of people
| crowded around the mouth of the pit,
and werewith difficulty kept outside the
ropes which had been stretched around
the shaft.
The fire originated by the friction of
the wooden machinery of the breaker,
and was communicated to the surround
ing woodwork by the oily wrappings and
and packings. The shaft has but one
opening and is in precisely the same con-
dition as the Avondale shaft was pre-
vious to that great disaster. The opera
tors Of the mine were notified, about a
month ago, that, according to the pro-
visions of the ventilation bill, no more
than twenty miners could be allowed to
work on one shaft until a second opening
had been secured, and work upon a sec
ond shaft was in progress at the time of
the disaster.
Martin Cox. who was taken out of the
mine alive, makes the following state
ment The first intimation we had Of
the fire was sound as though an explo-
sion of gas had taken place. An Eng
| fish miner said there is fire. We were
than workiuo a hout IN vardo f~o,,, A.