Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-11-05
FIGHTING FOR LIFE.

the men at once fed to the shaft and
were raised to the surface but on arriv-
al at the pits mouth, fourteen of their
number-men and boys-were seen to
be missing. In an instant and without
the slightest hesitation, volunteers nobly
stood forward to undertake the task of
rescue, and Immediately descended the
pit again. for the purpose, if possible, of
bringing their fellow-miners to the
''bank" in safety. 1t was found that
the water had broken into the mine
through some old abandoned workings,
and was flowing into all the stalls, head
ings and galleries into which the mine
was divided. The volunteers found also
that all the workings within few hund-
red yards of the bottom of the shaft
were filled with water up to the roof,
and it was at first concluded that all the
fourteen missing ones we're drowned. A
knocking was, however, heard, as if
some of the men were confined behind a
wall of coal accessible from the outside
and the volunteers at once determined
to cut through this wall, which they be-
lieved to be about twelve yards thick.
The imprisoned men worked from their
side, too; and in few hours the OBJ
struction was so far removed as to ena-
BILE the two parties to speak to each 9TH
er. The tale of the imprisoned men
was, that the water was rapidly gaining
on them, and one of them struck through
the coal to escape from the rising water.
But from one peril they Immediately
passed to another, for violent explo-
sion followed, and one poor fellow, Thom-
as Morgan, was found jammed to death
! in the hole which had been cut. This
sad accident was caused by the sudden
escape of air which was pent up in the
''stall'' in which they stood out of the
way of the water, and the act of making
the hole through the coal in so sudden
manner was equivalent to applying a
match to heap of powder or pulling
the trigger of gun. 1t was fortunate
they were not all killed by the explosion
After this, knockings were heard far
ther on in the mine and 1t was soon
made evident that the position of the
other nine men was worse than that OF
.hn rninnre inst reached Tho WALL he
hind which they were imprisoned was in
a heading that was entirely flooded. and
they could only be reached after part Of
the water had been pumped out. Divers
were here employed, who went boldly
into the food, and gallantly endeavored
to proceed through the half mile of wa
ter which lay between the shaft and the
imprisoned miners /; but these were un
willingly compelled to relinquish the at
tempt On Monday, however, four days
after the flooding of the mine, the watel
was so far reduced as to allow the work
of cutting through the coal to be com
menced And here we must pause t,
mention that this was done with pow
erful pumping apparatus, which, will
all its appliances, had to be properly
and cautiously fitted up before it coulc
be put into successful operation. Th'
poor fellows below had been without fooC
for some five days now. and it thus be
came question of patient endurance OF
; the one hand and of unceasing labor ant
noble efforts on the other. And neve
did men work more nobly than did thos
who were thus doing all that lay in tn
power of man to save the lives of thei
devoted comrades.
In spite of their indefatigable efforts
however, day after day passed by with
out any apparent result. for they had t
: cut through forty yards Of sohd GOA
P and the difficulty increased as the inter
vening wall became thinner. The anxi
" ETY. of all concerned may be imagine
Z when we remind our readers that thi
: immense block of coal could only b
penetrated at the rate of yard an houl
I But relays of men worked night and da
> with unremitting zeal until at lengt
! their efforts were rewarded with success
The imprisoned men were heard, an
! were able not only to speak to their de
P liverers, but also give directions as
: the course of the cuttings. "Make haste
make haste p was the plaintive or
; which now nerved the hands and arm
l. of the heroic workers, for it was like
q voice from the grave which thus reache
: their ears.
Questioned as to their mode Of exis
= ence in the mine, the prisoners said tn;
they had eaten absolutely nothing, ths
IL they were all very weak. and two {
their number were completely prostra
ed. There were only four men and
/. boy there, the other four having bee
cut off from their fellows, and had, ;
ID since ascertained, perished. The lit
boy piteously implored the workmen
10 make hole for him to creep through
le his mother. But in spite of their wi
" ling hearts, the brave toilers were con
PEELED to proceed more slowly and cal
a. tiously than before, in order to prever
is the recurrence of second disaster,
f. the too sudden escape of the pent-up al