The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-05-13


every portion of the workings, this NJ yste
rious deluge cut off two parties of mer
who escaped with difficulty from the peri
OF in mediate drowning only to find them
selves immured IN the frat. aud secon,
adits of the mine nearest tho upper shafts
NO sooner was 1t known that number q
operatives were missing than scores O
] brave hardy volunteers were iortbcomip,
to rescue their fellows. Manv at once de
scended the shaft, which is 276 feet d. ep
ard entered the workings. 1t was ther
| ascertaiDed that all the workings within
few hundred yards of the bottom of the
ehaft were filled with water to tie roof
and no hope was entertained that any one
would be discovered alive. While the ex
| p'orers were consulting as to what move.
| ment shoald be made, faint knOckines were
heard on the other side of the coal, as was
| copjectured, at a distance of thirty or forty
feet. No sooner was this discovery made
than a score ofmen threw off their Jackets
and with mandriis commenced cutting
through the solid mass. The imprisone ed
were also at work. Throughout the night.
relays of men toiltd with desperate, untir-
ing energy, chez red and encouraged by the
knocking and sounds of labor Of the i'm
pfisoned men.
The task was very laborious, it having
to be performed in deep water, but suc6
was the progress made that on the follow.
ing morning a mandril struck through and
hole was made into that part of the pit
where five men were shut up. The next
moment o terrific explosion occurred and,
one OF the Imprisoned, a miner named Nor
gan, was hurled into the opening, where
the rescuers found him dead. Tie inun-
dation had been SO sudden as to impIisun
the air in the inner workings, and the force
of this had kept back the water from the
five men in that locality. The moment
small hole was cut by Morgar's maudrii
this volume of imprisoned air escaped aud
hurled the poor fellows body iuto the
opening aud his soul into eternity. His
body was soon after brought to the sur
face, and Immediately following the four
living men were brought up and delivered
into the hands of their overjoyed frien6s.
Others, hewever, were still miesing; others
were mourning over friends still lIumured
with willing hands and stout manly hearts,
set to work. Once more knocking was
heard, but at a considerable distance. These
remaining prisoners were like their released
fellows, shut up in a chamber of COM
pressed air leading out of a gallery which
the water had entirely filed. The other
end of tais chamber was q thick solid wall
of coal. aud beyond this again was another
passage filled with water. Divers at
tempted to penetrate this latter passage
but failed, and it was not until Monday, |
the 18th inst, that the water 10 it was 80
Tar reduced by pumping as to render work
nng practicable. Till Thursday following |
worked continuously by constant relays in |
'ndeavoring to cut passage through the |
wall which separated them from their i'm
orisoned comrades. The passage was
lbout three feet in diameter, and the men
carried on the work on their bands and
Inees. So great was the interest to effect
heir rescue that a colliery owner worth at
eass S50OOO went down in the train of a
olier to lend helping hand. On Thurs
ay the rescuers came near enough to COM
1anicate with the entombed. Shouting
t the top Of his voice, miner aeked,
anne back, "Five." 1t was then aeked,
How have you lived" To this answer
Tas made, "By eating cand es. d. make
aste." Shortly after 10 o'clock on Friday ]
'cTuing, the Goth inst, it was known that ]
10 men would be brought out alive, and
message which came up to that effect
lew forth a ringing cheer from the ex- ,
ted crowd around tho pit--a cheer which =
as re echoed from one end of the village
The other. Between 2 and , O'Clock In
lie afternoon the men who had been living
r quite ten da3 in tomb far under.
'ound orce again came into the light of
~ and brcathed the free air Of the upper
orld.
Everything was in readiness, and the E
1e rescued ones were carefully attended Il
by nurses and surgeons. 1t was learned IT
om them that they had nothing to eat
lriDg their confinement except q little g
ease which had run from the box where te
ey had kept the candles. The first two al
ys they had light, but this went out at h
Q close of the second day. They suffered m
rriby from thirst. During the impris- CT
ment, and while the work of rescue was
ing on, many prayer eetings were held %
the district and the men commended to Pi
3 mercy of God.
ONERoUs DUTIES OF THE AMERICAN MINIS.
R TO ENGLAND port says that our Pleni- -
jentiary to London has renewed the lease of T
hn h1,-.a in Gnnr Ill - i Il