The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-06
lgss a ThE'AIllA!e!lg MgslsA Story.

terrible battle has been raging in the
Welsh colliery Of aTroed yrhiw, a battle in
which death savsgely fought on one side
andthe brave minersaof Pontypridd son
the 0ther The tale is one that will live
lonGaine the homes Of the Rhondda valley.
II IS story the details (which have
been given day by day and which has
stirred to the lowermost .depts tho sym-
pathies of tho English people, and en-
listed the earnest solicitude Of the Queen
herself. Day after day since the strange
calamity occurred which closed a number
of hapless miners in tomb, the first It'd
ings for which the newspaper was
searched at every household table has
been the latest report from that dreadful
Troedyrhiw mine. When the news had
been read that the miners were still
entombed. public sympathy and interest
gradually quickened into an absorbing
anxiety which converted the battle waged
SO long and earnestly for life into a nation
al event. It was on April 12, just as the
day-shaft golfers were. quitting the
Troedyrhiw pit when the catastrophe &C.
Cured. ~ / = r. II II
Some last incautious blow, or some &C
cidental breach Of wall or vein, burst the
thin partition which held back vast con
cealed reservoir of subterranean water.
when suddenly with rush like that of
an angry incoming sea, a black Cocytus
of flood broke in upon the mine. Filling
the lower galleries and bottom Of the
shafts, driving before it the atmosphere
from every portion of the workings, this
deluge cut off two parties of
men who escaped with difficulty from the
peril Of immediate drowning to find
themselves immured in the first and
second adits of the mine nearest the up
per shafts. No sooner was it known that
number of operatives were missing than
scores of brave, hardy volunteers were
forthcoming to rescue their fellows. Many
at once descended the shaft, which is 276
feet deep, and entered the workings It
was then ascertained that all the work
ings within few hundred yards Of the
bottom of the shaft were filled with water
to the roof, and no hope was entertained
that anyone would be discovered alive.
While the explorers were consulting as
to what movement should be made, faint
tappings were heard on the other side of
the coal, as was conjectured at distance
of thirty or forty feet. No sooner was
this discovery made than score of men
threw off their coats and with mandrills
commenced cutting through the solid
mass. - '''@ '' }.
z The imprisoned were also at work.
Throughout the night, relays Of men
toiled with desperate, ,untiring energy,
.cheered and encouraged by the tapping
and sounds. of labor of the imprisoned
men. The task was very ,laborious, it
having to be performed I'M deep water,
but such was the progress made that on
the following morning a mandril struck
through and a hole was made into that
part of the pit where five men were shut
up. The next moment terrific explosion
secured and one of the imprisoned,
miner named Morgan, was hurled into
the opening, where the resources found
him dead. The inundation had been so
sudden rs to imprison 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 Morgan's mandril this volume of
imprisoned air escaped and hurled his
body into the opening and his soul into
eternity. His body was soon after brought
to the surface, and Immediately following
the four living men were brought up and
delivered into the hands of their overjoyed
friends. Others, however, were still miss
ing; others were mourning over friends
still immured in the pit, and at once the
explorers, with willing hands and stout,
manly hearts, set to work. Once more
knocking was heard, but at considerable
distance. -u .. .
These remaining prisoners were, like
their released fellows, shut up in cham
Der of compressed air leading out of
gallery which the water had entirely
filled. The other end of this chamber was
thick, solid wall of coal, filled with wa
ter. Divers attempted to penetrate this
latter passage, but failed; and it was not
until Monday, the 9Th inst, that the water
in it was SO far reduced by pumping as to
render working practicable. Till Thurs.
day following the men who had volun-
teered for the task worked continuously
by constant relays. in endeavoring to cut
passage through the wall which separa-
ted them from their imprisoned comrades.
The passage was about three feet in diam
eter, and the men carried on the work on
their hands and knees. So great was the
interest to effect their rescue that COL
liery owner worth at least 100000 went
down in the train of collier to lend
helping hand. On Thursday the rescuers
came near enough to communicate with
the entombed. Shouting at the top of
his voice, a miner asked, elbow many of
them are you?" The reply came back,
give" It was then asked, 8" How have
you lived?
To this answer was made, "By eating
II