The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-11-27
The sullivan Mine Disaster.
TTerre Haute Express.l

The sullivan Mine Disaster.
[Terre Haute Expressl
Joe landlord. one Of the three brothers,
who had been kept at home two days by
sickness, dared all risks and went into the
mine. This was about an hour after the
smash Before he went down he took the
precaution to have several barrels OF water
thrown into the shaft, to partially purify the
air. When Joe swung off on the rope and
gave the order to lower away, a great cheer
went up from the crowd as he slowly sank
out of sight, down into the air shaft. He
took no light, but felt his way TO the first
vein. Here he stopped long enough TO sat.
isfy himself that the men there were safe,
and left them to wait and went on down to
the bottom OF the pit.
About this time the Shelburn miners
rived. Tom Irwin, grZzled and gritty old
Scoichman, 60 years old, but tough and mus-
cular, one of the Shelburn party, also
swung off into the dark depths. The cable
had been broken and the cage below was
stuck fast, and the adventures bad TO
be let down hand over hand. After
short time had elapsed voice from far
down the hole came family up, Hoist
aw-w-a ayr Slowly and carefully the men
at the top drew up the rope. In the moose
was AL Thompson, from the upper vein,
the first man out. Then, one by one, the
unfortunates were drawn up to daylight.
Those in the lower vein we're more or less
faint, benumbed, frightened and helpless.
George Jarvis fastened one of his comrades
in the moose, then caught the rope above
him and gave the signal to hoist. Bot be
had overestimhted his strength The two
men came dangling TO the surface, but Jarvis
was about to let loose Just as he got to the
mouth he actually slipped down about three
feet, badly scraping the palms of his hands.
He came near dropping off being ''clesr
played" but the men at the top gathered
him in.
Jack Smith, who happened to be away from
the mine at the time OF the calamity, now
arrived, and be- too, was plucSy enough TO
go down. After landlord came out Smith
was the only Sullivan man who was at work
below; all the rest, who were able bodied
seemed afraid to venture.
THE WOUNDED.
One of the living ones who came up from
the lower vein was young Jimmy Harper.
His young face wore a reSolute, hopeful ex-
preston rs il appeared at the mouth of the
shaft, and be said nothing till the men began
taking off the rope, when he quietly remark
ed, Handle me little easy, gentlemen,
I've got a broken leg here" 1t was tlen
found that both bones of the right leg were
broken at the ankle; his right arm and hand
we're burned to a crisp, he was cut in the
neck and head, and there was a cash
Il
little fellow was taken away aud attended
by Drs John and Dudley Murphy, who say
they never saw half the pain borne with
half the fortitude shown by this cool young
miner. His life hangs in the balance.
Etwood Crouch, young man who bad
heen there only day or two from Topeka,
Kan, has a most terribly burned and swelled
face, bruised shoulder aud lame hip. His
chief injury, however, is the damage to his
throat caused by mis- inhaling the fame. H.
was attended by Dr.. Thongs He may
soon recover, but it is hard TO tell. He bears
it like man.
THE DEAD.
And now Smith and Irwin, at work be.
low, were giving to the swinging rope a diff
ferent kind Of burden limp, lifeless bodies,
The dead victims of the dreadful disaster.
Que after another at intervals In the night
he ghastly corpses were brought up. Mr..
Russell Mckinley was busy until midnight,
transporting in his wagon the dead, the
wounded and the temporarily benumbed
Smith remained in the mine lutil half past
So'clock yesterday morning and had sent
up all the dead but one, Pat Dunn, whose
body could not be found.
BRAVE JACK sanIK4
The Express reporter arrived on the scene
shortly before daylight yesterday morning
He found a small coal fire in pendant iroa
FIRST the breaker seemed entirely deserted,
and coined up black aud gloomy in the
darkness; but coming nearer, the visitor
found three men stretched out, doing
around the fire on the ground. They reused
themselves, and the news man proceeded to
Interview them on the spot. One was Tom
Richardson, manly young fellow, VINO bad
been in the upper vein. The
persy talked while, and then the
day began to dawn. Other men came strsg-
CLING in. The road 10 the town was
soon lined with people. By 6. o'clock quite
group had gathered. And now the Ex-
press messenger was introduced to a m an
whom he remembered with peculiar admir-
alton. Jack smith Is sina, raw boned,
stoop shou dered miner OF German descent
about % years old, bIoods, aud having a
careless ap -earance and unpre' en- ding ex-
preston that would make him the last man
IN the crowd to be taken as a hero Yet this
same UMPIRE possessi Dg fellow shed lustre upon
the unique name of John Smith by dong,
that which we don't believe any other man
on the groand would have attempted.
As above stated, Smith had worked in the
mine till half past 3 a m, yet here be Vas
again, after rest OF only two hours and a
nalf, ready to complete the job which no
one else, relishea. Old man Irwin was sx-
hausted, and not present. The mine had
been standing fourteen hours unventilai ed.
fne cages could not he usnd in arriving fresh
air down, or creating current Every hour
the gas aud damp were incTesing. The Ex-
press man while saunteriDg about near the
shaft, was started ny heavy thud from far
below, echoing threaieniDely from the pit.
A large rock had fallen. Others were loose
and dropping from time to time.
One or two of The miners argued quite
hotly with Jack, trying TO make him stay
out But be replied that there was another
man down 'hers, aud he was going down.
After time, five or six barrels of water
were hauled IN wagon and splashed down
the shaft to at least partly purify the air. A
rope about hundred yards long was rugged
with tscklng. and line OF men and boys
held IL. Jack, in blue WOODEN shirt, and
pants 10 boots, straddled the moose and tied Q