Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-11-04
WhIStlink In the Mines.

In 1910 there was great NINE disaster
near CarbOndale, Pa. Several miners were
buried in one Of the Delaware and Hudson
Canal company's mines by a sudden cav
ing in of the roof. Although the cause of
the caving was known to have been a
lack of proper support by pillars and tim
bers, at least one old miner, a survivor of
the disaster, still living here, has always
maintained, and still maintains, that 1t was
caused by daredevil miner" named
Jack Richards, whisthng In the mIno while
working with his gang, against the pro-
tests OF his comrades. Richards was a
skeptical young Welshman, who ridiculed
all the superstltions of his sfellow-workmen.
With tbs old miner mentioned above and
fifteen others, he was working in the mine,
a mile from the entrance, on the day of the
catastrophe. The mine was well known
TO be scantlly propped, and the miners
were ''robbing' 1t preparatory to Its aban-
donment. he is described as having been
a merry fellow, fond of teasing his CON-
panions. On this occasion he suddenly
laid down his pick, and announced to his
fellow workmen in the chamber that he
intended to "whistle them up the Rigs O.
Barley" The miners were aghast at the
thought of Richards thus deliberately flying
in the face of nine luck, and they begged of
him not to ch sc the good luck spirit away.
He laughed at their fears, and with clear,
loud notes made the chamber ring with the
lively Scotch air. Not content with that,
says the old miner, shuddering at this late
day over the sacreligiOus temerity of the
merry Welshman, he ratified of a jig known
by the miners as the Devil Among the
Tailors," and ended by telling the good
luck spirit to take dance TO that, and
be blowed TO it." None of the miners
could speak for some time. Some of them
tried to go to work again, but the fear Of
disaster was 80 strong upon them that they
all made preparations 10 quit the mine.
The old miner who recalls this modest
says that he had brother and son work
ing in another mine, and he made up his
mind to go to them, tell them of Jack
Richards foolhardiness, warn them of its
consequences, and escape with them from
the mine. Jack Richards could not con-
vince any of them of the childishness of
their intended course.
Suddenly, while they were gathering up
their tools, noise like the sound of dis
tant thunder came to the ears of the agita-
ted miners. They knew too well what the
sound presaged- The roof was working" "
and q cave-in threatened. The mine rs
turned to Jack and charged him with bring
ing disaster upon them by his defiance of
the good luck spirit of the mine. Jack re-
piled that if the roof was falling, it was
because of insufficient support, and, not
because of his whistling, and knowing the
danger that encompassed them all, he coun-
seled his comrades to lose no time in ''get-
ting atop" But before they could take
the first step toward reaching the surface a
second shock ran through the mlne This
time it was like clap of thunder near the
earth. 1t was followed by crash that
could be made out by the falling masses OF
rock and coal from the roof, and by a gust
of wind hat hurled the miners against the
Jagged walls of their chamber. Then the
mine fell in all about them, and the seven
teen miners and the car-horse were impris-
oned behind wall of fallen coal and rock,
a space II ot more than forty feet square.