Morris tribune., 1881-05-19
RECALLING A NINE DISASTER,

Death of Joseph Hosie-His Thrilling Ex-
perience at the Carbonate, Pa, Mine Dis
aster Thirty -four Years Ago.
Letter from Scranton Pa, to New York Times.
John Hosie, veteran coal operator, the
hero of the Carbondale mine disaster, of
1916, died recently. He was well known
throughout the anthracite region as super
intendent of collieries, but his principal
prominence was gained by his thrilling ad-
venture in the mines of the Deleware and
Hudson canal company, at the head of the
Lackawanna Valley, Sc years ago, when he
was imprisoned for week liz the bowels of
the earth and was given up for dead. The
disaster occurred on the morning of Jan.
II, 1916, about an hour after the men had
gone to work. First there was a rumbling
sound like that of distant thunder, and this
was followed by the collapse of about so
acres of mine along the mountain-side fill
ing the underground galleries with death
killed where they stood. Others were i'm
prisoned in their narrow chambers, where
their skeletons were found weeks afterward, ?
the rats having stripped the flesh from Their
bones.
AS soon as Hosie recovered from the first
shock of the collapse, he found himself
face downward, tightly wedged into mar
row crevice, with scarcely room enough to
breathe. Being man of iron will. and
having had great experience in mining mat
ters, his first resolve was that he should not
die without a struggle. He set to work
with his fingers to pick his way among the
debris, and when he had made this aperture
wide enough to drag his body through, he
was dismayed by a violent commotion
among the rocks around him, which re-
suited in barring his way. For the first
time he was disheartened. He must have
been at work "a hours to earn that slender
means of hope, and he realized feeling of
despair in finding it cut OFF. The grinding
of the restless rocks caused him fresh fear
lest they would finally crush him in his mar
row resting place. 1t was with great suf-
fering that he managed to inhale some air
from the crevices through which it was
pumped by the action of the ragged mass
overhead A terrible thirst came upon
him, and the only thing he had
to allay it with was the oil
in his lamp, which he drank eagerly. At
ter lying in his cramped position for some
time, working with his fingers to force
way through, he was Mortified to find that
he had worn the flesh to the bone, and the
intense pain prevented further operations
of that kind. Then there was another
movement. The rocks and the narrow
fssure wldened, making way through
which he could creep comfortably on hands
and knees. Every inmate in that terrible
darkness seemed en eternity of time, but
it was some relief when he discovered at
length place in which he could stand
erect. He knew he was inside the fall,
that is, next the mountain. and between
himself and the outside world lay all that
shattered mass of rock and ceal. A fruitless
effort was made to reach an air-shaft.
| Then Mr.. Hosie thought that by feeling
his way in the rocks and learning thereby
the direction of the break, he might make
his way to the main entrance. For sever
al hours he grnped about to ascertain the
desired information. Swarms of rats
rushed squealing by him, and on several
occasions he feared they would fall upon
and devour him, but he managed
to fight his way successfully, and at
length emerged into the main entrance he
had so eagerly sought. Here his thirst was
overpowering, and, meeting little pool of
water, he lay down and put his lips to it,
| after which he was so completely overcome
that he could not rise again. He was dis
covered in that position soon afterwards by
q party of miners, and carried to his home
J where his wife had been mourning linn for
dead. The clothing was torn from his body,
his finger tips were worn to the bones, and
he presented sorry spectacle, but after
careful nursing rallied again, and soon af.
forwards engaged in mining.
He has filed several large railroad con-
tracts-at various times, and, in 1858, built a
portion of the Covington and Ohio Railroad
in Virginia, for which that state still owes
him $4,000. He was also interested as a
mine owner in this county and in Sohuyl-
kill, and was known as a man of great force
of character. Mr.. Hosie was born in Stir1-
ingshire, Scotland, in 1912, and was a
splendid type of the hardy. industrious
Scottish race which has done so much to
/ develop the coal fields of Pennsylyania.