Connecticut western news., 1881-05-18
RECALLING A MINE DISASTER. Death of John Hosie. a Coal Operator His Thrilling Experience Thirty.
 four Years Ago.


 John Hosie, a veteran coal operator, the hero of the Carbondale mine disaster, of 1846, died in Scranton, Pa., few days ago. He was well known throughout the anthra- cite region as a Superintendent of collieries, but his principal prominence was gained by his thrilling adventure in the mines of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, at the head of the Lackawanna Valley, thirty six years ago, when he was imprisoned for week in the bowels of the earth and was given up for dead The disaster occurred on the morning of Jan. 12, 1S46, about an hour after the men had gone to work. First there was 8 rumbling sound like that of distant thunder, and this was followed by the col lapse of about fifty acres of mine along the mountain side, filling the underground gal leries with death and terror. Fifty miners were instantly killed where they stood. 9th CTS were imprisoned in their narrow cham bers, 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 narrow crevice, with scarcely room enough to breathe Being man with an iron will, and having had great experience in mining matters, his first resolve was that he should not die without struggle. He set to work with his fingers, to pick his way among the debris, and when he had made an aperature wide enough to drag his body through, he was dismayed by violent commotion among the rocks around him, which resulted in boz ring his way. For the first time he was dis heartened. He must have been at work twenty-four 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 narrow resting place. It was with great suffering that he managed to inhale some air from the crevi ces through which it was pumped by the ac tion of the ragged mass overhead. A terri ble thirst came upon him, and the only thing he had to allay it with was the oil in his lamp, which he drank eagerly. After lying in his cramped position for some time, working with his fingers to force his 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 ing way through which he could creep comfortably on hands and knees Every minute in that terrible darkness seemed an 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 that between himself and the world lay all that shattered mass of rock and coal. A further effort was made to reach an air-shaft. Then MT. 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 several hours he groped about to ascertain the desired information. Swarms of rats rushed squealing by him, and on various occasions he feared they would fall upon him and devour him, but he man. aged to fight his way successfully, and ct 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 overcome that he could not rise again. He was discovered in that position soon afterward by party of miners, who carried him to his home, where his wife had been mourning him for dead. The clothing was torn from his body, his finger tips were worn to the bones, and he presented a sorry spectacle, but after care ful nursing rallied again, and soon afterward engaged in mining. .=: '4s.'-'v