The Ottawa free trader., 1881-11-19
The Prairie Creek Break.

The greatest accident resulting from the severe
storm OF last Friday was the flooding Of "Shaft
No. /" OF the VermilliOn Coal Co. at Streator.
Prairie Creek, swollen to torrent by rains, at
length, about A. M. on Saturday last, broke
through the roof of the mine, Tin an open field,
some three. quarters Of mile esst Of the shaft }
which was soon flooded with water. Where the
break occurred there is bed OF quicksand per-
haps thirty feet deep, and the food has cut out a
hole of that depth, perhaps 200 feet long and so
or 100 feet wide, carrying the debris down into
the mine. Along the bottom OF this hole flows q
torrent of water continually cutting away the
soil from the side and upper end and sweeping
it down to the lower end, where 1t poured
down through hole perhaps 25 feet wide and 10
feet across into the nine below.
From the Press we learn that at the time OF the
break two men, Tim Tinsley and jim Stone, were
at work putting in a door at mo. 10 entry"
about 100 yards southeast Of the break. They
were surprised by the water rushing on them
like great wall, and at once fled for their lives.
The water rose on them SO that some OF the time
they could barely keep their heads out. Tias.
ley's lamp was put out, but Stone managed to
keep his alight and they fed along the way ahead
of the roaring waters. They reached the shaft,
were hoisted out and the alarm given and every
effort made to get out the coal and such things
as could be saved. Two Hungarian water bail.
ers we're also in the mine at work up towards the
water shaft. The water came down with rush
and fastened the door through which they usu.
ally went out, but abandoning their mules and
water carts they made their way through some
old workings and by breaking open one or two
places where it had been panked up they got
out. The two mules were drowned and that is
all the life known to be lost from the accident.
An effort WAS made to stop the opening by cut
ting down trees and brush and filling in the hole,
but the effort was futile, and resulted only in
throwing SO much rubbish into the mine to be
again removed. In the afternoon large force
of men was set to work cutting a canal across
the knoll south of the break from the channel
above to the channel below. The work was
prosecuted with all possible speed and was com.
pleted and the water turned in Monday after.
noon. The cut is abIt 40 rods long and ten or
twelve feet deep in the deepest place.
| The water flowed constantly into the mine un.
til turned into the new canal, and the quantity
are about 800 acres undermined, and It Is esti
mated by those best posted that the space occa
stoned by taking out each acre Of coal will give
room for 1000, 900 barrels OF water Thus it viii
be seen there are now 300, ,OOO, 900 barrels or H.
900, ,OOO, 900 gallons Of water in the mine. The
pumping facilities are now equal to 10000 gal
Ions per minute, and will be doubled by the use
of additional pumps and the cages, which vii
be used for bailing. At this rate 1900, 900 gal
Ions per hour or 2s,sOO, 600 per day, will be ia.
ken from the mine, requiring, by pumping alone
about 45O days to remove the water. 1t is pro
posed, however, to cut tunnel from Vermillion
river to the mine, which would soon drain tt.
The break throws about GOO miners out OF work
and while some of these may find work In
other mines of the town, it is certain the coal
production Of the place will be seriously curtaled
for many weeks.