The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-05
GROVE SHAFT HORROR.
determined Efforts 10 Descend into
the Mine and Learn the
Very Worst.

Nery WOfst.
FuD Particulars OF the Great Disaster OF
Friday; Twenty-seven Widows, One Hun
dred md Eight Children Fatherless-yolun-
tecrs from Other Mines Present TO Give
What Assistance They Can-Rcpairing OF
the Shaft Begun; Descent OF Working-Par-
ties-Probablc Cause OF the Explosion-Lis;
or the Men Caught Underground, with
Places OF Nativity, Ages, and Family-liis-
tory-The Latest from the Relief Parties
MIR. Cuthbert's Account-Down In n Coal
Mine; A Description Written in 1si3-one
Body Discovered.
Though there was little outward evidence
Of il, yesterday was day Of great sorrow
at the Midlothian mines.
Around the mouth OF Grove shaft there
was no crowd; only men at work. The
widowed women and the children made
fatherless by the great calamity OF Friday
generally remained at their homes, suffering
the agony Of frightful suspense and hoping
against hope, while courageous men, with
all the means at their disposal, went hard
20 work TO penetrate the mine and discover
the worst. 1t can hardly be possible that
any OF those entombed 10y the explosion OF
Friday can be alive, but their friends feel
il a duty TO labor with as much zeal and en-
ergy as if by so doing they might rescue
them from impending death.
The explosion blew out the brattice OF the
shaft. The braftce is a partition dividing
the shaft into two chambers, and is ne
cessary in order that an atmospheric cur
rent may be created and the fresh air let
in (by the aid OF the fam, and the foul air
let out. Wherever the miners proceed in
the bowels Of the earth in mining Of the
character done in Chesterfield, this brattice-
work in some form or other must be put
up. The explosion broke il up in the
shaft, and the relief parties yesterday had
first to repair it. TO do it the quicker can
vas was used. As the men went lower
and lower into the shaft they cleared the
dfJriS away, and our latest accounts give,
considering all the circumstances, a satis-
factory account of their progress.
The disaster makes 81 widows and los
children fatherless. Ten OF the thirty-two
men lost were white.
The following information about the
shaft is accurate:
Feet.
Dcpth Of shaft Gao
Length Of tunnel Through bed of granitel... COO
Length Of .'Z'ooO
Totil distance from mouth Of shaft to the
the extremity of the incline...............3'24O
VISIT TO COLPIELD.
Mr.. j. B. Lightfoot, the agent here Of the
Midlothian coal-mines, knew nothing Of
the disaster until he learned it from the
Dispatch OF yesterday morning. Then, im-
patient 10 get to the spot, and being un-
willing TO wait for the train, he drove 10
Coalield. and was at the shaft all day.
Mr.. William Il. Burrows, one Of the
owners, went to CoalGeld yesterday by
train. and returned in the afternoon.
The vein of coal which the men were
working WAS about four feet in thickness,
and was Of very good quality. 1t sold for
SO per ton at the mine.
The outlay in preparing these mines du-
ring the past twelve years was about $780,
600. A great deal of money was spent in
driving the tunnel through solid rock
from the bottom OF the shaft 10 the coal
vein.
The Heraid's Account.
When news OF the disaster reached Rich
Mr.. Cuihbert hired locomotive and
hastened to Coalfeld and sent of the fol-
lowing account:
The Grove shaft of the Midlothian mine
is situated about thirteen miles from Rich
mond. on the Richmond and Danville rail-
road, having track one mile in length
running from the railroad TO the mine.
The shaft is 600 feet perpendicular depth.
From that point there Is stone tunnel 600
feet more to the cOal-yein. From this point
an incline is driven south 81 degrees west,
dipping ct an average angle OF II degrees
for 2, 900 feet, which makes total depth OF
400 feet. There are six levels working,
the first commencing at ,250 feet from the
top OF the incline.
WHERE THE MEN WERE.
In these six levels there were fifteen coal
diggers working. The remaining seven
teen were in other portions Of the pit.
One OF the seventeen, the engineer, would
be with his engine ut the head OF the in
cline. \ banksman, a driver, and fire
The others, who were timber hands, gas
men, and assistants. would be in the levels
where the dIggers were. The night shift
or turn had come of work that morning at
O'Clock, and were relieved by the men
who are now inevitably lost.
TIE LAST MEN OUT.
About the same time there went into the
pit a machinist and assistant. They went
TO remove an engine, and came out TO din
ner at II O'Clock noon, thus bearing the
last intelligence from the lost men. The
machinist saws that he saw the pit boss and
gasman near the engine-room at 10 O'Clock,
having come up TO eat their breakfast.
The nit boss, whose name was William Mar
shall, told the assistant OF the maclinist
that he could come down the incline
in the evening and feel perfectly safe,
but that he should observe due caution in
coming down the incline. He said he
should keep a sharp lookout for the train
and not be caught by it. The trains are
hauled up the incline by wire rope. A
nephew OF Marshall was also TO have come
down with the assistant, neither being ac-
cuStomcd to the pit which is an additional
proof that no fears were entertained by the
wOrkmen below.
4 TUMBLE or SLATE.
The night pit boss reported to superin-
tendent Dodds that the pit was free OF gas,
but that during the night there had been
tumble OF slate which Knocked down por-
tion OF the brattice, which is wooden par
titiOn for conveying the air TO the face OF
the coal. This caused an accumulation OF
a small quantity Of gas in this level which
was removed before he left and the brat
tice restored. This is all the information
that Is attanable from the men, or as to the