The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-05
A prRILeus DESCENT.

Safety lomps were at once procured, and
,ho S,,ne,intendcnt and Pit-Boss Marshall.
hrotbar oi William Marshall, and Edward
Covop went aboard the cage, and descend
cd 10 n noint about three hundred feet
down the shaft. At that point they dis
covered that the signal wire was broken,
and their lights were eXtingiiished by a
strong current Of air from above. After
attemptinc 70 relight the lamps they re-
turned 10 }bc ton Of the pit. Snperinten-
dent Dodds and his companions then
concluded that the brattice in the shaft was
damaged. in consequence OF which the
current Of air did not descend further than
that point.
AsEc0yD ATTEMPT.
Marshall and Coxon thcn descended 4
second time TO the bottom OF the shaft. The
superintendent remained at the top giving
directions and procuring lamps. II was
arranged that they should signal from the
bottom. II practicable, and send the cage
back for Dodds. II not practicable, the
cage was TO be brought back. At the eX-
niration Of one minute IL was found the
signal-wire was broken, and the men were
OF course drawn up again. This was the
second attempt TO penetrate the mine.
An AwFUL SILENCE.
They reported a large pcrfiof Of brattice
I'm the shalt broken out and considerable
quantity Of d<bris, consisting OF timber,
coal-boxes. watcr-barrels, and other arti-
cles, at the bottom OF the shaft. All was
silent as the grave. They listened eagerly
for some sound from the entombed men,
but could hear none. Ventilation was en-
tlrelv cut off, and " after-damp," or poi
sonous carbonic-acid gas, had rolled back
in volumes to the shaft-bottom. In abso-
lutte despair Of being able to render any
assistance, Marshall and CoXon came up. 1t
was then about twenty minutes past l
O'Clock.
ATTEMPTING TO SIGNAL THE MEN.
Another and third attempt was then
made TO obtain some communication with
the men in the pit. This was an effort to
repair the signal wire. In order to do this
il was decided TO cndeayor to attach cord
TO the broken wire and carry il down with
them. The wire was intact to point
four hundred feet below the surface. The
first impulse was 10 cover the break in
the shaft brattice with canvas or sail
cloth for the purpose OF restoring Nen-
tilation. Superintendent DOddS objected
to that proposition on the ground that
whatever gas might be between the shaft
and the boiler. a distance OF $40 feet, would
be carried on TO the boiler fires and
would probably result in another eXplo-
sion. After making known his fears to
the men on the ground they quite coin
cided with his opinion and the plan was
abandoned.
DRIVEN BACK By AFTER-DAMP.
Nothing then remained but to try and
restore the signal. Marshall, CoXon, and
a nah named Crump then went down
again for the third time. They carried
rope with them which they attached to the
signal wire, and after descending a short
distance beyond that point were forced to
return by encountcring carb0nic-acid gas
This was the final effort TO reach the mine
or open communication with it. 1t then
became awfully apparent to those engaged
in these efforts that all the inmates OF the
pit were dead.
HOPE ABANDONED.
Upon their return, which was about .
O'Clock, all hope was abandoned, and the
most narrowing scenes Of wailing women
and children and grief-stricken men fol-
lowed.
Ventilation Restored.
COAIFlELD, Q y. NJ Miners are steadily
at work in the shaft repairing the bratticc-
work. and ventilation is now restored to
the bottom Of the shaft.
None of the bodies have yet been re-
covered.
The Descent Into the Mine iri Search
Of the Dead.
Especial telegram to the Dlspaich.l
COALFIELD, February 4.-Snow to the
depth of about six inches fell during the
night, and the morning broke drear and
dismal over the Grove shaft OF the Mdlo-
THAN coal-mincS, with its tomb OF thirty
two men.
Miners from the Deep-Run, Etna, jew
cit, and other mines in the county came
early, plodding through the snow, to rem
der any assistance in their power towards
the recovery Of the bodies of the unfortu-
nate men, whom all generally concede to be
dead.
The Burrows Midlothian coal-minc Of the
company employed ut the time OF the acci-
dent about 10 men, including the thirty
two
BURIED IN THE SHAFT.
Nearly all of those living were on the
works in the structure surmounting the
shaft this morning, besides some dozen or
two experienced miners from the ncighbor-
ing mines.
Ii was easy to discover from the solemn
aspect OF the cOal-begTimmed yis=ages OF
the latter, and also OF the grave miners,
that 4 descent into the shaft with its treach-
erous aiter-damp was looked upon as an
undertaking OF great personal risk. Not
withstanding this fact there were numer-
Gus volunteers ready at moments notice
to descend and ascertain the doom of the
miners and commence the work OF search
ing for the bodies.
During the morning Superintendent
DodSs and other experienced miners held
frequent
CONSULTATIONS
rs to what was best TO be done. The appre-
hensiOn seemed TO be that there was danger
from the fires under the engine boilers,
which, il not extinct, would cause fresh
explosion, il not already done, as soon as
ventilation was restored. The morning
hours wore on, and it was as late as ll:iO
A. VI. when Superintendent Dedds himself,
accompanied by George Conrad and +.
CoXon, got into the bucket, and, amid
brelthless excitement, commenced vOy-
age Of exploration into the dangerous re-
gionS below. The party carried safety
lamps and a signal hammer. The order
was given
GLOVER AWAY STEADY"
The perilous journey was begun, and in
an instant almost the bucket with its hui
man freight disappeared out OF sight.
Every eye was fixed upon the slowly
moving rope. An intense stiffness was OBJ
served to catch any sound that might come
from the descending party, when the loud
and nitpous lamentations of 4 woman on