Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-02-21
seventy Men Drowned i'm n
COais Milne.

BRAIDWooD. ILL. Feb. 1.-THE
city is filed with lamentations, owing
to the terrible disaster which resulted
10 tie death Of seventy persons. A
cumber OF those killed leave large
families. The accident occurred in the
northeast side OF Shalt No. . Of the
Wilmington Coal-Mining and Manu-
featuring Company's nine. This com
pany is one o! the four which form the
Wilmington Coal ASSOCIATION. The
shaft in which the accident occurred has
beeu working for the past eight years.
1t is situated at Diamond, "a little village
about four miles southwest OF vii
minston and TWO miles north OF Brs ID
wood. Tie country thereabout is NJ
level as a floor, with perhaps slight
inclination toward the mines. The
sudden thaV aud heavy rIiafall trans
formed tie prairie Into a lake. For
miles about Diamond the water stands
from six inches TO three feet in depth.
With scarcely any warning there sud-
denly appeared an opening from the
surface Of The earth intO the mine. The
surface being covered with water, it
took only short time for the water to
permeate The entire mice, drowning all
who we're unable to set out before the
rising waller caught them. IL opening
tits mine shaft seven:Y-iive feet deep
was sunk into Tie earth. At right
angles 30 this two main galleries were
run nearly pliallel with the surface Of
earth. aud about seventy"tive feet be-
low II, From these main galleries
narrow spurs Or gaugwafs are du9 out
in various directions. These spurs
rise aud fall witt the ledge Of coal.
sometimes risiag 20 within twelve or
fifteen feet Of the surface. Il was at
such a point, vsry near .he top, where
the break occurred. While lyln5 on
his back picki0s a yay al the coal ab)ye
the earth mast have fllen upon
doomed miner. Through the opening
thus made The water poured in, iillicg
one caugway after another, and cutting
of the escape 10 The central shalt. -
There was h;tc am, 10 Give an alarm,
for in les than au honr from the time
the break occurred every avende OF
escape was Gu! of, and every OccdpAnt
/ Of ths niue at that lime mus! have
been dgowucd.
These galleries we're low and nar-
row, and only by painfully SLOW crawl
,ng could tie victims escape. No noi-c
accompanied ihe rising OF The water,
aud The frs. indication had Of their
danger BIZ many OF the dead miners
was the chllliag sen ration ofcol1 water
lrickling along the palhway in winch
they lay at work. There was a. air.
shaft. oneriug an additional Avenue OF
escape Of which many aYalled them
selves, bat tie water came n too
rapidly TO allow all to reach it. The
mine was not CONSIDERED especially
daugetous, though break had occur
red ouce before at about the same
place. Tuere is 10 chance Of a rescue,
but in order 0 reach the bod cs OF The
dead Sir. FordA &c, general manager OF
The company, la. gone 10 the scene OF
the disaster with tso staam-pumps. 1t
Is said hat an effort will be made 10
reach he mine iron Slail NJ. l, bd!
there is not Tie ren ties. possibility Of
finding any o! The m-u alive. Only
| The droync or Subjected romans can
be recovered. TIE majority Of the
work - under sr,u.d arc fJr-igners-
English. Scolc and lr.sh.