The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-19
scENrs Ar rnE MtNES.

about seventeen feet nearer to the surface
than the general level.
SCENES AT THE MINES.
About 1880 the runor spread among the
population OF the mining village that the
ground had cavcd in over the main road.
way in the Diamond Shaft No. 9, and that
the water which had stood in alarge pond
on the surface OF the prairie was rushing
into the passages OF the mine, cutting OF
the miners and holding them in the pass
age. Upon the spreading OF the rumor
large crowds crowds OF miners wives, chill.
dren in arms, rushed toward the scene OF
the catastrophe, anxious to hear oil their
husbands, brothers and sons who were en-
ployed in the mines, When the crowd
reached the main entrance to the mine
they found everything in state oil the ut
most confusion. Around the shalt was a
crowd oil anxious men aud women, eagerly
rendering any assistance that was possible
to the half.drowned miners who appeared
at the bottom OF the shalt.
now THOSE VINO escaped GOT OUT.
To the north could also be seen crowd
Of men collected around an air shaft, who
were likewise fishing out the almost per.
ishing miners who had climbed to tho top
and would have sunk back exhausted
upon the ground had it not been for the
assistance OF the willing hands. Women
wrung their hands, as, one by one, they
anxiously viewed each new face that ap-
peared above ground, but found not the
father or son who was missing, and for
whom some fell down upon their knees
aud prayed. The news was upon the lips
Of every one. Friends anxious for the
safety Of some lost one hurriedly paced
back and forth, trying TO devise some
means ofsalvation for the poor creatures
who were penned up never TO be rescued
alive. ~
MISERY.
Little by little the terrible character OF
the catastrophe became apparent. Then
it was that the most heartrending scenes
occurred. A wife bent over the shaft as
her husband was climbing the ladder in the
air.shaft with his young son dead in his
arms and extended her arms 10 receive
them, but she was doomed to disappoint.
ment, for the man, worn out with the des-
perate struggle which he had undergone TO
save the body of his son, fell back into the
pit liteless corpse, and has not since been
seen. 4. FL 80 StfI
A young German maiden saw her lover
brought out OF the shaft in almost life!ess
condition, and, falling upon her knees, she
smoethed back the hair and thanked God
that he had been saved. tr
Mrs. McQuistion, who was on the ground
when the news came that her, husband and
three sons were dead in the mine, was
taken with nervous prostration and had 10
be removed from the ground. She Is now
in precarious condition, and her mind Is
permanently injured.
AN EYEWITNESS NARRATION.
Il The following is the story Of John Huber,
an eyewitness Of the whole affair, and
man who was in the mine at the time OF
the accident:
~ wasworkingin one ofthe west sections
OF the main corridor, and had inst got my
car ready for transfer when heard voice
which sounded weak at first, saying: Look
out the water is coming" For few mo.
ttu huL tlIC awful
meaning OF the language used, an d so went
back to block up the coal, when l heard
The same warning again and again, and a
small stream OF water running down the
track. The truth at once flashed upon me
that l was in danger, and that the water
was coming from some unknown locality.
l rushed as fast as the nature OF the
passage would allow to where 1
thought my two sons were at work, but
found that they had gone. Ithen yelled
at the top Of my voice to the men near me,
and made as fast as l could for the air
shaft, where l knew there was ladder,
and that could get ont. By this time the
water was up to my armpits, and l had
hard time to get up, the shalt, so'exhausted
was with the rapid run had made in the
STOPPING position. When l got home,
great God what did | see There upon
her bed lay my wife, tearing her hair and
wailing in almost a crazy condition. %
John, she said, where are the boys? The
truth then flashed upon me that perhaps
they were dead. l went back as fast as
could and found that my horrible antici-
pations were only too true, and that the
boys had not been seen since entering the
shaft in the morning.