The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-19
GREAT MINE CALAMITY.
A coal NINE SUDDENLY CAVES M


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BRAIDwooD, ILL, February 1.-THE most
awful tragedy which has ever visited the
Wilmington coalfeIds occurred yesterday
at the No. 9 shaft Of the Wilmington Coal
Mining & Manufacturing Company, known
as the Diamond Company, three miles and
half northwest Of this city, The little
Village OF Diamonds is a scene Of desolu.
ton calculated to wiring the heart Of even
the most hardened to scenes OF misery
and wo.
Sixty.eight men and six boys lie dead in
the mine, and itmay be weeks before even
the melancholy satisfaction Of recovering
their.bodies is accorded. No such calamity
has ever befallen this section Of country, or,
for that matter nothing as horrible has
ever been chronicled in the history OF
mining in the United States. The destruc-
ton occurred in an instant, and came with
overwhelming force.
A COMMUNITY OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.
In every home there is weeping and sor'
row for the Braidwood miners who will re-
turn no more. The whole population Of
Diamond is devoted to mining, and this
crushing blow carries ruin to hundred
families. In several instances all the male
members have been swept away, and what
will be the future OF Diamond 1t is impos.
sible to forecast.
The following is list OF married men
known 10 be lost: John Huber, wife and
four children, Adam MI Qniston, wife and
five children, Robert McQnistion, Isaac
pierson, wife and one child, James Carroll,
B. Schatzell, wife and three children, John
Boyd, wife in the old country, H. Eddy,
John Neill, wife and six children, A. Orr
wife and three children, p. q. Red.
mond wife and two children, P. FL.
Wall, Fritz Koe, Samuel Atkins, wife
and six children, John Atkins. A.
Hocka. wife and two children, George
Butskonsky, John Butskonsky, Larry Sui.
livan, John Brokman, wife and four chill.
dren, A. Fulton, K. Crater, William Scholts,
wife, and TWO children, James Pierson,
John Pierson, Harmon Unger, wife, and
one child, Joe Mathew, A. Gollingberg,
Frank Motto, wife, and three children,
William Klesslcr, J. Smith, C. Clattin, John
Gullock, Frank klass, Adam Damn, wife
and four children, E Damn, Joe Grotes,
NJ. Neyski, Andrew Butty, John Denbrosky,
F. Murray, II. Ramsay, F. Soup, Matt
Bretz, p. Seek.
UNMARRIED.
John Huber, Frank Huber, Willie Nc.
Quinston, Adam McQuinstion, Jr., John
Pierson, Mathew Redmond, D. Mcbride, II.
Costigan, Adam Stewart, Jr., Frank Stew.
art. Hughes Nesbit, A. Bibington, Simon
Stumps, John Smith, K. Rabbart =
Mathews, George Mathew, W. S. Secora,
II. Clesser. j. SEM, John French, Johu
johnson, o. 0sterlow, John Anderson,
William McCulley, Thomas Rodgus, Joe
Ruzek.
In the list of the married men known to
be lost, the surviving family is given where
there are more than the wife.
THE CAUSE.
The tragedy was as unique as 1t was
devastating. A section Of prairie-land,
forty by ninety feet, over which the foods
had extended until the water stood three
or four feet deep, suddenly caved in, the
result being the instantaneous flooding OF
mine in which 800 men and boys were at
work. Inside OF hall an hour the water
had extended to all parts Of the workings,
and tonight it stands within FIVE feet Of
the top OF the main shalt. Seventy.four
human beings were choked to death In the
grim recessps OF the mine.
All hope Of the possible rescue Of any Of
these unhappy beings by the opening Of a
driveway from an old air.sbait into the
workings was abandoned at dusk, when the
water pored into the last.named shaft, and
the workmen were compelled to abandon
their last desperate attempt at the salvation
Of their fellows.
WHERE THE NINE IS. .A
The Diamond coal mine is located In the
extreme corner Of Wills county, the little
village where thu miners live being just
over the line in Grundy county. The
Wilmington Coal Mining & Manufacturing
Company, which operates this mine,
adopted, years ago, the name Of the Dia'
mand for their coal. and their shafts and
pits are known as Diamond No. l, Diamond
No. 2, and so on. 1t is astock company, in
corporated under the State law, but It's
stock is in few hands. One oi. the leading
holdersis Hugh ]. Jewett, OF the Erie Rail.
road. The company has it's main Office in
Chicago, and with three other institutions
Of similar character forms what is known
as the Wilmington Coal Association. The
scene OF the horror OF yesterday was the Dia.
mond Pit No. 2, which has been operated
for about ten years, and in which any.
where from 200 to 400 men and boys were
regularly employed. This morning from
200 to 800. went to work, and by noon one
fourth Of the number were dead.
A MIRACLE.
The escape Of the majority was almost
by miracle. The country around the
mines is an almost dead level prairie, and
the recent tremendous rains have covered
the whole country with water. Hundreds
Of acres Of land are honeycombed by the
mine workings, many Of which have been
worked out and abandoned. II was through
break in one OF the abandoned workings
that the flood poured in TO day.
The Diamond shaft No, 2 Is ninety.two
feet deep. Above the coal lies from seven.