Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-19
TIE BURIED MINERS.
Terrible Scenes in an Illinois Mining
Town
[By Telegraph.l

Terrible Scenes in an Illinois Mining
Town.
[By Telegraph
CHICAGO, February 17th.-The Yri5une's
Braidwood special, dated last evening, gives
the following list of miners known 30 be lost
by the disastrous csve-in at the Diamond
mine John Huten leaves wife and four
children, Adam McQuestion leaves wife
and five children, Robert McQusstioD,
Isaac Pierson leaves wife and one child,
James Carroll, B. Chalseil leaves wife snd
three children, John Boyd leaves wife, II.
Cody. John Neil leaves wife aud six chill
dren, A. Orr leaves wife and three children,
r. Harper leaves a wife aud three children,
2. 9. Redman leaves a wife and two chill
dren, z. III. Wall. Fritz Koe, Samuel At
kins leaves vile and six children, John
Atkins, A. Hoeka leaves q wife and
two children, George Bulskonsky, John
Bulskonsky, Larry Sullivan, John
Brokma leaves q wife and four
children, A. Fulton, K. Grabe, William
Scholls leaves wife and two children, James
Pearson, John Pearson, Harry Ungsr leaves
q wife and child, Joe Matthews, a. Gotten
berger, Frederick Mott leaves wife and
three children William KIeissr, Joe Smith,
@. Clotlen, Jehn Gulloclz, Frank Kass, Adam
Damn leaves wife and four children E.
Damn, Joe Crates, NJ. Neyski, John Den.
brosky, Anton Denbrosky, F. MUIR, II. KEN.
sey, F. Taup, Lstt Belz, P. Seek. John
Huber, Frank Huber, Willie McQusstion,
Adam McQuestion, Jr, John ParsoD,
Matthew Redman, Dan. Boenge, q. Costi-
gan. Adam Stewart, Jr., Frank Stewart,
Hugh Nesbitt, A. BebingtoD, John Smite,
Simon Stumps, r. Rabbart, Geo. Matthew,
w. G. Secova, K. a. Classner. j. Lerse,
John French, John johnson, o. o. Sterlow,
John Andersen, William McCully, Thomas
Rogers and Joe RUsak. This was
THE MOST TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
That ever visited the Wilmington coal fields.
It was in No. shaft of the Wilmington
Coal Mine and Manufacturing Company,
known as the Diamond Company. Il was
situated three and one-hslf miles northwest
Of this city. The little village Of Diamond is
gcene of desolation calculated TO wiring the
heart of even the moat hardened 60 scenes Of
misery. Sixtyeight men and six boys lie
dead in this mine, and it may be weeks before
even the melancholy satisfaction of recovering
their dead bodies is accorded. No such calam-
ity has ever befallen this section of the c5un-
try The whole of Diamond is devoted to
mining, ard this blow carries death into
hundred families. La several instances all
the u1ale members Of the family have been
carried away. 4 section Of prairie land over
which the f9o5s had extended until the water
stood three or four feet deep suddenly caved
in, the result being the instantaneous ooding
of mine in which three hundred men and
boys were at work Within half an hour the
water had reached all parts Of the works, and
to night stands within FIVE feet of the main
shaft Seventy.four human teings were
choked to
DEATH IN THE GRIM REoEssEs
OF the mine. All hope of the possible rescue
of any of them by the opening of driveway
from an old air shaft into the works was
abandoned at dusk, when the water poured
into the last-nsmed shaft and the wOrkmen
were compelled to retreat. The mine is in the
extreme corner of VIII county. The miners
live in o village Just across the line in Grundy
countp The Diamond Company's pits are
known as No. l, No. 2, etc. Oae of the lead
ing stockholders is Hugh Jewett, Of the Erie
Railroad. Pit No. 2, the scene of to- days hor-
ror, had been operated about three years, and
from two hundred to four hundred men and
boys have been regularly employed IN it.
This morr ing 800 or 300 went in. Those who
escaped did SO by miracle. Shaft No. 2 is
92 feet ds5p, and above the coal lies 20 to ITO
feet of earth. The coal vein varies in thick
ness from feet inches to feet. Above it
is layer IF sospstone resting on bed of FIRE
clay. TIE vein winds and dips a good
dtal, and thus some parts of the mine
are low.r than others. From the
main shaft radiate passages in every direc-
ton in which coal is to be found. These
must be 4 feet high and feet wide.
THE hINERs PRoPPED THE PASSAGES
With timber and soapstone, but the props did
not prove to be strong enough for the superin-
cumbent mass of soggy earth. News Of the
accident SOON spread, and a great crowd gath
cred about5 the mouth of the pit, where work
men were fishing cut the almost exhausted
and nearly drwoned men who were alive at
the bottt m of the shaft. Many a wife
or fdaughier knelt on the ground and
prayed ferventiy for the safety OF her loved
one, and as the heartrending character of
the calam ty appeared, the grief Of the sur
vivors was outspoken and painful to behold.
A wife btnt over the shaft as her husband
climbed up the ladder with the dead body
of his sca in his arms. She extender her
hand to receivee than, and was dis
appointed and doomed to greater grief,
for the man, worn out by the des.
psrate struggle for life and for the body
of his SOD, fell back into the pit with the
lifeless corpse. He has not been seen since.
Mrs. McQuestion, whose husband and three
sons were buried. upon learning the news,
was prostrated, and now lies in precarious
condition, with her mind permanently in
jured. Instances of pathetic nature multi
ply, and the seeker for them will find rich
harvest here.