The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-03-03
ANOTHER COAL NINE HORROR!

Lives Lost.
CHICAGO, February IL.
report was received here this evening
from Joliet that the town of Braidwood, about
fifteen miles from Joliet, had been the scene
TO. day of n great mine disaster, in which the
first report said sixty lives had been lost.
correspondent succeeded in getting con
frmation OF the reported disaster at Braid
wood in a brief interview with \. L. Sweet
President of the -Four Mines Company and the
Diamond Mine Company.
Mr. Sweet says that 800 men were In the va
rious shafts this afternoon, when the ground
sagged under the weight of water that had
saturated and loosened it. Sixty-tvo men
were in one shaft, which caught the bu.S OF
the falling debris, and which was instantly
flooded. Every one of them was either
drowned or smothered inside of five minutes.
Their bodies are buried beneath many tons of
earth. One hundred acres have been exca-
waited, and the miners not in the one unfor-
tunate shaft escaped. Digging and pumping
Is going on vigorously but il will be many
hours before the first bodies can be reached.
A section of prairie land forty by fifty feet,
over which the floods had extended until the
water stood three or four feet deep, suddenly
caved in, resulting in an instant flooding OF
mine in which 500 men and boys were work.
ing. Inside of half an hour the water reached
within five feet of the main shaft. Seventy
one human beings were choked to death In
the grim recesse5 of the mine. All hope OF
possible rescue of any of them by the OPEN
ing of a dividing from an Old shaft in the
empties was abandoned ut dusk.
This was the most terrible tragedy that ever
visited the Wilmin gton coal-hold 1t was in
the No. 2 shaft of the Wilmington Coal Mining
Manufacturing Company, known as the Dia-
mond COmpany's. The little village of Dia-
mond is a scene of desoation, calculated to
wiring the heart of even the most hardened.
The pit in which to-day's horror occurred
has been operated about two years and 200 to
400 men and boys have been regularly en-
ployed in it. This morning 290 or 800 went
in. Those who escaped did so by a miracle.
Shaft No. is ninety two feet deep, and
above the coal is 10 to 10 feet of earth. The
coal. vein ranges in thickness from two feet
nine inches to four feet. Above it is layer
of soapstone resting on bed of fire clay.
The vein winds and dips n good deal, and
thus some parts of the mines are lower than
others. From the main shaft radiate pas
sages in every direction, in which coal is
found These must be four feet high and six
inches wide. The miners prop the passages
with timber and soapstone. These props did
not prove strong enough for the superincum-
| bent mass of soggy earth.
The following is the story of John IIaber, an
| eye witness of the whole affair, and man
| who was in the mine at the time of the acct
| dent: was working in one of the west Sec
| tons of the main corridor and had Just got my
| car ready for transfer when heard q voice,
weak Mt first, saying, look out, the water is
coming" For few minutes 1 did not com
preheud the awful meaning of the language
| used, and so went back to block up the coal,
when heard the warning again and again,
and saw small stream of water running
down the center of the track. The truth at
| once flashed upon mo 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. 1 then yelled
at the top of my voice to the men near me
and made as fast as could for the air shaft
where knew there was a ladder, and that ]
could get out. By this time the water was up
to my armpits, and had hard time to get
up the shapt, so exhausted was 1 with the
rapid run had made in the stopping posi-
ton. When go home there upon her bed
lay my wife tearing her hair and wailing and
almost crazy.
ooh, John," she said, 'where are the
boys?"
The truth then flashed upon me that per
! could and found that my horrible anticipa
tons were true and that the boys had MOI
been seen since entering the shaft in the
morning.
|. Andrew Costigan was hauled out o
theshaft more dead than alive, and ate
being resucitated gave the following recital
81 was working in chamber 'D' in compan,
with a German whose name 1 do not know
We had just shipped the car and sa
for a short breathing spell when m,
partner noticed a dripping noise as though
the water was coming through the roof ant
said he thought there was leak somewhere
; We both went out of the chamber into tn,
main corridor that leads to the hoistinj
shaft and listened. 1t did not take us lon,
to determine what was the matter. The roo
had caved and the water was upon us. w
both ran in the direction of the shaft, m
partner being behind me- The wall abov
this corridor was not level, there being hole
in the floor with corresponding sloping o
the walls, so that we had to run down and u
these small hills. The water had already file
these scooped- out places and we found tn
water three feet deep in some of then
By the time we had gone 200 fee
we had water up to our necks O.
: the level and when we went int
} one of the hollow places we held our nose
until we came to another place. l at last go
, TO the shaft but what became of my com
: panion, GOD only knows. He was never see
, again and was only too glad myself to ge
out alive"
The following is a complete list of the los
, obtained from David Maclte, Superintc nden
of the mine; A. McQuestion, Sr., A. McQues
ton, Jr., Robt McQuestlon, - McQuestioI
Isaac Pearson, John Neil, b. Schatzel, r.
Redmond, Matte Redmond, John Boyd, Henri
) Eadie, James Carroll william Schotz, Au
: gust Rambart, Jacob LEM, Carl Schile
) ii. Nesbit, Robert Harper, Alexander Orr, Gee