Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-21
APPALLING CALAMITY.
Seventy-tWo Men Buried Alive by tn
Gazing in of Mine at Braid
wood, Illinois.
a VILLAGE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.

BRADwooD, ILL.,, Feb. 1.-THE most
awful tragedy which has ever visited the
Wilmington coal fields occurred yester-
day at the. No. shaft of the Whining
ton Coal Mining & Manufacturing Conn
pany, known as the Diamond Company.
three miles and half southwest of this
city. A section of prairie-land, forty
by ninety feet, over which the floods
had extended until the water stood
three or four feet deep, suddenly caved
IN, the result being the instantaneous
flooding of mine in which 300 men and
boys we're at work. Inside of half an
hour the water had extended to all parts
OF the workings, and it now stands with
IN five feet of the top of the main shaft.
Seventy human beings were choked
to death in the recesses of the mine.
When the rumor spread among the pop
ulat1on OF the mining village that the
ground had cave1 In over the main road
way IN the Diamond shaft No. 2. and
that the water that had stood in a large
pond on the surface of the prairie was
rushing into the passages of the mine.
cutting off the miners and holding them
IN the passage, large crowds of miners
wives, children In arms, rushed toward
the scene of the catastrophe, anxious to
hear of their husbands, brothers. and
sons who were employed in the mines.
When the frenzled people reached the
main entrance of the mine they found
everything in the utmost confusion.
Around the shaft were anxious men and
women, eagerly rendering any assist
ance that was possible to the half
drowned miners who appeared at the
bottom OF the shaft. To the
north could also be seen a crowd of
mon collec ted around an air-shaft, who
were likewise fishing out the almost
perlshing miners who had climbed to
the top and would have sunk back ex-
hausted 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 appeared above ground, but
found not the father or the son who was
missing, and for whom some fell down
upon their knees and prayed. Friends
anxious for the safety of some lost one
h1lrriedly paced back and forth, trying
to devise some means of salvation for
the poor creatures who were penned up
never to be rescued alive.
John Huber, who w8s In the mine at
the time of the accident, says: ST was
working in one of thewest sections of the
main corridor, and had just got my car
ready for transfer when heard voice.
which sounded weak at first, saving:
Look out! the water is coming For
few moments [ did not comprehend the
awful meaning of the language used, and
so went back to block up the coal, when
L heard the same warning again and
again, and saw a small stream of water
running down the center of the track.
The truth at once flashed upon me that
[ was in danger, and that the water was
coming from some unknown locality. [
rushed as fast as the nature of the pas
sage would allow me to where I thought
my two sons were at work, but found
that they had gone. I then yelled at
the top of my voice to the meR near me
and made as fast as / could for the air
shaft, where I knew there was a ladder,
and that I could get out. By this time
the water was up to my armpits, and I
had hard time to get up the shaft, SO
exhausted was with the rapid run I
had made in the stopping position.
When got home, great God! what did
[ seei There upon her bed lay my wife,
tearing her hair and wailing in almost a
crazy condition. 90 john she said,
where are the boys?' The truth then
flashed upon me that perhaps they were
dead. I went back as fast as I could,
and found that my horrible anticipations
were only too true, and that the boys
had not been seen since entering the
shaft in the morning."
In every home there is weeping and
sorrow for the miners who will return
no more. In several instances all the
male members have been swept away,
and what Will be the future of Diamond
it is impossible to forecast
CHICAGO, February 17.-President
Sweet, of the Wilmington Coal Com
pany, states that an air shaft was placed
by order of the mining inspector, con-
siderable distance further from the main
shaft than the company wished, and he
believes that had it been where they in
tended to have placed it, many more
would have escaped. Little progress
has yet been made in recovering the
bodies. The water has ceased flowing
in the mine, and pumps are hard at
work. The number now known to be
lost is seventy-two. The accident has
widowed forty-seven women, and made
fifty-three orphans. Mrs McQuester,
crazed by the loss of her husband and
three sons, will probably die. Redmond,
who escaped, but returned to save his
son, persisted.