The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-02-24
BURIED ALIVE.
Seventy-tWo Human Beings Entombed
in a Mine.

LooseEaed by Spring Ereshets EEun-
6yeds Of 'Eous OF Earth an a Wine
ag BraidyoOd. Illinois, Cave HI
Sixty-tsyO Wen Either Drowned or
SnOfhered---ghcir Bodies Buried
Beneath the Debris---FOTty-s y-sevem
Widows and FiGty-three Orphans
"A Brave Father Sacrifices his
AIse ia Emdeavoriug to Save EEis
son.
BBAUDwooD, H.. February 1.-THE
most awful tragedy which has ever
visited the Wilmington coal fields occur
ed yesterday at the No. 2 shaft of the
Wilmington Coal Mining & 1Ianufac.
turing Company, known ms the Diamond
Company, three miles and a half north
west OF this city. A section Of prairie
land, forty by ninety feet, over which
the Hoods bad extended until the water
sEoodthree orfourfeetdeep ,suddenlycIv-
ed1n, the result being the instantaneous
flooding Of mine IN winch 800 men and
boys We're at work. inside OF half an
hour the water had extended TO all parts
Ot the workings. and it now stands with
III i've feet Of the top OF the main shaft.
Seventy-two human beings were choked
to death IN the recesges of the mine.
When the I9mor spread among the pop
GlatlOn 0f the mining village that the
ground had caved IL over the main road
way IN the Diamond shaft No. 2. and
Tlat the water that had stood III q large
pond on the surface of the prairie was
rushing into the passages ot the mine.
cutting OF the miners and holding them
IN the passages, large crowds cf miners
wives, children IN arms, rushed toward
the scene Of the catastrophe, anxious TO
near OF their husbands, brothers, and
sons who were employed In the mines.
When The frenzied people reached the
maIn entrance to the mine they found
everything in the utmost confusion.
Around the shaft were anxious men aud
women, eagerly rendering any assist
auce that was possible to the half
drowned miners who appeared at the
bottom of the shaft. To the
north could also be seen q crowd OF
men collected around au air-shaft, who
were likewise fishing out the almost per-
lshIng miners who had cGmed to the
| 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 the son who was missing, and
| tbr whom some fell down upon their
knees and prayed. Friends anxious for
the safety OF some lost one hurriedIy
paced back and forth, trying to devise
some means of salvation fol the poor
creatures who were penned up never to
be rescued alive.
John Huber, who was III the mine at
the tiHe Of the accident, says: "I was
working In one Of the west sections Of the
| main corridor, and had Just got my car
ready for transfer when | heard a voice.
| which sounded weak at first. saying:
Look out the water is coming For q
| few moments l did not comprehend the
| awful meaning Of the language used. and
! so went back TO block up the coal, when
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 III 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 | thought
| my two sons were at work, but found
| that they had gone. l then yelled at
| the top of my voice to the men near me
and made as fast as l could for the cir
shaft, where L knew there was a LADDER,
and that l could get out. BY this time
| the water was up to my arm pits, and |
| 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 G5dl what did
| L scei There upon her bed lay my wife,
! tearing her balr and wailing IN almost z
| crazy condition. % John, she said
| where are the boys?' The truth then
flushed upon me that perhaps they were
| dead. | went back as fast as [ could,
and found that my horrible anticlpations
| were only too true, and that the boys
| bad 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 viii be the future OI Diamond
| 1t is impossible to forecast
CHICAGO, february Ii.-Presldent
Sweet, OF the Wilmington Coal Com
pany, states that an air shaft was placed
by order of the mining inspector, a 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
fftv-three orphans. Mrs. McQuestor.
| crazed by the loss of ber husband and
three sons, win probably die. Redmond.
who escaped, but returned to save his
| 81 r,rr,.hnH