St. Landry democrat., 1883-03-03
Further Details OF the Diamond Mine.
Disaster.
A MINERS EXPERIENCE.

made my way at once to the west dip, about
one mile from the shaft. When l arrived at
my layout went to work, after making some
observations upon the strength of tie roof, as
it is my usual custom to do. With me there
was working a man whose name L do not
know. About eleven o'clock we ate our dim
rer and had just begun to make a new inser--
tion into the seam when the voice of the
driver Joe Kelley, was heard not far away
calling that the water was coming into the
NINE l had been in the mine when it
was flooded in 1880, and so l knew
of the danger that we must run ii We
stopped to block up our coal, as some OF the
men did, and SO we made for he shaft, mile
distant. at the top of our speed. AS
vet had seen no water and was just begin
ming to think would get out safe and dry
when heard rushing sound of moving Wa
ter, and in few seconds wave of water:
about one and half feet high came rushing
around U.S. compelling us to retire before it to-
place not far from where we had started, and
where another side gallery led to the air-shaft.
Spurred on by the belief that now escape was
almost impossible, we ran as hard as we could
down the crooked passage, bobbing up and
down on the undulating surface of the road
way. When we were about 200 feet from the
main shaft the water again struck us, and
quickly rose to a depth of three feet, So
for us to make any speed toward our
escape Near the air-shaft there are
several places where the passage dipped and
then rose again, forming pit betwaan each
rise of the roadway. When we reached this.
place the water was so high that we hid to-
swim across these holes. and in doing 50 we
damned our head against the roof, and, all
most fainting from exhaustion, we at last
came out at the air-shaft and were helped up
A.. ,4os,.. hu,l ffN
that when was nearly up to the shaft lcame
across two boys who were swimming in the
same direction was going. They cried out to"
me to help Them for they were tired out but
knew my only hope was in rapid move. and
so was compelled to leave them behind to-
perish
Smith was the last man who ever came outot
the mine alive, and he was as happy man as
could be found anywhere.
AFFECTING SCENES AND HEROIC DEEDS.
Thomas Daily, the cageman, said: When
got to the top terrible scene struck my
view, and one that shall remember for the
rest of my lie. Near the top of tie shaft had.
collected nearly all of the village Of Diamond
women. men and children-all intent upons
finding some friend who had gone INTO the.
mine in the morning, and who had failed to-
APP ear. One young lady was especially notice
able on account of the distress VIII CHI she es--
hibired when d gray-haired man announced to-
her the fact that her lover had parished in an
isolated corridor and would never be seen by
her alive. 1t was only by the most carefuE
ar, cat on on the part of her friends that
she was kept from throwing herself INTO the
was young mother W til her newborn babe
in her arms crying wildly the name of her
husband who had persisted in the reient-~
less flood one hundred feet below the
earth on which she stood. She had been mar
ried only two years. and had lust given birth
to her second child a few days before ana
which she now held in herarms, in spite Of the
relentless cold wind that swept over the bleak
pras rie. The cries of the feeble child woulGa
have turned heart of stone, and the awful
surroundings added to the piteous effect.
hope that | may never be permitted to see.
such sight again. !"
done at the mine yesterday, such q record
would chronicle vast amount of yalor and
bsayery Many ~ dd men rske a Weld s
en- the number of the dead. and many more
able-boded heroes would only have been glad
to have risked their lives for the men had OPP
portunity offered. A young man-Frank Onley
had fought his way to the bottom Of the shaft,
and, unable to ascend the steps, had chung to-
the boards for moment, and then sank back
into the water, never to be seen again alive
Frank Motto carried his exhausted SON
through the rapid current, and saved him g. by
an almost superhuman effort, much to the
joy of the mother, Wno eagerly watched the"
man as he carried the inaninate form up the
slippery steps and placed it N her extended
arms. One of the saddest of the sal cases
| was that of a man named / ierson. who was
| standing near the top of the main Shaft
| looking down and intently watching for the
| arrival Of some new form from below, which
| he hoped would be bis son, Who had
| not been rescued. An arm appeared above
| the surface of the water, and then the small
| features of a boy rose to the surface and re-
| manned for moment, only to sink again be-
meath the blackened waters. a glance was vas
| features his youngest son. With a despairing
look the father sprang into the water, and
| worked long end hard to find the body. but to"
! no avail for it hal sunk and foated under the
1 arched wall The father had TO be lifted out, so
/ exhausted was he in his struggle for the chlids-
| JOLIET. ILL.,, February II.
1 1t is thought by practical miners that mo-
bodies will be recovered for tleast fewdays,
/ and until that time many heart that feeds
| upon the hope that the men are still alive
will beat hopefully and viii never be satisfied
| until the lifeless bodies are laid out at tho
mouth of the shaft and identified as those they
/ hoped were still alive.
| The greatest excitement still prevails, and
| every one has at tongues end some new tale.
i of woe-sorne story of a brave and loved rela--
| tive cut off from friends and homo, perishing g.
\ in the bowels of the earth.
i One OF the saddest features of the case is the
/ fact that most Of the drowned men were mem
of families, who were depending on them for
support. What a scene OF des astation ancs
4 restitution the town OF diamond presents one
can readily conceive when he thinks that
forty-six widows are left to tell the tale OF this,
one of the most horrible disasters that has ever
i been recorded in this State 81
ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED.
7 In commenting ON the BraidWood disaster
! the Chicago Inter Ocenn says:
:. Had any of the miners been told on Fri.
| day morning that til ire was poss: blty OF
the earth sinking under pressure OF water
/ gathered through natural causes on the sur
lace, they would have treated such SUPPOSE,
ton with contempt. The calamity was as'
clearly in the line of the unexpected as was
the hurricane that swept through Kansas last
year, and it won d seem that with the cond1-