Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-02-21
CALAMITY.
Seventy-two Men Buried Alive by the
Gazing in Of a Mine at Braid
wood, Illinois.
A VILLAGE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.

day at the No. 2 shaft of the Whining
ton Coal Mining & Manufacturing Com
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 a mine in which 800 men and
boys were 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-two human beings were choked
to death in the recesses of the mine.
When the rumor spread among the pop
ulation 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 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 we're employed in the mines.
When the frenzied 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
men collec ted around an air. shaft, who
were likewise fishing out the almost
perishing 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
h,lrriedly paced back and forth, trying
to devise some means of salvation fol
| the poor creatures who were penned ur
never to be rescued alive.
John Huber, who was in the mine al
the time of the accident, says: 81 was
working in one of thewe sections Of the
main corridor, and had just got my cal
ready for transfer when I heard voice
which sounded weak at first, saying
'Look out! the water is coming For :
few moments I did not comprehend the
awful meaning of the language used, ano
so went back to block up the coal, whe1
I heard the same warning again an<
again, and saw small stream of wate
running down the center of the track
The truth at once flashed upon me tina
I was in danger, and that the water wa
coming from some unknown locality.
rushed as fast as the nature of the pas
sage would allow me tg,:s tQ Xhexe I though
my two soi1s were at worry but foun'
that they had gone. I then yelled a
the top Of my voice to the men near M
and made as fast as [ could for the air
shaft, where knew there was ladder
and that I could get out. By this tim
the water was up to my armpits, and
had hard time to get up the shaft, 81
exhausted was I with the rapid run
had made in the stopping position
When I got home, great God! what di
I see! There upon her bed lay my wife
tearing her hair and wailing in almost
crazy condition. % JohD,' she said
where are the boys?' The truth the
flashed upon me that perhaps they wer
dead. / went back as fast as could
and found that my horrible anticipation
were only too true, and that the boy
had not been seen since entering til
shaft in the morning."
In every home there is weeping an
sorrow for the miners who will retur
no more. In several instances all tn
male members have been swept away
and what will be the future of Diamon'
it is impossible to forecast.
|. CHICAGO, February 17.-Presiden
Sweet, OF the Wilmington Coal Com
pany, states that an air shaft was places
by order of the mining inspector, con
siderable distance further from the mail
shaft than the company wished, and b
believes that had it been where they in
tended to have placed it, many NOR
would have escaped. Little progres
has yet been made in recovering tn
bodies. The water has ceased howin,
in the mine, and pumps are hard a
work. The number now known to b
lost is seventy-tWo. The accident ha
widowed forty seven women, and mad
fifty three orphans. Mrs. McQuestel
crazed by the loss of her husband an!
three sons, will probably die. Redmond
who escaped, but returned to save hi
SOD, perished. --.~>..~,-. .~,.