The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-02-24
HORRORS!
The Second Month Of 1888 Keeps Up its
Calamitous Character.

The Coal Mine Disaster Near Iiraidw God.
The month Of February maintains the
calamitous character with which the year
1888 started in in January. To say nothing
OF exceptionally destructive floods east and
west there is no lack of an accompani.
ment Of mining, railroad and other disas.
tiers. The calamity at Braldwood a week
ago, of which we gave mere telephone
intimation in our last, proves to be one of
the worst in our national history, With.
out walnipg, without thought Of danger,
100 persons suddenly feahl .heMseives in
a death struggle win rushing flood in
The bowels of the earth. SO of them being
crushed to death or drowned, and the rest
escaping only as by miracle
The accident occurred at about / 80 p.
NJ. on Friday OF last week, at the Diamond
Mine, situated on Clsypool Run, about 2
miles northeast OF Braid wood. The mines
are confined within about 50 acres, under
which, leading from the main shafts, are
roadways or excavations, some 10 fee,
wide aud feet high, made by the dis
placement OF coal and leading In Nil di.
rect,ons The roof Of the roadway is a
layer Of sospstone, and the surface, vary.
ing from 40 to 100 feet above, is level prai.
rie. At one point, not over 40 feet above
the roadway. the mine Is beneath large
slough, and this, by the melting snow be.
inf filled with water the weight overcamc
the resistance below, and soon wide leak
was opened into the mines rapidly filling
all the roadways.
! The flow of water was first discovered
by the cageman, Thomas DAILY, at about
IL 80 o'clock. When first seen it was
quite small and, Us it was nothing unusu-
al DAILY thought small leak had broken
through, and at once assembled for the pur
pose of having the pumps worked faster.
Arriving at the top of the shaft he ascer.
tanned that the pumps were working al
their full capacity, and, becoming alarmed,
again descended to warn the men of their
danger. The car struck the water and be
gan to sink, and to so great an extent had
the water increased in volume that he was
waist-deep before he could pull the hoist
ing signal He shouted to the pushers to
warn the miners, and in this way the alarm
WAS spread. Then began a frantic race
for lite. Men and boys dropped their
picks or sprang from their cars and rushed
for the shafts, only few being successful
As far as can be asCertAlDed, eighty three
human beings we're Overtaken by the dirty,
rushing water, and drowned IN the dark.
ness The experiences of those who es
capped can only be fully related in the
course Of time. Running at full speed on
the higher levels, swimming where the
water was beyond their depth, and diving
where the roadwsys were completely filled,
their heads coming in contact with the
Tagged walls, they fought for life, needless
of and helpless to avert the tragedies hap
pening around them. Fathers saw their
sons die in their presence, or carried be.
meath the flood beyond their reach.
Forty-six women are made widows and
forty.nine children orphans by the calami.
ty, most OF them being left destitute OF all
means Of support.
The victims were mostly Germans and
Polanders, whom the company had brought
over within the last year. The corporation
owning the mine is known Ms the Chicago
and Wilmington Coal Company, with its
principal office IN Chicago, and is wealthy
and abundantly able, as 1t no doubt will be
willing, to make provision for the tempo
rary support of the families of the lost
men The inflow Of water from above has
already been stopped and great steam
pumps have been put 10 work to get the
water ont of the mines.