The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-08-23
Eight Men Suffocated While At
tempting to Flood Burn
ing Mine.
Death Added to Disaster at the Buck
ridge Oolliery, Near WilkeSbare,
PA Narrow Escape,
Weeping Wives and Children at the
Mouth Of the Dark Pit OF
Death.

WILKEsBARRE, Pa, August 22.-The
excitement over the fire at Buckrldge
Collery was increased to-day by the suf-
location of eight men who were engaged in
the vain attempt to drive hole from the
Grecnback Colliery into the burning mine,
through which to run the creek. Dis
trct uperiutendents Williams and
Booth, having immediate supervision of
the men, constantly remained with
them until about five this morn
ing, when they came out to look
at the fire. While they were absent Pc
ter Wclker went down the Greenback
slope to feed the mules In descending
he felt the wagon in which he was riding
jar He jumped out and discovered the
body Of man lying on the track. Before
he could see where the man was the ire
damp extinguished his light and, almost
exhausted, he managed TO get into the
car, grasped the bell wire and
sIGNALLED TO BE HoIsTED.
A few minutes later the wagon reached
the surface with Welker lying in it insen-
sible. This was the first intimation the
officials had of anything wrong inside,
Frank Wardrop ard Valentine Depner
volunteered to 20 down and reach
the miners inside, but the attempt almost
cost them their Lives, and they were
hoisted out more dead than alive.
Both the Greenback and Buckridge
mines soon filed up with gas and ey-
cry one working about the place was
forced to the surface. The men who
were driving the hole and fifteen mules
were still inside, and all OF course
persisted. The mining engineers exam
incd the slope as far as they could
with safety, and give it as their opin-
Ion that the gas forced its way from the
old workings down upon tn. miners,
smothering the eight men engaged in
driving the hole.
THEIR NAMES ARE:
William Carl, Patrick Haley, William b.
Clark, william ShaOkwcicr William Tay-
Tor, George Beck, Robert White and VIII
liam Fox, The news Of the accident soon
reached SAamokin aud ne!ghboring
patches, creating intense excitement.
Men, women and children rushed
to the scene, and in less than an
hour over 900 people pressed closely
up to the mouth of the mines.
The coal and iron engineers and experts
examined closely the condition of the
mine, and knew it would be certain death
for any one TO attempt TO 90 down the
Greeuback slope. 1t was then decided
TO open the bottom vein slope at the
Buckridge mine, which would change the
current of air at the GreenbaCk, and force
il back to Buckridge by means Of fan
to be erected, and if nothing happens to
delay the work the bodies may be reached
tomorrow. The
WIVES or THE VICTIMS
sat together in tears near the slope, anX-
iously awaiting for the recovery of the
bodies of their husbands, while the little
children, bitterly crying, clung to them.
Carl was thjrty.six years of age and had
wife aud two children, Haley was
forty years old, leaves widow and five
children. Clark was thirty-nine, had a
wife and four children. Shankweiler was
forty-two, with wife and six children.
TAYLOR was thirty eight, wife aud one
child. Beck, thirty-seven years, wife
and three children. Fox, forty-three
, years wife and four children. Robert
White was the son of Inside Superin-
tendent White, and was only sixteen
years of age. Nothing will be left
uudoue nor expense spared to recover
the bodies. The loss to the Coal and
Iron Company will probably reach $780,
900, besides the long term OF idleness
that will be forced upon the employees by
the disaster.