, 1885-12-20
BURIED ALIVE. =.
Miners Suffocate Beneath Tons
of Debris.
Test Chinese Case Taken to the
Supreme Court.
Collapse of a Houston Bank
Liabilities, 100000.
Mine Horror.

WnKEsBARRE, Pa. Dec. 10 The
outlook at No. l slope this morning i:
frightfuL. Mine Inspector Williams says
that if the men can be reached in forty
eight hours they will be found alive. The
total exhaustion OF air will not occur be-
fore then and the chance Of rescue this
morning is very slim from the fact that
the air circle has been broken. This was
ascertained by the second rescuing party
working at the opposite end from the first
party in slope No. l.. Superintendent
Morgan finds that there are sixty seven
feet Of quicksand, culm and earth to be
dug away. This is wedged in between
the mine timbers which have sprung in
ward and crossed, presenting an almost
insurmountable barrier. Shifts are now
changed every two hours, but culm and
quicksand. by its very nature fills in the
place of that taken out. Expert author
ity says that it will require FIVE or six days
to dig through. This ends all hopes of
the twenty nine men imprisoned who. it
is believed. died within the first twelve
hours from suffocation, Sixteen English,
Irish and Welsh, and thirteen Poles and
Hungarians are now known to be impris-
oned in the chamber Of death. II they
have been enabled to obtain fresh air they
are undoubtedly still alive, and there is
good hope of rescuing them. Many tx
perienced miners believe, however, that
in their position they cannot get any new
supply of air, and that having exhausted
what little was in the workings they must
now be perishing from suffocation.
Measures for the relief of those still in
the mine began as soon as the other men
had been brought to the surface. At
first little could be done, for the water
was five feet deep, and it was impossible
to begin digging away the quicksand and
culm which blocked up the gangways.
Last evening, however, the water subsid-
ed, having run off to lower levels of the
mine, and effective work was commenced
in earnest. Two gangs of men were set to
work excavating from different points to
where it is supposed the men are. One
party. sixty strong, commenced work from
the foot of the air shaft. This is the
nearest point to the place where the men
are, but great difficulties are being en-
countered. There is no hosting appara-
tus at the air shaft. Men and tools are
sent down by the derrick. Workers are
Obliged to throw behind them the ma
terial they excavate. and this binders
them. The gaugway being blocked up at
one end they could get no circulation of
air until the tubes were brought out and
air forced through them from the com-
pressor used for rock drills to the place
where the men were at work.
Recuers are working with the greatest
possible energy to night. The thought
that their comrades are perishing on the
other side of the mass of rock, sand and
dirt nerves every arm with strength.
Gangs are relieved every four hours, and
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$50 mna :. sonm;.aI
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ounoe oy nuhdreds OF persons, among
whom are many relatives of the impris
oned men, eager to learn how the work