The Portland daily press., 1885-12-23
IN DESPAIR.
The Rescuing Party Forced to Aban-
don Their Work.
No Prospect of Reaching the I'm
prisoned Miners in Time
to Save Them.

WIIKEsBARRE. Pa, Dec. 22.-There was no
rest for Nanticoke last night. 1t is impossible to
describe in words the CONSERVATION dismay and
agony which spread through the village when it
was learned after midnight that all efforts to get
the men out alive had been abandoned. The
town never saw such sight as that witnessed
from O'Clock this morning. No one thought of
rest The whole population were out on the
streets discussing the situation in the widest
manner. Exclamations of despair, cries of agony
and nntterinqs of discomfort were heard on every
street corner and in almost every household. The
relatives of the unfortunate miners were in the
widest agony of despair, and several were seized
with convulSiOnS.
The officials in charge Of the work of rescue
were forced to abandon their labors as an nyesti-
cation at an early hour this morning showed that
sand, rock and culm had fallen to such an extent
as to completely fill to the roof the mine in which
the imprisoned men We're confined. A second
caye-in of very large proportions took place dur
ing the night and the real extent of the damage
cannot be estimated The last fall filled the mine
with sulphurous gases, and puta peremptory stop
to all work.
Every effort will now be made to penetrate to-
wards the men from the slope. The work of clear
ing up gangWay will be pushed as rapidly as
possible although the work VIII be long and ted ted,
up, to the roof. Here is correct list of the vic
Tins, the first obtained since the calamity took
place:
Thomas Clifford, aged IA years. VIM. Delaney,
"A; VIM. Elkie, 10; Edward Hargraves, 33; John
Hawk 80; Wadislaw Jelgoshincke %; William
Kiveler, II; Oliver Kincler, 27; Frank Kiveler
80; Manx Langolki, II; Abram Lewis, AZ; An
drew Lene, %; Vincent Luke 2S; Edward Mat
thews, 20; August Metule, 45; Peter Mattlewicz,
age unknown; Joseph McCarty. %: Joen Ma
mack 80; Abram Rubinski 80; Isaac Sarver, 28;
John Sarver, 81 John Shut, 2S Thomas VIII
liams, 21.
LATER.
Little has been done at Nantcoke to-day ex-
cept to clear away the debris preparatory to be-
ginning anew and render the machinery and ap-
pliances more substantial. Operations at the
slope will be kept up and all the debris removed
as fast as possible. The most practical miners
are of the opinion that when the dead men are
found it will be in their chambers, and If they
have been caught in the fall of sand and culm
then the victims will be found one by one as the
excavation continues, and it may be two months
before the last body is recovered The loss to the
company is estimated at S150,000 and will be
greater in the cost Of sinking shaft. loss of time
and clearing away of a mile of debris, sand and
rock which is wedged in solid mass in the gang
ways. Michael Sarver, father of the two Saryer
shaft this morning, and he wept like a child. He
is very old and has beena lifelong toiler III the
mines. But in spite of his age he is as strong and
rugged as ever and insists upon working every
moment that the officials will allow him TO do so.
He to-day expressed himself as entirely satisfied
with the work beiug done to extricate the men.
He did not place any blame for the disaster on
anyone holding that it was accidental
The project of sinking shaft over the work
ing of the fatal slope at Nanticoke has been aban-
dOned. 1t is said it would be necessary to go
down $50 feet to reach the nearest gangway, and
to do this would take three months or more The
company will continue to work and clear the
obstructed tunnel in the hope of gaining an en-
trance to the fatal chamber within the next ten
DAYS.