New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-21
TO SAVE THE LOST MINERS.
UNCEAsING WORK DONE AT NANTlCoKE.
PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE-ANoTHER MULE
AHvE-THE CULM HEAP
tRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

|
| says that the rescung party finally reached the
spot whore the missing miners were supposed to be
Imprisoned hut they not there The relief party
arc now pushing forward to another chamber, with
| hopes o. finding the sing men in few hours.
Encouraging received last evening About
p. large bed OF qucksAnd and water
was encountered and foryve additional men were sent
down with buckets and shoves AT o'clock the officials
in charge stated that they bad penetrated to within
thrtyfve feet OF tho chambers in which they expected
to find some OF the imprisoned alive or dead Later
on It reported they within twenty feet
and that before o'clock the morning they
| hoped to have reached tho first chamber and to
| have found some OF the mon alive or
| dead. This news created the greatest excitement
throughout Nantcoke and vicinity, and resulted in tho
gathering OF many more people around the mines, not
few OF whom intended to remain all night in the
hope that OF the would be rescued by morning
This has been the sadcst Sunday that Nantc0e
without one instants cessatUn without Stacking their
efforts the relief gangs worked the twenty
six euombed mon, but sign OF their existence has
been found At early hour this morning reporter
81 TIT TRIBUNE visited the scene OF the accident The
| intense excitement which had prevailed yeaterday
and on Friday hnd subsidized Not more than 400 people
assembled around tue openings through which the
work Of relief being carried bat later In the day the
crowd Of the anxious and curious increased Everything
quiet and orderly and the for relief were
carried out Systematically and without any confusion
The strained interest and intense eagerness to
learn any facts details OF the work going below Is
! manifest. The chief interest centres round the air
shaft It Is through the workings connected with this
outlet that It Is believed tho imprisoned men will be
| reached, either dead alive To facilitate the
operations OF the rescuing gang gang
sent down last night, and By mornina1fad or ened
eommunica. ion with the wOrRngs at the foot Of the
| slope The air shaft is only a small one 1t was
intended only for yentilatng purposes, and to afford
| egrcss In case OF accident. There is hoisting
| ten h1i In lOse
by the mouth OF the shaft which covered by small
sheet iron house stands enormous suction fan built III
solid masonry which draws the OF air up the
shaft II Is arOund this Dnding that the anxious or
curious cOugegate and with intense interest watched
the paying out or hauling In OF the rope which let down
hoi-od the surface the w0rkmen and their tools.
! A. they up. the wOrkmen emerged from little
iron door half way up the fan house and descended 10y
stairs to the ground Dirty, black and dripping though
| they were, they at surrounded by dczen
ques with nterrognons ns TO how the work
They could give Out little information. They
are only the arm that carry uy work OF relief
The brain OF the enterprise Is IN the officials of the com
| pauy, who are directing the movement Chief in
charge superntcn Morgan, who has entire charge
| OF the susquehanna Coal COmpany's cohieries,
fiy years old. ss reliant calm and courageous In
midst Of pressing dangers. Not many years
| ago he himself lost - by similar accident Mr..
Morgan never left the working for an Instant since
the disaster occurred inside and ont lie has directed
every cnor and only once could he be persuaded TO
snatch few hours OF sleer in one OF the buildings
attached to the cJlirry. Under him Foremcn Reese.
Warnc and have charge o the relief gangs, ANA
have been n.irng ana energetic ia their "oih. ne
work made steady, hut not rapid progress. Tie am
cultlcs rucolut, red Immense. In the working
fro the AR haft tue air stil bad that the men
could barely rcuain At Their hard Labor for inc four
hours that cath rhlIt ls on lul M'S rn MA 10 give
up aud the surface, but their place was speedily
nlrd. Sever were men more ready to face dan'eI ana
TREMENDOUS save their comrades tlhn are The
miners o Nantcoko Jan med ught amidst the mass oi
rork umrrr-. shattered mine cars ANA all tnc ruin Of
wrecked coicry, The removal oI "hl'h Is SO" ana
aborous work. Tnus with uuconduerablc prrsIstency
! and energy tuc men worked ca. superintendent
Morgan. during brief Yi, to the surface tnis after
nlo said they sd now penetrated ABOUT 25o cct
along thr gangw,y IN the direction In which the i'm
| pr,oncd men must hc. They had to nj tie gangway
perfectly blocked 70 ue roof aud air could pnssIny
tct In mat way How far the o structon extended he
could say. but hc believed that seventy ive or
hundred further would carry them Iast the great
Of the obstruction aud leave their course compare
G,n the men bo al,vel" wa. nskca.
Mr. Morgan -uo0k hl- head. IL IL Impossible To say
he replied 1"c chance. are almost equal II l. chiefly
question ~ air If hrrc exist, any opening los winch
they can obtain fresh supply Of air believe We shall
lud some, II hot all. 10 time To save thci Ers or
they been able Ia reach ihc higher WORKING tAnk
that ihcy Viii he saved"
"Wil ley not be- dead from saryatonp
"Not Yet. Many men Imprisoned IN tie mine. nave
, nn ne rp, d.,.t.r occurred before noon
Then. they may nave muo IN with them aud you VIII
remember that Ia the el-r Notch disaster nvo men
hyci TX day, on the flesh Of mule"
How Il bodies have teen found for Sone OF
the men, Is believed, were killed ~ the hrot riShi
"Our rst aim Is Tor the living The deaC can Tuier no
harm hy remaining few days longer in the ground
II any were Killed Once their bodies Will be found
lying on TIE nour ~ the ganS"Al. We 90 no,
clear - the bottom but push along taki;e as little out as
possible. II H. tnereor' quito pi-sl"i' 'hat some
bodies In The gangsa that VIII hot be i''oItrru
unt II IA Thoroughly cleared But DO NOT u9Ic'o
that more than two, u any, wcrc thu' He'd
Up To Late hour not 80 SOUND @ n'' ''t H" Hr'".nt ~
Indicate that tho men are SIN awe. Al frequent
,r,rrr.e tuc mine The noise ot the pi' and shovel
engaged ia the work OF relief could also be heard og
distance. hut response OF any ntrre h.T ytt o'e
heard opinion Is almost equally divided IA 10 whether
the awe or dead, out one lhins Is certain io
efforts nj rescue Will hc abatod until every 0ne OF
% w." & - mi. T. nrcommIishrd the miners of Nantl
coke Will not another stroke of work. aud even II tey
wished II, tho company dare not Tor az ,iahl celS' o
work of cSrcatou. All their golfers VIII remain tile
and boys viii REUSE To do an hour Work ana na'y
stuc1t Of % 900 tons oi coal will be lost 10 the coal
trade Tnls matter Of gIeat Importance to tue com
pany aud thry arc prepared to spare no n'hcS @ u' w
amount Of work to ascertain the fate OF the missing
TIE report which obtained wide currency tGGt the
disaster caused by blast fired ~ oNer hivlor IS
denied hy tne officials of the complnyi ine5 & 10y
that tho real OF the disaster was seths o
two work. The heap OF culm ~ Inc ,uriaco
is the product Of four huge brck.rs Its surface lac rs
y,ral e plateau In the midst Of which, over the spot
the break occurred, IL vast circular eHo @
800 feet In diameter which, taperlng down III inc sh'pV
OF "A funnel could not bo less than 200 leel deep al,
this OF fine cnn, In addition To tue carth amd
somr OF yastnoss OF the work that ss before o
rescug party can be asned me- oo ; ~ hn sdnc came
to The mouth o, the chamber which another mule was
fnnnn nIivr and we'll This discovery gave renewed
hoJe, and the greeted WIN Joy ou tno su''o
and was quickly spread through the town. 1870
The aged pnrcnts OF the three kvler brothers who are
eutou bed In the mine are Is feared dying When tle
state OF the was disclosed to thtn lG
wns protraed and up to O'Clock this evening had Ohy
consciousness To he again taken WI" aho.her
IT. The father "a OF sixty eight, seems 10 NC
wandering in mind and to have no clear knOwedgoo
the disaster that las hefacn his sons MrS. Donohut;
the mother OF the door tender, Nllo DOhohuo' Is SUI
alive, but In precallOns condition
LEAVING TIE CHICAGO BOAhD or TRADE.
CHICAGO, Dee 20 (SpecidD.- Memberships IN
the Chicago Board OF Trade yesterday quoted as
offered 81, 900 each. which sold "a hgh AS 94'oVo