Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-12-23
THE BURIED MINERS GIVEN UP.
All Efforts to Get the Men Out Alive Have
Been Abana0nea-The Whole Town in
an Agony Of Despair.
WILkEsBARRE, Pa. Dec. %.

WukESbARRE, IA, Dec. 22.
At 1880 Tuesday morning the mine officer.
at Nanticoke decided to abandon work in the
air shaft on account of the cave-in and pres
sure of fre-damp. All attempts to get the
missing men out alive have nov been aban.
doned, but work through the tunnel win bs
pushed steadily forward. l, will probably be
| about two weeks before the bodies of the mis-
sing men are reached.
There was no rest for Nanticoke. Monday
| night. 1t is impossible to describe in words
the CONSERVATION, dismay and agony which
spread through the village when it was learn.
ed, after midnight, that all efforts to get the
| imprisoned men out alive had been abap.
doned. The town never saw such a sight as
that witnessed from o'clock Tuesday A. N.
No one thought of rest.
The whole population was out on the stree,
| discussing in the widest manner the decision
and EXPLANATIONS of despair, cries of agonv
and muttering of the discomfort we're heard
on the 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 commissions.
The officials in charge of the work of rescue
were forced to abandon their labors as an IN
vestigation at an early hour Tuesday morning
showed the sand, rock and culm had fallen to
roof, the mine in which the imprisoned men
were confined. A second cave-in, of large
proportions took place during the night and the
real damage cannot be estimated. This fall
filled the mine with sulphurus gases and put
peremptory step to all work. At six Tues
day morning, it was learned that the: bodies
of the victims could not be reached for at
least a month.
Every effort will now be made to work in
towards the men from the slope. The clear
ing up of the gangway will be pushed as rap
idly as possible, although the work will be
long and tedious as about 800 feet of the
gangway is filled up and is said to be packed
to the roof.
correct list of victims. the first obtained
since the calamity. is: Thomas Clifford. aged
IA years: VIM. Dehany, IA; VIM. Elkie, 10;
Edward Hargraves,2l; John Hawk, 80; Wad-
islaw Jelgoshincki, %; VIM. Kiveler, II;
Oliver Kiveler, 27; Frank Kiveler, %; Maux
Longolki. II; Abram Lewis, AZ; Andrew
Lever, 25: Vincent Luke, 2S; Edwakd Mat
thews. 30; August Metule. 43; Peter Mattle-
wiez-; Joseph McCarty, 90; John Nowach,
80; Ahrsm Rubinski. 20; Isaac Sarver, %
John Sarver, 2l; John Shut, 2S; Thomas
Williams, 21.
The officials of the company are now going
to sink shaft directly over the slope where
the miners are supposed to be. 1t is thought
that BY doing this they can reach the VIC
tins in about days
Little has been done at Nanticoke to-day
except to clear away debris preparatory to
beginning anew and to render the machinery
and appliances more substantial. Operations
at the slope will be kept up and all debris re-
moved as fast as possible. Most of the prac-
teal miners are of the opinion that when the
dead men are found it will be in their cham
bers. If they had been caught in the fall of
sand and culm then the victims will be found
one by one "a the excavation continues, and
it may be two months before the last body is
recovered.
The loss to the company is estimated at
O.000 and will be greater in the cost of
sinking a shaft.
The project of sinking a shaft over the
workings of the fatal slope at Nanticoke has
been abandoned. 1t is said it would be
necessary to go down 250 feet to reach the
nearest gangway and to do this would take
three months or more. The company will
continue to work on and clean the obstructed
tunnel in hope Of gaining entrance to the fatal
chamber within the next ten days.
The coal company at Pittston has closed for
an indefinite period several of its collieries,
which throws over 1000 men and boys out OF
employment.