Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1885-02-07
mo. 20. FROSTBURC, MD. FEBRUARY 7, 1885.
HOW MINERS CAN DIE.
Calmly Writing Messages to Loved
Ones While Death Creeps Upon
Them.

their lives. Of that disaster an old
miner in Scranton has preserved a
most remarkable record in 81 series of
manuscript copies, translated into
English, Of messages written to their
friends by such of the doomed Saxon
miners as were not killed outright by
the explosion, but were preserved for
the no less sure and more terrible
death by sutfocation as the poisoned
gases slowly destroyed the pure air
in the mine. The messages were
found i'll the note books and on scraps
of paper on the dead bodies of the
poor men when they were at last re-
covered. The manuscript copies of
these touching notes were made in
Cornwall by a relative of the old
miner and sent to him shortly after
the disaster. They are interesting
outside of their pathos, as answering
the frequently asked question: How
do men feel when about to die-not
after being wasted and weakened by
disease, or when the blood is heated
by the strife of battle, but when they
see inevitable death slowly but GER
tainly approaching them and know
that in exactly so many minutes it
will seize upon them: Do they rage
and struggle against their fate. or
meet it with calmness and resigna-
ton? These messages show that the
peor miners awaited the coming of
death with singular calmness and
resignation. Not one word in the
whole record reveals a feeling of bit
terness against the fate they could
not avert.
There is curious pathos in some
of the lines scrawled by these DEATH
besieged men in the gloom of their
narrow prison. A young man, Janetz
by name, had pinned to his coat
leaf from a note book. On it were
written his last words to his sweet
heart: "Darling Riks: My last
thought was of thee. Thy name
shall be the last my lips shall speak.
Farewell"
The miner, Rciche, when his body
was found, clutched in his hand
scrap of paper. 'Dear sister," it
read, "Meyer, in the village, owes me
ten thalers. 1t is yours. hope my
face will not be distorted when they
find us. might have been better to
you. Good-by." Reiche, according
the old Scranton miner, who seems
to have the histories of all the unfor-
tunate Saxon miners at his tongues
end, was severe man, and though
Just to his sister, who was his only
relative, gave her no liberties. The
thought that he had not done right
evidently haunted him in his death
hour.
The absence of all selfishness, all
repinings on account OF themselves,
is touchingly apparent in all the mes
sages. "My dear relations,' wrote
the miner Schmidt. "While seeing
death before me | remember you.
Farewell until we meet again in
happiness" Lying next to young
Janetz whose message to his sweet
heart is quoted above, miner named
Moretz was found. On paper was
written: "Janetz has just died.
Richer is dying, and says: "tell my
family l leave them with God" Fare
we'll dear wife. Farewell dear child
rep. May God keep YOU" The
miners who died by suffocation had
evidently been driven from one place
of refuge to another, according to the
following, found in the note book of
miner named Bahr: "This is the
last place where we have taken refuge.
l have given up all hope, because
the ventilation has been destroyed in
three separate places. May God take
myself and relations, and dear friends
who must die with me, as we'll as
our families, under His protection"
"Dear wife," writes Moller, stake
good care of Mary. In book in the
bedroom you will find a thaler. Fare
well, dear mother, till we meet again."
Mary was the miners only child, who
was blind.
A miner named Jaime or Jaehn
wrote to his brother, who was min
er, but who had been unable to work
that day: "Ihank God for his good
ness, brother! You are safe"
"No more toll in darkness" wrote
another.
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