The Portland daily press., 1885-12-21
DIGGING FOR LIFE.
No News Yet Received from the I'm.
priscned Miners.
Their Comrades Laboring Hard to
Rescue Them.

WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Dec. 19.-A dispatch
states that if the imprisoned miners at Nanticoke
have been able to obtain plenty OF fresh air, they
will undoubtedly be still alive, and there is good
hope OF reScung them. Many experienced miners
believe, however, that,in their position they can
not get any new supply of air, and, that having
exhausted what little was III tle Workings lhey
must now be pershing from suilocatlon. The re-
lief measures were begun as soon as the other
men had been brought to the surface. AT nrst
but little could be done, for the water was five
feet deep and it was impossible to dig away
the sand and culm which blocked the gangways.
Last evening, however, the wafer SupSlded nays
ing all run off to the lower levels OF the mne and
effective work was commenced In earnest Two
gangs of men were set to work eXcavating
from different points toward Where 1t
IS believed the men are ong gs u TbS 1o u Dega III
nearest approach to where the men are Dut gre at
difficulties are encountered. There is no hosting
are sent down by derrick The workers are
obliged to throw behind them the material they
excavate, and this hinders them The gangway
being blocked up at one end they could get no
circulation of air until tubes were brought and
air forced through them from compressor used
for rock drills to the place where the men were
at work. The reScuerS are working with the
greatest possible energy The thought that Their
comrades are perishing in the other side OF the
mass of rock sand and dirt nerves every arm
with a grand strength The gangs are relieved
every four hours, and GO men have been constant
" at work since last evening Another party are are
same point. They have farther to go,hut have bet
ter facilities The air is pure, and they have pow
erfu hoisting engines to carry out the exacayated
material. Whether the men can be reached in
time to save any lives cannot be definitely told.
There is little ground for hope, but the efforts Will
not be abandoned until the fate of the imprisoned
men is determined. The people OF Nantlcoke are
in the greatest excitement, and nothing Is thought
or talked of but the disaster. Business is partial
ly suspended, and the colltery is surrounded by
hundreds Of persons, among whom are many
relatives of the imprisoned men, eager to learn
how the work goes on below, and to gain hope
laf h4ir
at the Office of the Susquehanna Coal Company
at Nanticoke state this evening that there are
% men in the fatal SLOPE not 20, as generally ul
derstood. They state further that the disaster
was precptated by the collapse Of the passage
way of the tunnel TO the extent Of fve feet, eaus-
ing depression, which brought down into the
tunnel a 24-f0Ot vein OF lake qulcksand. The
vacuum created by this break created an arch
and through heavy fssure in the roof mass Of
water overhead, containing over 20,000000 gal
Ions, poured in, flooding both No. l and No:
slopes, and choking up the tunnel and carrying
with it 81 miners who were at work there, OF
these men, "a were, i'll all probability caught be-
fore they could gain the chambers that pitched
upward, and they are supposed to be ~ TINS
quicksand and culm, not having been able to
reach place Of safety In time.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Dec. 20-Today was the
glOomiest Sunday ever Witnessed in Nanticoke.
Thousands OF people poured into the town in We
hicles, on horseback and on foot andhundreds of
them gathered n groups around the various
workings sWhere they discussed the situation of
the imprisoned men, A message was brought
here from Nantcoke this morning to the effect
that William Elke had been found in a gangway
and evidently had been dead several hours, but
at the companys Office this was denied, They
state that the Situation remains unchanged from
that of yesterday, though they hourly expect to
reach the fatal spot where the entombed men are
supposed to be, Rescuing parties are continu-
ally at work under the direction Of Superintend-
ent Morgan but there is no hope of rescuing any
of the victims alive No. L c0iiery, where the
accident occurred, employs 600 men and boys
The loss to the company will be large and the
next three months will be consumed in making
repairs. During that time men and boys will not
remain idle butwil be given work at other collier
les of the company.
(sP.M) The rescuing party have struck
mass of wet sand and AS additional men were
sent to remove it with buckets as fast as it was
thrown out
(9P.BI.) An official report has been received
at the companys office to the effect that the res
cuing party were then within few feet OF the
fatal chamber.
(11.30 P. M a message has just been brought
saying the relief party were still working yigor-
ously but had not reached the imprisoned miners
and it is doubtful if they can gain entrance to the
fatal chamber before tomorrow as the sand con-
stantly refills and impcdes work.
(Midnight.) The rescuing party have finally
reached the spot where the missing miners were
supposed to be imprisoned but they were not
there. The relief party are now pushing forward
to another chamber with hopes Of finding the
missing men in a few hours