The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-10

Caye-In at the Carbondale Mines.
Scranton tPa.) Special
1t is only when some appalling disaster like that
which has thrown its terrible shadow across
Nanticoke starIles the civilized world that the
public is brought face to face with the
perils which attend the work of mining But
little heed is paid, in the hurry and hustle of
everyday life. to the victims who fall one by one
at their toll in the black workshops that furnish
light heat and comfort for the world yet the
number of such persons who are crushed to
death by falling roofs sufocated by foul air, or
burned by the explosions of fredamp. would
make formidable list, even for single district,
III the course of year.
Mine Inspector Blewitt, of this city. who has
supervision, under the State law, over the mines
of the Lackawanna valley. has completed his re-
port for the year 1885, and it presents grim
record of the miscellaneous misery that has been
| caused among the towns and hamlets of this sec
ton during the twelve months which ended last
night Although the Naptcoke mines do not
come under Mr.. Blewtt's jurisdiction his report
shows that there were 304 accidents in his dis
trict in the year 1885. These accidents resulted
in the killing of seventy-one persons. the MAIN
ing of sixty nine (some OF whom will yet die of
| their injuries1, and the wounding of l73. AS a
consequence of these casualties, thirty three
widows and IA orphans have been added to the
| long list of bereaved ones during the year, and
several poor families are left destitute.
| Most of the fatal accidents are due to the fall
| ing in of the roof. which has been Of frequent
| imperfect propping, due to haste and careless
ness as we'll as to the fact that props are not
always provided as abundantly as they ought to
| be. OF course there are great causalities at
| times which amount of human foresight
seems able to avert. OF such nature was the
| great CAVERN which occurred at the Carbonate
mines In the winter of 1843 and which resulted
| in the loss of several lives. number of miners
were imprisoned for several days in the depths
on that occasion, and their narrowing expert
ences in the dark and dismal galleries of the
| mine throw the most graphic efforts of the
| fiction writer's in the shade. DIR. HOLSTER, the
pioneer physician of the valley, tells the story
| as follows:
Some days previous to the final crash the
miners heard the cracking of the roof that de-
| noted the danger of fall. It came, and such
was its force that all the lights in the mine
extinguished in an instant while the workmen
| and horses which were entering retiring from
| the black mouth of the cavern were blown from
| it as leaves are swept by the gale The men
| who were at work in the narrow chambers
further in the mine heard the loud death sum
mons, and felt the crash of the earthquaked ele-
ments, as they were buried alive and crushed in
| the strong black teeth of the coal-slate
"One of the assistant superintendent of the
mine. Mr.. Alexander Dryden. was on the outside
reached his He fastened in to ascertain the
cause of the disaster and the extent of the fall.
| Penetrating one of the dark galleries short
distance, he was met bv three miners who in
and woTndng many. and that they had just left
behind them about twenty men, who were prob
ably slain by the crashing slate-rock. Although
urged by the retreatng men to turn back and
save his own life as there were no hopes of res
cuing their companions from death, Dryden
pushed on along the gloomy passage amid the
loosened and growing rock until he reached the
outer edge of the fall Earth and clay lay in
masses around him, and here and there a rock
fell from the roof with threatening sound. The
dim light from his lamp revealed no passage save
an opening made by the huge slabs falling in such
o manner by the side of the gallery as to form
| narrow angle Into this aperture he crept on his
hands and knees.
'As he proceeded he found it so narrow that
he was forced to lie PROSTATE and drag himself
slowly forward by pressing on his elbows. About
one mile from the mouth of the mine he reached
the heading" or the end of the chamber, where
he found twenty imprisoned miners uninjured
| and Enclosed by wall of fallen coal. One mile
of solid anthracite between them and the outer
world! The brave Dryden whose courage had
not been shaken until now. wepr like a child as
he found among the number of imprisoned min
ers his own son. It was this young man who,
when the three retreating miners proposed to
take away the horse. said, leave him here; we
shall want him. as he thought OF the possibilities
OF starvation In the subterranean cell.
Dryden, the elder, was on the point of lead
ing out his men, through the narrow passage by
which he entered, when he heard that another
workman lay helplessly wounded still further
Dey Onu ILLS polnI IN the most dangerous part or
the fall. He pressed on until the feeble cry of
the injured miner caught his ear. The wretched
man was almost covered by the fallen rock and
coal, and his limbs were gashed and broken by
| the rocks Dryden lifted him on his shoulders
and hurried back as best he could with his limp,
bleeding and half conscious burden. At times
the roof was SO low that he was compelled to
crawl on his hands and knees and drag the
wounded miner after him, and in this way, by
efforts almost superhuman, he struggled for
mile to light, and life, and hope having saved
fellow-creatIre from fearful fate"