Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-29
HIS rrrrxD DIED IN HIS STEAD.


HIS FRIEND DIED N his STEAD.
"Th' best o. un." he answered, gets
aboot four und SIX day" And then as II
In response to what he expected | would
say next he added: "Ah went doom IN
night shift. mon. when ma regular turn
wad Dee L day. SO / be living, but a ma
friends are below"
There were no tears in this mans eyes,
no shudder in his frame, but his lace was
drawn and darkened by fearful grlei.,
stood bv him until the death-Cart rumbled
by. an ordinary two-whecled dump-cGrt'
Three men sat on the sides with the driver,
and a score OF others with troop OF emil
dren marched behind. Young women with
prattling babies in their arms stood at
doOrways and on the sidewalks: Fass-
inr strangers paused and lifted their mats.
Here and there an old. worn, wrinkled
grandmother staggered 20 the road, moan
inc quietly. wiping her eyes with her
aprOn asking the evcr-prcsent question
hntl some one in the rough procession
gave her the answer and led her back 10
Fer dwelling. A the cart passed my
chance acquaintance spoke to one OF the
men on the side-board
who is't :"
George PennycOOk.'
ave. A lad of fifteen. His feyther's
below. and his mother las four wee chill
dIen."
AT TIE PIT.
Four and six day is equivalent TO SLIP.
The pit is about a mile from Penlculk, or
Shottstown, near the summit Of a hill. 1t
is an uglv-lOoking affair at the best with Is
uncainly structure for lifting the buckets
md its BACKGROUND of black hillside made
entirely by the refuse of the mine. When
first arrived there yesterday afternoon
there were several hundred OF the Peni-
cuik people on the piles of pit,props,
the coal-heaps, and the black hill OF
refuse. Blue smoke was pouring steadily
fron the mouth Of the shaft, adding
10 the gloom Of the day already gloomy
by the presence of q Scotch mist. AT
that time two men had made their es-
cape and four dead bodies had been re-
covered. There was just the slightest
hope that some of the Others might be
saved. and rescuing parties were at work,
exhibiting wonderful endurance and the
most admirable herolsm. There was little
lamentation in the crowd. and in few In
stances have ] seen any approach 10 the
extreme commissions of grief. The pre-
sence of a wide-reaching. terrible ca
lamity, nevertheless, was clearly iclt oy
every person, and the scene was none the
less distressing because OF the rarity OF
tears and sobs.
II will be seen that the miners were in
two main gangs at thu lowest level, 4iO
feet below the surface. At Al an engine
was stationed for pumping water up to AZ
where another engine continued the work.
The fire began at Al, and the engineer IN
charge and boy escaped by signalling at
once for the bucket. They gave
warning TO the men in both di-
rections, warning winch subse;
quent events prove was heard ana
attended 10 without delay. 1t was
shortly after noon when the fire was dis
that tho had been
warned, those At the plt-head kept the
buckets running up and down constantly,
but they returned empty AT every trip save
two. -Four Of the miners had succeeded
In reaching the buckets. Two OF them
died during the upward journey and two
Immediately after reaching the open AIR.
FIILKD WITH SMOKE.
From this time on everything possible
was done and properly done TO save the
men imprisoned al the lowest levels. An
other glance at the diagram viii show how
vain were the efforts The fire was raging
up the inclined shaft, not only making II
impossible. but filling the levels Il and {
with smoke, and creating back-damp OF
chOke-damp. Worse yet, there Is but one
outlet from the bottom levels.
IL is unnecessary 70 comment at length
on this phase of the catastrophe, but SIM
ply as an evidence Of how public opinion is
stirred on the matter, quote the following
from an editorial in the Edinburgh Dispatch
published this evening, at a time when II
could not be said that all the men would
perish
Meantime one important point will not
be allowed 10 escape the attention of the
public. Mauricewood pit has but one exit
According 10 the coal-mines regulation
act Of 1887 double shafts are made obi
gatory in nll pits where over twenty meT
are employed, so that in cases OF emergency
the men may not find themselves entombeC
IN a living grave"
N Andthis again from scottish Leader
When we turn from contemplation o.
the victims 10 the causes Of tho tragedy
stefner feelings are aroused. by villa
fatal overlook Of the intelligence, by VIVA
act OF criminal neglect, has this waste o
life and wrecking OF homes been brough
about! These are questions men are ask
ing-questions 10 which sufficient answer
must quickly be found At the pit-heaC
itself all responsible lips are ominousI,
sealed, and information as 10 the under
ground plan has had 10 be extracted from
workmen who have been below But O
the damning fact OF the absence of
second shaft for egress in moments Of peri
the disaster itself is witness.
Law ron PROTECTION or MINERS.
"The terms Of the statute are clear ant
precise. They apply 10 metalliferous a.
vel ss TO coal-alnes, and they demant