The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-29
Prr-HEAD OF THE porTsrowN MINE.

1enlCulk Is COWH OF ABOUT ,UOU nina Bit
ants, twelve miles south of Edi burgh
The greater number of the people who
wo k are employed in paper mills, but one
section of the village, toward the south,
called S1ottst0 Rn, il occupied solely by
miners and their families. II should be ex-
planned that American towns arc not so
frequently subdivlded as they are here.
The stranger would not realize that in
crossing street he enter another town
or community. Shottstown is apparently
wholly within PenIcuik, and so it is In the
parochial sense but it takes distinct name
because all the houses are owned by the
Shotts Iron Company. 1t is this concsrn
that owns Mauricewood pit whore the
Shottstown people make their livings. The
miners houses are built in blocks of one
story and half in hight. wholly Of stone
and tiles.
The Sho tstown miners are unusually
thrifty. am told that they have meat Il on
their tables almost once a day and that
most OF them have accumulated something
through membership in tho cc-operativ
retail society, an institution found cry
where in Great Britain, and Whica hops
to describe IN another letter. 1t is doubtful
whether these consultations, which will he
due to the bcreaved families viii be moro
than sufficient to pay for decent burial of
their dead. I approached a stalwart, sonlber
man this afternoon, who stood in the road
at Shottstown gazing vacantly at death
cart approaching In the distance, aud asked
him about the rate OF wages.
9TH best o un," he answered, "gets alb OF
four und six n day." And taen as il in re-
Spouse to what he expected / would
say next he added: "Ah went doo1 in t.
night shift, mon, when ma regular turn
wad be L day, so | be living. but a. ma
friends are below"
There were no tears in this mans ewes,
no shudder in his frame; but'his face was
drawn and darkened by fearful grief. |
stood by him until the death cart rumbled
by--an ordinary, two wheeled dump cart.
Three men sat on the sides with the driver,
and score of others with
troop of children marched behind.
Young women with prattling babies in
their arms stood at doorways and On tie
sidewalks Passing strangers paused and
lifted their hats. Here and there an old
worn, wrinkled grandmother staggered to
the road, moaning quietly, wiping her eyes
with her apron, asking the ever present
question until some one in the rough process
sion gave her the answer and led her back
to her dwelling. AS the cart passed my
chance acquaintance spoke to one of the
men on the side board:
"Who ist?'
George Penpycook."
cay. A lad of Is. His feyther's below,
and his mother has four wee childre' J."
y II
Four and six day is equivalent to 81 12.
The pit is about mile from Penicuik, or
Shottstown, near the summit of hill. 1t
is an ugly looking affair at the hest with its
ungainly structure for lifting the buckets,
and 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 Penicnik
people on the piles OF pt-props. the coal
heaps and the black hill of refuse. Blue
smoke was pouring steadily from the month
of the shaft, adding to the gloom of the day
already gloomy by the presence OF a Scotch
mist. At that time two man had male
their escape and four dead bodies had been
recovered. 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 heroism. There was little
in the crowd, and in few in
stances have l seen any approach to the
extreme commissions of grief. The presence
of q wide-reaching, terrible calamity never
theless, was clearly felt by every person,
and the scene was none tue less Distressing
because of the rarity of tears and sobs.
II will be seen that the miners were in
two main gangs at the lowest level, 40 fett
be ow the surface. At AL an on 3ine was
stationed for pumping water up TO AZ, where
another engine continued the work. The
fire began at Al, and the engineer ia charge
and boy escaped by at once signaling for
the bucket. They gave warning to the men
in both directions, warning which,
subsequent events prove, was heard and at
tended TO without delay. 1t was shortly
after noon when the fire was discovered
Knowing that the men had been warned,
those at the pit-head kept the buckets run
mining up and down constantly, but they
returned empty at every trip save two.
Four Of the miners had succeeded In reach
ing the buckets. Two of them died during
the upward journey, and two Immediately
after reaching the open air.
From this time on everything possible
was done and properly done TO save The me !
imprisoned at the lowest levels. Another
glance at the diagram will show how vain
wore the efforts. The fire was raging up
the incline shaft, not only maxi z it I'M
passable, but filing the Levels b and Q with
smoke, and creating back-darnD or choke
damp Worse yet, there is but one outlet
from the bottom levels.
It is unnecessary to comment az leagth
on this phase Of the catastrophe, but simply
as an evidences Of how pxbfc opiaion Is