The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-02-25
A NINE BADLY FLOODED.
The Miners are Safe, But Some
Of Them Lose Their Tools,
A STREAM FooToR so THICK
Pours Into One of the Entries ofthe
NIoundsylIle Coal Works From u
Mysterious Source The
Disaster Serious,

The Moundsyille Coal Works has suf-
fered a disaster which is at best a serious
blow to the company and Its employees,
and may prove public calamity, by
forcing the abandonment OF the mine,
1t is yet too early. however, to def
nitely estimate the extent Of the cas-
uality and Its consequences, There is
hope that the damage may be remedl-
able, and an investigation will be made
to-day to ascertain just how fair the
prospects are,
Saturday afternoon about O'Clock
a leak sprung in the roof Of entry No. 8
Of the mines. First the water trickled
in q tiny streamlet, but this grew mo-
mentarly until a column Of water as
thick as u mans wrist was splashing on
the floor OF the mines. AS the stream
still increased, the alarm was given and
the miners prepared to take their tools
out.
Some OF them did not reach the rooms
where they had been working, until the
water was up to their knees on the floor
while Others, still less fortunate, found
the water too high to reach heirtools al
all, and had to abandon the works tC
avoid being swamped.
by Yesterday the stream OF water pour
ing into the entry had grown to be as
thick as q mans body, and by afternoon
the entire mine was Hooded to the shaft
The cause OF the leak or the source
from which the water comes is mol
known. On this depends the extent Of
the damage, There Is an old shaft and
workings near the Camp Grounds which
was long ago abandoned, and Is known
to have filled up with water. The place
in entry 8 where the leak started Is said
to be directly under the abandoned
mine, and one theory, and plausible
one, Is that this water has gradually
worked its way into the lower mine. Il
this be the fact, OF course the water in
theold mine will soon become exhausted
by the drain, and the lower works can
then be pumped out.
A visit will be made to the old mine
to-day to discover II the water in 1t has
been lowered. II so, II will indicate
that the trouble is due to that cause, Il
not, the owners are at n loss to know
what to attribute the sudden flood TO-
The source from which the water comes
may be- inexhaustible, in which case the
mine will have TO be abandoned. This
would be u serious blow to Moundsville,
As 1t Is the one hundred and more
miners and employees OF the company arc
thrown out OF employment for IN indetl'
mic time, and the operators will be put
to serious expense in any event to
remedy the difficulty.
The proposed visit to the old mine Is
attended with no little danger. Having
been abandoned and closed 30 long as Il
has, 1t Is necessarily full Of foul air and
noxious gases. OF course those who en-
ter will take every possible precaution.
There are several theories to account
for the leak. One is that the mine,
which, is from $50 to 100 feet deep, and
OF course reaches below the level bed OF
the river, has pierced 80 near m under.
ground stream fed from the Ohio that
the water has forced It's way through the
thin roof. Another idea suggested last
night was that one Of the oil wells has
pierced a stratum OF water and later a
crevice in tho earth, and these being
cased out OF the main pipe oil the well
tho water has worked Its way to the
mine. Both OF these theories seem less
probable, fortunately, than the one that
the water comes from the old bank.