Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-16
MINE CAVES IN.
TVenty,SeVen Miners Entombed
in the Ground.
/ Score Of Houses Deserted on Account
Of the Cracked Earth.


WnxEsBARRE, Pa. May Is. = Thi.
morning cayein occurred in No 6 colhery
Hartford mine of the Lehish 4 Wilkes.
barre coal COMPANY at Ashley. three mills 9
from this city. The cavein covered an
area of more than ten acres. Thousands
rushed to the scene. and found the sur
face almost AS far as the eye could reach
scanned ard cracked with long circular fs
sures, some of which were over t~o feet
wide. Directly beneath the portion that
had caved in were % miners, in all probs.
bility entombed forever behind an impene-
uab e mass of coal and rock.
The portion Of the mine in VIII CD the men
were vas known 50 No. I slope cave in
| which If it did not overwhelm them at once,
shut o6 all means of reaching the surfsce.
Rescuing par,ies were st once organized,
and an opening broken through into the
man way along the bed of the stresm where
the chambers came within few feet of the
surfsce. All day long these men toiled at
the hard aud stubbor rock, while the weep
ing wives and little ores Of the doomed
victim, stood around the opening, and rent
the with their cries and lamentations.
At 8 O'Clock they succeeded in breaking
through the chambers bene s,h the cave.
At 6 80 the foreman crawled out and
announced that they had found one Of the
victims living at the bottom of the 80 foot
plane. A miner was owered with q rope
and the chsrred and blackened body of
Anthony Froyne was hosted to the surface.
He waa still alive but his injuries were
considered fatal. 1t is supposed that Froyne
wandered away from the rest of the men
and in his eiforts to find his way out fired
the gas in the old chamber. II this explo-
sion reached the other men their chances
for escape are very slight. Nearly n score
of houses were shattered and destroy ed and
the families compelled to dy for their lives.
AT eight the rescu.ng party penetrated to
within sight of two dead bodies but the gas
was so thick they sere driven back to the
surface. The place is full of black damp.
and further approach in the direction of
the victims seems impossible even with
safety Lamps. The men eniombed are
nearly all married and have large families
dependent u on them for support. John
Allen, assistant mine boss, was taken out
at 30 seriously burned Robert W. Rob
erts WAS taken out at nine fatally burned.
Midnight-lt is now reported that 2S
were in the mine. A little after ., fire
boss John Allen was brought out badl
burned about the face. unconscious from
inhallng fire damp 1t is stated that Al
lens lamp set fire 70 the gas that caused
the explosion. At 40 Robert Roberts
WAS found at the foot of the plsne so badly
burned that his recovery is doubtful. An
thony Froyne was third and last man taken
gu. He was burned abou. ,hn hands and
face and otherwise seriously injured.
A. midnight the parties were DRIVEN ou'
of the gangways by gas They were Obliged
to leave their safety lamps outside and
grope heir way back in the darkD' IS
where nothing could be done but listen for
the groans of the wou ded. An eff,r, now
twelve o'cloek-is being made to change
the air current TO dive the gas back from
where the victims are supposed to be.