Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-06-27

take charge of affairs and go right ahead.
If necessary he has the authority to call
for the militia through the proper chan
mel. Mr.. Keighley is determined to push
through on this line d MIR. Kerf0os NAV
meet with more trouble than he antici-
pates should he attempt to take possess
sion of the mine for the purpose of direct.
ing the work of rescue"
At II o'clock to day the air at the head
ing where the men were working was
reported as the very best. The tempera.
tUre had fallen from 100 degrees to 10.
Work is proceeding rapidly and results
may be expected most any time.
DUNBAR, Pa, June 25.-The coal line
has beer reached.
At 10 o'clock this morning fifteen feet
of coal had been mined. Drills are going,
and Inspector Evans has ordered longer
one.
1t is expected that the men will be
through in few hours. There are about
sixty feet of coal TO go through, and the
rate of speed is from six to ten feet an
hour.
The visit of Secretary Robert Watch
orn, of the Miners Union, has most ef-
tectually squashed the kicking of the out
siders, who have been so very free in
their criticisms of the manner in which
the work was being done.
Col. Kerfoot, the District Master Work
man, has rescinded the order calling for
close down of the region and a convention
at 5cottdale to day. No one will hear any
more kicking from the men who have
stood on the outside, with their hands in
their pockets. while their comrades were
inside doing all that could be done by
men.
At noon there had been no definite
change. Mr.. Hazard, at that hour, said
that he thought the men would not get
through the coal before early tomorrow
morning.
The survey shows that by the line they
are following they have sixty feet to
travel They can go at the rate of four
to six feet an hour. Every foot advanced
is with the greatest care and caution.
Too many lives are at stake to make a
false move.
DUNBAR, Pa, June 26.-The miners are
driving nearer the imprisoned men in the
Hill Farm mine, but they are yet days
journey from them. There is absolutely
no telling what the shifts are going to
strike. Last night Secretary Watchorn
was sure that the entry for which the
men are driving would be reached by to-
night. This morning when he went to
the mine and found that the miners were
still in the . gob," he changed his mind,
and thinks it will be night before a drill
hole is forced through into the entry.
Yesterday coal was struck, and the
men dug away with vigor and will.
About fifteen feet put them through it,
and then they ran into the "gob"
again. 1t was "gob" too, of the stick
lest kind. 1t was jammed together in an
almost solid mass. Only seven feet was
gone through by the shift which went in
at 2 O'clock this morning and remained
till just little over foot an hour.
Three different sets of timber were placed
in position, and this also took tine.
saw Peter Wise this morning. For
years he has had a reputation as an agi-
tator, but in this disaster he was the
coolest labor official who has been here.
He was not only cool, but has been
right down in that narrow passage way
working and toiling with the rest of the
men.
Mr.. Wise SAID to me: 4" We are still in
COB 1t was mighty tough work during
the night Now it is loose and sliding.
Ills last is sign that we are nearing
something. 1t is the first time that this
has happened to us, and we feel encour-
aged by it. Think we may find the en-
tries on both sides worked up further than
the maps show. If this is the case, then
we will make more time than we antici.
| pate when we strike the coal"
Mr.. Hazard was on the ground early
this morning. My advices," he said,
. are that the men are pushing right
along. They went through coal yester-
day. 1t was pillar of some kind, and 1
think when they strike the coal line they
will have so much the less to go through.
The maps show that there should be
about sixty feet of coal"
" Do you think there is possibility of
the miners finding the coal on the line all
cut away, Mr.. Hazard ?"
81 do not. There is no opening
through from our mine to the Mahoning
mine. The line may have been cut into
on each side, but not to any
large extent. OF course, if this
has been done, it means that men
will have that much less distance to 90
when the coal is reached. l don't see,
though, how they can have less than thirty
five or forty feet to go when they reach
it. That means nine to ten hours work.
Then eomes-what
The crowds which used to gather