The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-06-18

PETER McaOU6H.
| 0f these twenty~one we're married and
have families. The mine. Il seems, has
been somewhat troubled with water, and
air shafts had been drilled from tho surface
10 the junetnrs OF the right and left shafts.
where the water seemed most abundant.
Az the mines branched OF from this point
they knew that an sir hole had been drilled
there that had not yet been broken into.
But they did not know 10 was 60 be
broken into to-day. This shaft. by the
way, was six-inch hole. miner named
Kirwin had been left In the right drift near
that branch adjoining the mines exit, and
In the course Of his labors broke into the
perpendicular shaft. The moment this
was broken into, food Of water gushed
ont and Kirwin and o man named Sandy,
standing by. yelled out for some one TO
save the men In tho right shaft, az the
water poured down the hill In stream
and he feared they would drown.
A young man named Hayes, who had
seen the affair, leaped forward ai the call
and turned down the left drift toward his
endangered comrades below. Just as he
passed the air shaft that had been broken
into the rush Of wafer changed 20 an ugly
roar, which bianehed the cheeks OF the
men. The now of water had changed 10 0
deadly volume of fire. damp, and ~ young
Hayes swung by the shaft blazing light
slid through the shaft from end 90 end ii
seemed. The daring young man carried
an open burning miners lamp In his hat,
and he had hardly taken step beyond the
roaring shaft when q spark ignited the
reservoir of deadly fire-damp and he sank
q corpse ten fest from those whom he had
hoped to save and the men whom he had
certainly doomed.
In an instant an nnquenchable fre
spraug mp In nine-foot vein, Just between
the main entrance and the right drift, for
ever shutting Of the thirty-two men inn
prisoned there. Poor old David Hayes,
fathes Of the mistaken hero, driven mad by
the fate Of his SON, dashed into the sui
phurous smoke and strAngling fire-damp
only to fall by the side OF his son and TO
be drawn out an hour later with James
shearn, both recognized only By their
wives.
The frr, famed by air from the main
drift and from the fatal shaft ITSELF, soon
sprung into al awful confiagration.
The miners from tho left drift escaped,
blackened and bruised, bat safe, and they
tell fearful story of the sight beyond the
blasting coal on fhe right. willing hands
and hearts were NOT wanting on the OUT
side, and Clerk Cook, with Mine Inspector
Keoshy, beaded a party or 100 who en-
tered the main shaft and, after cropping for
quarter Of mile at least, were driven
back again By the deadly gas, only 10 re-
cover breath for q moment and plunge in
70 find that thB right drift vas impenetrable
and that nrsman living could pass.
They finally came upon two bodies ana
they we're brought 70 the opening OF the
mine- When tho two bIaokened
corpsss, those Of Hhearn and Hayes, the
elders. we're drawn into the daylight
moan vent up from the few hundred nbous
the pit. bat the anguish vas ss nothing
to the silent watch Kept By wives, children
and swsethearts Of tho msn whoss doom
was al the more awfnl because unknown.
Az midnight the smoks and gas from the
right shaft poured up the main exit In an
nnbroken volume ard after trials almost
beyond human endurance the rsscninQ
party gave upall hopes Of even recovering
their comrades dead bodies from that