Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-06-20
STILL ENroMBED.
The Dunbar Miners Not Yet Recovered
Hope That They May be Alive--Re-
-soa ...s..-aa UFror, the Iurartor

Hope Ihat luey may bo fAAfS--AhN-
ported sounds From the Inferior.
DUNBAR Pa, June 1S.-The Hill farm
mine, where the explosion of fire damp
occurred on,Monday, and where the thirty
two miners are still entombed, is the
scene of active work to-day. All night
long crowds of sturdy men were waiting at
the mouth of Mahoning pit and also at the
Hill farm man-hole ready to do any bid
ding that was required to release the en-
tombed men. At the mouth of Mahoning
Dit. a fan sending 5000 cubic feet of air
per second was erected during the night
and put in operation at S:15 A. M. to-day
1t is claimed now there is sufficient air In
be pit TO sustain life if the men still live,
but 1t is asserted that the chances OF
their beng alive are one out of one thou
sand. m
The miners who work in Hill Farm,
and who claim to know everything about
the works, say that the pit IS filed with
lumber. and that if so much air is kept
going in the man hoes it will only add
fuel to the flames already raging IN The
nit. and that in the end the entombed
men would be simply roasted alive. The
lumber was used in air courses and has
been there for years. The lumber on fire
wouli naturally set the coal ablaze and
make the place a vcritable hell The
thick passing out of the heavy gray
smoke was somewhat stopped this morn
ing about 9 o'clock. Almost at the same
time n heavy crash was heard in the dis
tance. which shook the neighborhood tor
half a mile around. The crowd which
was gathered around the pit mouth made
a mad rush for the place where the sound
came from, and found that part OF the
works had caved in, leaving hole in the
fern almost covering half an acre.
This occurred in the heading leading to
faemain entrance, and as a natural result
stopped considerably the course of the
smoke. This will keep the bulk OF it in
the mine, and make the chances OF smoth-
erinc for the entomed men ten fold
greater. A tour of Hill Farm, Ferguson
and Mahoning mines, as far as could be
made, was gone through last night and
this morning by Superintendent Lynch.
of the Frick Coke Works, Superintendent
Bremen, of the Mcclure works, Mine In
spector Keighley and Thomas Lowden,
mine boss of the Mt. Braddock Works.
As body the gentlemen refused to ex-
press an opinion on the chances OF re-
covering the miners alive, but two OF
them volunteered an individual talk.
EMr. Lynch said "There is a possibility
of the men being alive, but would not
like to take their chances. Every circum-
stance would have to be in favor OF them,
which is hardly probable"
Mr.. Lowden said "The mines, as near
"a we could see, were filled with smoke,
probably more so than with fire. The
lives of the men, if death has not already
claimed them, depends on the amount OF
air we can get to them. There is posi-
bility of saving them, but my opinion is
their chances are very meagre. 1t will
take, as near as | can say now, one week
from Monday last to reach the place the
men are supposed to be. We may have
to cut through places that have caved in,
in which case the men who are at work
will experience much difficulty IN getting
through"
1t is stated now that the Mine Inspec-
tors report, which was made some time
ago, says the mine was in bad condition
and filed with gas. 1t is now said the
report has been spirited away. An order
was issued this morning for the Dunbar
Castle. X. of p, TO turn out at the funeral
of David Hayes, one of the victims. 1t
takes place this afternoon at 2 o'clock.
:, Daniel Shearon, the other victim who
has been recovered, was buried from st,
Aloysus Catholic Church this morning at
10 O'clock Father Malady said the
requiem and spoke in feeling terms OF
the way in which the man had met his
death. and also of the sad fate which
probably has overcome those who are
still in the mine. The funeral was well
attended, and it is needless to say there
was scarcely dry eye in the church dur
ing the services. The house of Mr.. Nc
Cleary, who with his son is entomed in
the Hill Farm mine, is hard by the
church, and every move that was made in
the building was watched by MIR. Nc.
Cleary's wife and daughters. When the
funeral left the church, on its way to the
graveyard, Mrs. McCleary and her
daughters nearly went into Mysteries al
witnessing the sight, and realizing that
probably later they would journey on the
same sorrowful mission, when her hus'
band and son were found.
So frantically did they carry on thai
they had to be removed from the scene
and kept indoors until the cortege had
passed. In fact everyone here whose rel
atves are still in the mines are now be-
ginning to realize that there is no hope oi
eyer seeing them alive. When this morn
ings dawn broke over the hill, it found
Mrs. Joy, who is bride of a few weeks
sitting and weeping on the hill above the