Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-05-16

Recalls Former Disaster.
The present cave is in the workings in
No. S of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal
company, Immediately adjoining the mine
in which the massive cave occurred twelve
years ago, imprisoning ten men for over a
week, but who were finally rescued alive.
The present cave extends over half mile
square, and includes portion of the
thickly settled village called Maffet's
Patch. A large number of houses have
gone down with the surface, but only a
few of them have been badly damaged.
Rescuing Parties at Work.
Volunteers were abundant when called
for to go into the mine and attempt the
rescue of the imprisoned men, and about 5
o'clock it was announced that one of the
rescuing parties had succeeded in breaking
through one of the chambers beneath the
cave. 1t was ego p. m, however, before
they reached the first of the victims. He
was lying at the bottom of a fifty feet
plane, and in order to rescue him it be-
came necessary to lower miner down
with a rope This was done. and the
charred and blackened form of Anthony
Froyne, the first victim, was hoisted to the
surface. He was still alive but his in
juries are considered fatal.
The Mine Full of Black Damp.
When the news spread that Froyne was
burned feeling of gloom came over the
old miners present, for they realized that
there was little hope of his companions
having escaped death. Froyne is supposed
to have wandered away from the others
and while trying to find way out caused
an explosion of gas in some old chamber
If this explosion extended to where the
other men were their chances of escape are
very slight. At S o'clock the rescuing
party had penetrated to within sight of
two dead bodies, but the gas was so thick
that they were driven back to the surface
The place is full of black damp, and fur
Their approach in the direction of the vic
tins Is impossible, even with safety
lamp. As it looks now, very little hope
is entertained that any of the men will be
rescued alive
Pitiable Scene at the Pit Mouth.
Q P. M.-The men entombed are nearly
all married and have large families all de-
pendent on them for support The scene
around the mouth of the pit is heart
rending one. Wives and mothers crowd
close up TO the dark opening and peer in
as If their love would dispel the darkness
of the fatal depths, while the cries of the
little ones calling for their fathers make
the nearer sick with pity. The men who
form the rescuing party are strangers to
fear and If it is within the bounds of Dos
sibility to reach the men inside they will
be rescued alive or their bodies restored
before morning.
Later.-List of the Imprisoned Men.
The official list of those imprisoned is as
follows: Ellis ID. Williams, married,
seven children; Harry Parry, married, five
children; Owen Parry, Michael Henry,
married, two sons: Thomas C. Davis, mar
ried, eight children; John Scally, t % sup
port of widowed mother; Michael Scally.
Daniel Sullivan. married, seven children;
John Hanson, single; John Allen, assist
ant mine boss married three children
taken out seriously burned at $50 D. mi;
Robert W. Roberts, married, II children,
drought to the surface at 8 u.
m. fatally burnedj; Harry Jones,
laborer, married three children; Robert
y. Pritchard, married, one child; Charles
James, married, five children; Anthony
Froyne, married, one child (rescued at
O'Clock badly burned); John James, mar
ried, two children; John Williams. mar
ried, six children; Jonathan Williams,
two children; Richard Jones,
two children; William Edwards.
two children; Thomas Williams,
one child; Thomas Claus,
no children; Owen Williams,
one adopted child; John Hemsey,
single; Frank Gallagher, single, and two
A Sad Night Watch.
The opening through which the rescuinR
parties entered into the gangway is ON the
north side of deep wooded ravine The
space in the immediate vicinity of the
opening is lighted with locomotive head
lights torches and lanterns that shed
weird and fitful CLEANS of light into the
yawning cavern where squads of brawny
miners labor in the hope of rescuing their
fellows. Outside this small circle all is
darkness The hundreds of anxious rela-
tivas and friends stand weeping around
the lights.
Two More Rescued Alive.
About o'clock there was a shout and
the crowd eagerly pressed forward Two
miners were coming out, bearing limp
form on stretcher. The rescued man
proved to be Fire Boss John Allen. He
was unconscious and badly burned, but
will probably recover 1t is said Ahat AL
lens lamp set fire to gas and caused an ex-
plosion. At $40 o'clock Robert Roberts
was brought out He is SO badly burned
that he can hardly recover.
Allen Describes the Calamity.
THE LATEsT-Fire Boss Allen has re-
covered consciousness and told of the hor-
ror. He said that when the cavern came
the men all threw down their tools and
made for the main gangway. They found
that it was blocked with the debris Some
Of the men then tainted and sank to the
ground. Others got down on their knees
and prayed for deliverance. Others rum
mayed around abandoned workings all the
afternoon. When the cave-jn occurred
there was slight explosion in one of the
breasts, which burned several men. He
says the air is bad, and unless the other
men are reached with in the next ten
hours they must perish.
Driven Out by the Gas.
At midnight the rescuing parties were
driven out of the gangways by the gas.
They left their safety lamps outside and
went i'm again, but as they could only
grope around in the darkness they could
nothing. An effort is being
made to change the current of air, so as to
drive the gas away from where the vic
inns are supposed to be.
Lucky Neal Gallagher.
Fort DODGE, Ia, May 16.-Neal Gala
cher, Coatville miner, known is this
ricinity as the poorest man in the city, has
,een made the richest He is notified that
ne is heir to $4,000, left by rich relative
~ Pennsylvania.