Evening journal., 1890-03-05
ONE GENT.
THEIR FATE WAS DEATH.
All Hope Abandoned Of Saving
the Miners.
BRAVE REsCuERs DRIVEN BACK.

The Horrible Fate OF the Eight Men
Impriscned In the Burning Mine at
Wiikesbarre--Hardiy a Possibility Tha4
They Have Not Already Perishea.
WnLKEsBARRE, Pa, March 5-There Is
now but one hope that the eight men inn
prisoned by fire IN the South Wilkesbarre
collieries are alive. That hope is a slight
one bat II is clung to By the friends Of the
missing men with desperate tenacity This
hope is that they may have found their
way through old workings unused for years
into the workingsof the seam Of coal known
as the Hillman vein.
Are They IN the HiIlman vsing
1t is remembered that Frank Gull, one OF
the imprisoned men, helped to drive the
tunnel and work these openings, and GER
tainly knows Of their existence. II this
supposition is correct the unfortunate men
are now locked in the workings Of the Hil-
man vein, and are unreachahle until I'll .
/ fire is extinguished and the rock tunnel >
once more passable, and this will be tie
work Of several days
Whether they can live so long is a Doubt
ful question. That they enn still be in ID ;
lover workings, where they were at tina
time the fire began, and be alive is now gen.
ally accepted as impossible. The rescuing
party that went down the Stanton mine az
O'Clock seems to settle that question.
Dangerous Undertaking.
The party was composed OF experienced
and resolute men. IL was dangerous and
doubtful undertaking. The distance from
the foot Of the Stanton mine to the point
whore the men were at work Is 3 900 feet.
| Up this incline the band OF rescuers made
their way, not knowing at what moment
supplementary explosion might occur Half
suffocated by smoke and noxious gases they
fought their way and finally reached the
very spot where the men had been at work
when the fire began.
Only Their Tools were Found.
Up to this time the leaders of the search
ing party had some hope that when the
chamber was reached the men would be
found alive. Only the tools of the missing
men we're found. showing plainly that in
stead Of rushing toward Stanton shaft they
had undoubtedly gone In the direction Of
the tunnel, with the probability Of being
overcome by the heat, smoke and gas which
lay in that direction. Their presence Of
1 uAlhu HtuHN HANt Hetn l0ab III LHH ifhL mo-
ment Of danger, for they had about a thou
sand feet TO 20 toward the Stanton to reach
place Of positive safety, their flight being
made easy by the force Of the air currents
behind them, which were being driven furi-
ously out by the force Of the explosion at
the tunnel.
stopped by the Terrible Heat.
The rescuers pushed on a thousand feet
l florr 81.
rible heat, which made barrier they could
not pass. To save the mine from utter do
struction the fire must be put out II can
only be put out by flooding the lower work.
ings, and so long as there was hope that
the men might still be in there alive the
company has hesitated 70 do this
Flooding the Mine.
But now, il they have not made their way
up 70 the Hillman vein workings they arr
dead, and the officials decided to go to work
at once and food the mine. No time was
lost The main Of the Crystal Spring Water
company was tapped and big stream
poured down the shaft BY p. m. five
streams were pouring cascade down the
shaft. Forty-eight hours, IL is believed
will suffice to put out the fire. or at least Sc
far TO check il as 20 ronder an exploration
Of the workings OF the Hillman vein pos
sible
The Boy Jameson's Heroism.
The boy Jameson displayed remarkable
herosm. When the explosion occurred he
called for help and several men came. He
told them to take his mules back aud notify
: the boss ~ am going in to notify the
boys he said They've got 70 get out
mighty quick Without word he ran
+, through the fast gathering smoke down the
: dark tunnel He never came back, but
whatever is the fate Of the men he tried to
save he will share it. Five of the men are
married, and unless they are recovered alive
they will leave five widows and twenty-fom
children
3 All Hope Abandoned.
} A later dispatch says: All hope Of saving
the entombed miners has been abandoned
II is feared that they became confused ans
ran directly into the burning gas Scared
for the bodies will be continued severa
days The damage to the property will b.