Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-16
BURIED IN THE MINE.
Twenty-four Men Imprisoned by a Fall
of Rock.


Twenty-four Men Imprisoned by Fall
of Rock.
TERRIBLE CAvE-Iy AT wILKEsBARRE-ExPLo-
SION OF FIRE-DAMP ADDS TO THE HORRORS
THE AGoSIZISa SCENES ABOUT THE PHONE
DYING VICTIM TAKEN OUT.
The long series Of awful mine disasters that
have visited the Lehigh valley within the past
year reached a climax yesterday in the entomb-
ing of twenty four men in the Hartford mine
of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal Company
at Ashley, three miles from Wilkesbarre. At 9
o'clock the community thrown into state
of excitement when the news spread that an
extensive CAVERN had occurred in No. col
liery. covering an area of more than ten acres
Thousands rus he'd to the scene Of the disaster
and found that the surface scanned and
cracked with long circular assures, some over
two feet wide.
ENToMBED ALIVE.
The sorrow Of the people was intensified
when it became known that twenty-four of
their friends who had gone down the pit in tho
morning were directly beneath the portion that
had cayed in and were entombed behind the
mass of coal and rock That portion Of
the mine in which the men were
is known as No. slope, and the cavern.
if it did not overwhelm them at once shut out
all means of reaching the surface. Rescuing
parties were at once organized. and an open
ing broken through into a manway along the
bed OF a mountain stream, where the chambers
in that part of the mine come within a few
feet of the surface. All day long these men
toIled at the hard and stubborn rock while the
wives and little ones of the victims stood
around the opening and rent the air with their
cries and lamentations Gang after gang re-
heved one another until. at o'clock, the news
was passed that they had succeeded in break
ing through the chamber beneath the cave
period of suspense followed, while the thou
sands who stood around the opening waited
for some intelligence from the men at the
front.
ONE FOUND ALIVE.
The men worked on in silence until $50.
when there was commotion at the mouth Of
the dark opening. and the foreman crawled
out on his hands and knees and announced that
they had found one of the victims. He was
lying at the bottom of 50-foot plane. and IN
order to rescue HIM it became necessary to
lower miner down with a rope. This was
DONE and the charred and blackened form of
Anthony Froyne. the first of the victims, was
hoisted to the surface. He still alive, but
his injuries considered fatal. When the
news spread that FrOyne was burned a look of
the deepest gloom oyerspread the faces of tho
old miners who were present. They shook
their heads sadly, saying that the fact of
FrOyne being so badly burned left very little
hope for the safety of his companions. 1t is
supposed that Froyne wandered away from the
rest of the men. and in his efforts to find
way out, fired the gas in an old chamber.
DESTRUCTION ABOVE GROUND.
Ruin was wrought as we'll on the surface as
in the pit. Nearly a score of houses are shat
tered and destroyed and the families were
compelled to flee for their lives. The latest
report from the scene of the disaster at 8
O'Clock, ls to the effect that the rescuing party
has penetrated to within sight OF two dead
bodies, but the gas Is so thick that they were
driven back to the surface. The place is full
of black damp, and further approach in the di-
rectiOn of the victims is impossible even with
safety lamps. AS it looks now very little hope
Is entertained that any of the men will be res
cued alive. The cave-in is only short dis
lance from the point where the six miners
John Clark, Bernard Riley. John Green, Daniel
Green. Daniel Hawkins and VIM. Price-were
imprisoned in like manner during the month
OF April, 1879 and who subsisted ON mule meat
for SIX days, when they were reached by a res
cuing party and found in good health and little
the worse for their hazardous experience. The
men entombed are nearly all married and have
large families dependent upon them for sup
port. The scenes around the mouth of the pit
at this writing beggar description. Wives and
mothers crowd close up to the dark opening
and peer in if their love would rend the
darkness of the fatal depths, while the cries of
the little ones calling for their fathers make
the hearers sick with pity.
LIST OF THE VICTIMS.
The official list OF those imprisoned is as fol-
lows: Ellis ID. Williams, aged sixty, married
seven children, resides at Hanover township;
Harry Parry, aged fifty, married, five children
residence Newport township; Owen Parry, his
son. aged seventeen; Michael Henry, aged
forty-two, married, two sons, residence Ashley;
Thomas {. Davis, aged sixty, married, eight
children, residence Ashley; John Scally. aged
twenty, the support of u widowed mother.
residence Ashley; Michael scally. brother of
John, aged twenty-seyen, residence Ashley;
Daniel Sullivan aged forty-fve, married, seven
children. one an invalid, residence Wilkesbarre;
John Hanson. aged twenty-five. single resi-
dence Moffett's Patch; John Allen, assistant
mine boss, residence Ashley. aged thirty-tve
married, three children, taken out $50
pm. Seriously burned-Robert w. Rob-
ert5, aged thlrty-5even, married. no chill
dren, residence Ashley, brought to sur
face pm. Fatally burned-Harry j.
ried. three children, residence Newtown: Robt.
y. Pritchard, aged thirty, married, one child.
residence Hanover; Charles James, aged fifty
two. married, five children. residence Hanover;
Anthony Froyne, married. one child, residence
Ashley Place (rescued at 7 o'clock badly
burned; John James. aged thirty-two, mar
rled, two children, family in Wales residence
in Ashley; John Williams, aged thirty-five
married, SIX children. residence Newtown;
Jonathan Williams. aged thirty. married, two
children. residence Newtown; Richard Jones'
aged thirty, married. two children, residence
Newtown; VIM. Edwards, aged twenty-eight
married. two children, residence Wikesbarre;
Thomas J. Williams, aged thirty, married, one
child. residence Ashley; Thomas Clauss, aged
thirty-hye, married. no children. residence
Newtown; Owen Williams, aged forty nine
married. residence Ashley, one adopted child;
John Hempsey, aged forty-two. single resi-
dence MOffetts Patch; Frank Gallagher, sin
gle, aged twenty-nine, and two Hungarian
named Butts.
Seven Girls Nearly SufIacafed