Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-02-05
DROWNED LIKE RATS
Two More Horrible Disasters
In Pennsylvania.
MINERS CAUGHT IN A FLOOD
Seventeen Perish at GAINESVILLE and Three
Near Nanticoke

Somebody to Blame for Both Accidents.
Narrow Escape of Large Number of
Nen-Mors H~artrcnding Scenes by
Wives and ChIldren-wseks Will Pass
Before the Bodies are Recovered.
WHITE HAVEN, Pa, Feb. Sat II
o'clock in the morning, while Charles
Boyle and Patrick Coll of Lewiston were
engaged in drilling hole in the chamber
in No. 10 slope of J. G. Hayden s. CO.
mine at Jeanesville, they broke into the
old No. slope, which had been idle for
five years and which had been flooded to
he mouth with water.
William Brislin, a driver, was close by
and he cried out: Boys, for Gods sake,
run for your lives or you will be
drowned ~ In a moment later the water
came and Brislin barely escaped with
his life Besides him, six others escaped
They are: Henry Gibbon, John Neline,
John and Charles Boyle, William Coll
and Patrick Coll. The water rose rapid
ly, and before any attempt could be
made to rescue the other workmen the
slope, which is ga feet deep, was flooded
to the mouth and they were caught and
drowned.
The Denth Roll.
The following is list of those who
lost their lives:
Edward Gallagher, Henry Ball, mar
ried; James Griffith, married.; Joseph
Matuscowitz, Lawrence Reed, Wasil
Finko, Joseph Orsok, Bernard Nc
Closky, John Tomasoki, Patrick Kelly,
Thomas Jake, John Barnes, James
Balack, Michael Smith, Joseph Ward,
Samuel Porter, and Mike Polosk.
Mothers and Children Crying.
The news of the disaster caused great
excitement, and the mouth of the slope
was soon thronged with the families
and relatives of the workmen and
others. The scenes. when it was posi-
lively known who were lost, were heart
rendinS,
Wives implored piteously of the
miners standing by, who knew only too
we'll the fatal result, to save their hus-
bands from the terrors of a watery
grave, little children crying for their
papas, and relatives praying for the
safety of their loved ones. The sorrow
ing wives, relatives and friends were
finally convinced that there was no hope
of rescuing any of the men, and were
led away from the scene of this new
mining horror by sympathetic hands to
their homes.
Trying to Recover the Bodies.
n IOTCe Oh men was 1mmeQlaCe1y
put to work pumping out the water
How long it will take is a question
since no definite idea of the volume OF
water can be ascertained. Some of the
miners say 1t will take four weeks be
fore the bodies can be recovered, but
others ncline to the opinion that it will
take much longer.
Race for Life.
Brislin, one of the men who escaped
said to a reporter: Il was waiting at the
bottom of the slope for trip to come
out. Then frightful blast of wind cam
and knocked me down the gangway. The
wind blew my lamp out. 1 tried to rur
for the slope, but stumbled and fell
Then John Boyle and John Mems came
! running out. Mems lamps was burn
ing and by the aid of this we got to tn.
slope. The water came pouring after u:
as we ran. When we got to the slope
the light went out. We clambered up as
fast as we could and the water came
rushing after us, rising very quickly. II
| five minutes the water raised POS yard:
to the mouth of the slope, the pitch o
which is So degrees"
Probably Caused by Neglect.
Many reasons are advanced as to thu
cause of the great disaster. Some
charge it to neglect to notify the work
men of the dangerous proximity of the
water, as only few Of the old miner:
knew of the presence of the great body
of water in the old slope. Even thost
that knew of it had no ideathat the work
ings were driven as near to the water a!
they were.
The civil engineer in charge of the
GAINESVILLE mines was a man from Potts
Vile named La Fevre Womelsdorf.