Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-06
AN AWFUL MYSTERY.
Where the Water Came From That
Caused the Evansville Horror.
TWO DIFFERENT THEORIES GIVEN
The Dead Bodies Cannot Be Recovered for
Many Long Months.
THE CORONER WILL INVESTIGATE

gathered to-day at the fated mine, which is
about a mile and half from this place.
1t is certain that the II missing are all dead,
and that most of them were drowned in their
chambers. The water on the pitch of the
slope has raised 200 yards, which is higher
point than any OF the breasts reached.
Even though they were not drowned, they
would die from suffocation long before the
water can be pumped out The large inside
pump. which was stationed at the bottom of
the slope to keep the lower level free from
water is covered and is useless. Two
smaller mine pumps have been placed side
by side in the gangway of the first level,
and the work of removing the vast body OF
water was commenced at 6 o'clock last
evening.
1t was first reported that the water had
broken through from the abandoned work
ings of the old No. shaft.
The Speculation on the Disasters Cause.
This gangway had been stopped in a fault
of solid rock. and according to the maps of
the engineer was about seven feet higher
than the gangway of the lower level, and
was separated from it by seven yards of
solid rock.
1t is believed that while Charles Boyle
and Patrick Coll were drilling hole in the
face of their breast, they Unexpectedly
broke into the abandoned workings OF the
No. shaft, and that the water instantly
tore away the intervening rock and rushed
in upon them. Some of the miners and Of
fcials are inclined to doubt the correctness
of this theory, however, as upon examining
the old workings from the shaft, it was found
that the water was disturbed but very little,
if at all. Another theory advanced is that
the water is from Carter's old mines-better
known as the Colerain. These mines have
been abandoned for many years and were
filled with water and the lines between the
works ran very close together. Until it is
learned where the water is from 1t is impos-
sible to tell how soon it can be removed, as they
cannot ascertain the amount of water that will
run into these works as it is being pumped out
of the slope.
Excitement Followed by a Dead Calm.
The awful quiet which disaster and death
brings with it hangs like a pail over the ill
fated town of Evansville. where the bodies Of
the luckless miners are deep down in the cavern
of coal, swollen and distorted by the water
that caused their death. Yesterdays intense
excitement has given way to peaceful calm,
and everythIngis now directed toward securing
the bodies Of the unfortunate victims and then
ascertaIning just how the disaster occurred.
The slope in which it occurred is known as No.
], and is sunk in what is known as the two
lift" The bottom of the first lift is about 200
yards from the surface and the second lift is
driven down about rs yards farther. The gang
ways run east and west, and in the west gang
way is where this accident originated.
The west gangway runs toward and beneath
what is known as No. s. a slope which has been
abandoned for about three years. and the ac-
cumulation of water since that time must be
an enormous quantity An estimate of the
quantity of water stored away in this aban-
doned mine cannot very accurately be made,
but when it is taken into consideTation that the
lower lift of No. / is filed to within eighp feet
OF the top which is identical with the bottom
of the first lift of No. i, it can be judged what
a great quantity of water was let down upon
the unfortunate victims.
The Water in the Abandoned Mine.
A visit to the old abandoned No. slope was
made to-day, and it was found that the water
had only dropped 80 feet, which is the exact
mark it was after the accident. Just what vol
ume of this immense storage will find its way
into the lift of No. slope cannot be told. but
judging from the progress made for the past "a
hours in pumping out No. slope it will be very
great. BY constant pumping with all the
available machinery the water was lowered
about 35 inches to-day, which, with the fact
that the water in the old No. slope did
not fall at all, indicates that a great deal of
water from the old workings IS finding Its way
into No. l. and this water may prolong the find
ing of the bodies for months to come.
OF course as yet it would be idle to attempt
to fasten the responsibility directly where it
belongs, but enough is known to demonstrate
that some one has blundered. Miners con-
versant with the works say that the company's
chart of the workings, as kept in their office
show that there was so feet between the men at
work in No. slope and the volume of water in
No. s. This, if true, shows at once an error of
calculation, and a grievous one, which has re-
suited in the destruction of thousands of dollars
worth of property. to say nothing of the ire
parable loss of life.
A Mining Engineers Investigation.
Lef Womelsdorf, the mining engineer from
Pottsville, who did the surveying for the firm,
arrived at Evansville to-day. He descended
into the mine, and made an investigation for
the firm. but declined to give any information
for the public or any idea as to when the bodies
of the men could be reached.
Sentiment in the town of Jeansville as well as
in the region, is somewhat divided. Conserva-
tive miners are willing to await full investIga-
ton before passing censure on the firm of ]. e.
Hayden d. Co., whose mines have been very
carefully operated and accidents have been very
rare, and danger reduced as low as is possible
in mining coal Others see nothing but care
less or criminal negligence. They are out
spoken in their assertions that the mining en-
glneer had not visited the mines as frequently
as the occasion demanded. relying upon assist
ants who were young and inexperienced and
who did not understand the work or realize
the responsibility resting upon them.
The Coroner of Carbon was notified
promptly of the accident. AS soon as the
bodies are recovered the Coroner will impanel
jury. and rigid inquiry will be made into
floaP of he