The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-11
EIGHTEEN MINERS dead
AS the Result Of Tapping
an Old Shaft.
The Waters Pour In in an
Immense Volume,
Giving the Men No Chance
to Make an Escape.
Pitiful Scenes About the
Mouth Of the Shaft.
Most Of the Dead Left Families
Of Children,
And All Clustered Near the
Scene OF the Disaster.
Pitiful Scenes About the
Mouth Of the Shaft.
Most Of the Dead Left Families
Of Children,
And All Clustered Near the
Scene OF the Disaster.
Three Lives Lost in the Same
Way at Wilkesbarre.
Minor Casualties of the Day Else
where.

Minor Casualties of the Day Else
where.
HAzELToS, Pa, Feb. Eighteen men
entombed in watery graves mark the re-
suit of the most awful mine horror that
has ever occurred in this region.
Evansville, the pretty little mining vii
lage of ]. c. Hayden & Co., two miles
across the mountains from this place, is
the scene of the disaster which has re-
suited in such appalling loss of life, and
which has brought desolation and anguish
to so many homes and dear ones.
At IL o'clock this morning while Charles
BOYLE and Patrick Coll of Lewiston were
engaged in drilling hole in their cham
Der in the lower light of No. slope of
J. c. Hayden & Co., at Evansville, they
broke into the old No. slope that has
been idle for five years, and had been
flooded to the mouth with water. Will
lam Brisline, driver, was driving at the
bottom of the slope when he felt the wind
coming, and cried out: Boys, for Gods
sake run for your lives, or We will all be
drowned"
In a moment the force of the water
came and Bresline barely escaped with his
life. Beside him six others were saved.
They are Henry Gibbon, John Neline,
John Boyle, Charles Bernie, William
q e ldoor-tender) and Patrick Coll.
The water rose rapid and before any
attempt could be made to rescue the rest
Of the workmen water flowed in, and in
five minutes time the slope, which is 624
feet deep, was filed to the mouth, and
eighteen men, who but few hours before,
with light hearts left the bright sunshine
and clear sky to descend into the dark
cavern of coal, were buried in watery
graves and their lifeless bodies, black, be-
grimmed and MANNED, are alone left to
tell the terrible cost OF mining coal. The
lost are:
LAWRENCE REED, married, eight chill
dren.
JAMES GRIFFITHS. married, one child
EDWARD GALLAGHER, married. two
children.
JAMES WARD, married. eight children.
HARRY BULL, married, seven children.
JOSEPH MATSKOWITCH, married, four
children.
BARNEY McCLOsKEY, single.
PATRICK KELLEY, single.
JAKE WYASTO, single.
MIKE SMITH, Hungarian.
John BERNO.
4OM CLICK. married, one child.
TOM TOMASKASKAY, married, three chill
dren.
JOE AsTRoO. single.
BOSCO FRINkO single.
THOMAS GREKO, single.
JOHN BOYLE, single.
SAMUEL PORTER, single.
The news of the disaster created the
widest excitement and the mouth of the
slope was soon thronged with people,
frantic IN their efforts to obtain informa-
ton of the inmates of the mine.
When all the men who escaped reached
the surface and 1t was known who the
lost were, the excitement increased and in
less than half an hour hundreds of men,
women and children gathered around the
slope, and the terrible scenes of anguish
that ensued cannot be depicted. Wives
imploring piteOusly OF the miners
standing bv, who knew only too well the
fatal results, to save their husbands from
the terrors of watery grave; little chill
dTen CRYING for the papa who would never
return; relatives and friends wringin1
their hands in sorrow and distress and
appealing to a merciful providence to save
all, when within each breast was the GER
tain feeling that their prayers would be
unanswered.
The weather, which was bitter cold. did
not have any effect toward diminishing
the crowd, and it was only after the terri
bic result was made plain that none of
the entombed men were living, or
could possibly be reached until all the
water was pumped out of the slope,
that the grief-stricken friends of the un-
fortunate men could be induced to go to
their homes.
When the Associated Press reporter ar
rived at the scene, at about 1890. j. C.
Hayden & Co. had large force of men at
work under Master Mechanic Rude plac-
ing pumps in position. One was got in
working order in a very short time, and
every stroke OF the pump was watched
anxiOusly by the onlookers, who seemed
TO count the beats of the mighty engine
as it forced the gallons of black and sui
pherous water from the mouths of the
huge column pipes at the entrance OF the
slope. A large duplex Cameron pump
was also in working order by o'clock to-
night and every minute takes 800 gal
Ions from the slope where the men are en-
tombed.
The firm of Hayden K CO. will pump
the water out as rapidly as machinery
placed in position can do the work. 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
il will take four weeks before the bodies
can be reached, others say twice as long,
since all the water that had collected in
the abandoned slope will run into this
rift of No. l slope and will, of course have
TO be pumped out.
Mr. Brystine, one Of the escaped mi-
ners at the bottom of the slope, said to a
reporter: Il was waiting at the bottom
of the slope for trip to come out. Sud-
denly heard loud noise and / thought
it was the trip comingout. Then fright
ful blast of wind came and knocked me
down the gangway- l cried outsto James