Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-02-12
MINERS DROWNED.
Culpable Neglect Causes a Bad
Accident.
A WATERLOGCED NINE TAPPED.
Instant and Overwhelming Rush of Water
Only Few Men Escape-The Danger
Known to Exist and Disre-
garded.

HAzLEToN, Pa, Feb. Sat IL o'clock
yesterday morning Charles Boyle and
Patrick Coll, of Lewiston, were engaged
in drilling a hole in their chamber in
the lower level of No. slope of j. c.
Hayden & Co.'S mine at Evansville,
when they broke into the old No. s
slope, which had been idle for five years
and had been flooded to the mouth with
water.
William Breslin, 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 moment the
force of the water came and Breslin
barely escaped with his life. Beside
him six others were saved, Henry Glib
bon, John Nelson, John Boyle, Charles
Boyle, William Coyle (dOOr tender), and
Patrick Coll.
The water rose rapidly and before
any attempt could be made to rescue
the rest of the workmen the water
flowed in and in five minutes time the
slope, which is 624 feet deep, was filed
to the mouth and eighteen men were
buried in watery graves.
The lost are: Lawrence Reed, mar
ried, eight children; James Grifiths,
married, one child; Edward Gallagher,
married, two children; James Ward,
married, eight children; Harry Bull,
married, seven children; Joseph Mats
kowitch, married, four children; Bar
ney McCloslSey, single; Patrick Kelley,
single; Jake Wyasto, single; Mike
Smith, Hungarian; John Berno, Tom
Click, married, one child; Tom Tomas
kaskay, married, three children; Joe
Astroo, single; Bosco Frinko, singlei
Thomas Greko, single, and two un-
known Hungarians.
The news of the disaster created the
widest excitement and the mouth OF
the slope was soon thronged with peo-
pie. When all who had escaped reached
the surface and it 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 terrible scenes Of
anguish ensued.
| The weather, which was bitter cold
did not have any effect towards dimin
ishing the crowd and it was only after
it was made plain that none of the en-
tombed men were living or could posi-
bly, be reached until all the water wa
pumped out of the slope the grief
stricken friends of the unfortunate mel
could be induced to go to their homes.
By noon ]. C. Hayden & Co. had I
/ r., - -
ter Mechanic Rude placing pumps IL
position One was got in working Orde
in a very short time and every strok
was watched anxiously by the onlook
ers. A large duplex Cameron puml
was also in working order by
o'clock last night and every min
ute took 1900 gallons from tn
slope where the men are entombed
The firm of Hayden & Co. vii
pump the water out as rapidly as ma
chlnery placed in position can do tn
work, but how long it will take is
question, since no definite idea of tn
volume of water can be ascertained
Some Of the miners say it will take fou
weeks before the bodies can be reached
others say twice as long, since all tn
water that has collected in the abar
doned No. slope will run into this lif
of No. slope and will, of course, hav
to be pumped out
The civil engineer of the Jeansvill
mines was a man from Pottsville
Lafevre Wolmsdorf. Many theorie
are advanced as to the cause OF the di:
aster, some charge it to neglect to nc
tify the workmen of the dangerou
proximity of the water. The old slop
had been flooded at least sixtee
months and only few of the oil
miners knew of the presence of tn
great body of water, and many tim
had the remark been made that If tn
lower gangway workings were drive
up too near a dreadful accident woul
be the result None of the workme
had any idea that the workings wer
| driven as near to the water as they wer(