St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-05
EIGHTEEN DROWNED.
Like Rats in a Trap, Pennsyl-
vania Miners Lose Their
Lives.
The Little Village Of Jeanes-
Vile a Scene Of Mourn
ing.
Relatives and Friends Wiring
Their PoWeplesS Hands
in Sorrow.
Colorado Families Fly for
Their Lives From Burning
Coal Mountains.


men entombed in watery graves marks
the result of the most awful mine hor
ror that has ever occurred in this region.
Jeanesville, the pretty little mining
village of j. G. 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
Oues. AT II o'clock this morning, while
Charles Boyle and Patrick Coll, of Lev
iston, were engaged in drilling hole in
their chamber in the lower lift of No.
slope of J. c. Hayden & Co., at Jeanes-
vile, they broke into the old No. s
slope that had been idle for five
years and had been flooded to
the mouth with water. William
Brislin, 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 water came, and Brislln barely
escaped with his life. Besides him six
others were saved. They are Henry
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 water flowed i'll, and i'll five
minutes time the slope, which is 624
feet deep, was filled to the mouth, and
eighteen. who but a few hours before,
with light hearts, left the bright sun
shine and clear sky to descend into the
dark cavern of coal, were buried in
watery graves, and their lifeleSS bodies,
black-rimmed and MANNED, are alone
left to tell the terrible cost of mining
Goals.
The Lost:
Lawrence Reed. married, eight chill
dren; James Griffith, 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, sim
gle; Patrick Kelly, single; Jake Wiasto,
single; Mike Smith. Hungarian; John
Berno, Tom Glik, married, one child;
Tom Tomaskaskay, married, three chill
dren; Joe Astro, single: Bosco Frinko,
single; Thomas Greko, single; John
Boyle, single; Samuel Porter, single.
Scenes of Anguish.
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 mines. When
all the men who 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
4ha oil fIn al Of
anguish that enSued cannot be de-
picted. Wives imploring piteously of
the miners standing by, who knew only
too we'll the fatal result, to save their
husbands from the terrOrS of watery
grave; little children crying for the
father who'd never return; relatives
and friends wringing their hands in Sor-
row and distress and appealing to
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 to-
ward diminishing the crowd, and it was
only after the terrible result was made
plain that none of the entombed men
were livlng,or could possibly be reached
until the water was pumped out OF the
slope that the
Grief-Stricken Friends
of the unfortunate men could be In
duced to go to their homes. When
reporter arrived at the scene, at about
1890, j. G. Hayden & Co. had a large
force of men at work under Master
Mechanic Rude, placing pumps in posi-
tion. One was got in working order in
very short time and every stroke of the
pump was watched anXiouSly by the on
lockers, who seemed to coun. the
throDs Of the mighty engine as it forced
the gallons of black and SulphurouS
water from the mouths of the huge col
umn pipes at the entrance of the slope.
A large duplex Cameron pump was also
in working order by Z o'clock tonight,
and every minute takes 1,500 gallons
from the slope where the men are en-
tombed. The firm of Hayden & Co.will
pump the water out as rapidly as ma
chinery placed in position can do the
work. How long it will take is a ques-
ton, since no definite idea of the vol
ume of water can be aScertained. Some
of the miners say it will take four weeks
before the bodies can be reached, 9TH
erS say twice as lOng,slnce all the water
that had collected in the abandoned No.
slope will run into this lift of No.
slope, and will. of course, have to be
pumped out. Mr.. Brislin, one of the es-
capped miners at the bottom of the slope.
said to reporter:
Fighting for Life.
81 was waiting at the bottom of the
slope for trip to come out. Suddenly
heard loud noise, ana l thought it
was the trip coming out. Then fright
full blast of wind came and knocked me
down the gangway. cried out to James
Griffiths. Then the wind blew his light
out as suddenly as it did mine. l tried
to run for the slope, but stumbled and
fell. Then John Boyle and John Mems
came running out. Mems lamp was
burning, and through the aid of Mems
light we got to the slope. The water
came pouring after us as we ran. We
got to the slope, and then the light
went out. We clambored up as fast as
we could, and the water came rushing
after US, rising very quickly. In five
minutes the water raised 2OS yards to
the mouth of the slope, the pitch of
which is IS deg"
Theiciyil engineer in charge of the
Jeanesville mines was man from
Pottsville, Lafevre Womelsdorf. Many
causes are advanced as to the cause of
the great disaster. Some charge it to
neglect to notify the workmen of the
dangerous proximity of the water. The
bi,, = in question where the accident
occurred Is new slope which was sunk
from the bottom OF a worked-out slope.
The latter has been flooded for at least
sixteen months, aud only few of the
old miners Knew of the presence of the
great body Of water, and many time