Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-05-14
AWFUL LOSS Of LIFE.
A Waterspout Bursts in
a Hungarian Town.
PITS COMPLETELY FLOODED
From Eighty to alHundred Miners Be-
lieved to Have Perished.

PEsrH, May H. An immense water
spout burst in the neighborhood OF the
colleries in the city of Fuenfkirchen. The
huge volume Of water inundated the sur
rounding country and poured in great
stream into the mines. flooding them in .
very short time aud causing "A terrible loss
OF life. The men at work in the lower
levels received no warning of their dan
ger They struggled desperately to reach
places OF safety, but soon every avenue Of
escape was shut off and the men perished.
The flood came shortly after noon. The
atmosphere had been heavy and the tenn
perature high all the morning An hour
before the waterspout burst the wind,
which had been from the south. shifted to
the east and drove up over the mountains
near Peesvard hign mass o. clouds.
at first yellowish gray, but quickly
deepening to dead black. The clouds
were whirled along the crest Of the noun
tains by which it rose to gale, until over
the mountains skirtng the coal fields on
the north they had assumed the form of
an enormous cone with its apex almost
resting on tie mountain tops.
The men at the mouth of the pits ceased
work, and two gangs Of men from the pit
nearest the mountain became alarmed
and refused TO descend They started for
their homes To wait for the storm to blow
over. Suddenly the wind shifted TO the
north, the darkness increased, and the
cone was swept directly over the colliery.
Ii burst moment later and the water
Came Down la q Deluge.
sweeping the men from their feet. wreck
ing the shantes and pou ring floods down
the shafts. Large buildings were swept
from their foundations, the roofs were
crushed in, and furniture and tools were
carried through shattered doors and win.
dows by the wind and water Several men
standing at the pit entrances disappeared
in the first rush OF the food and are sup
posed to have been carried down the shaft
with the water and wreckage.
In the mines the full force Of men were
at work. The total number is said to ap-
proximate 300 or 400 They had abso-
lutely no warning of the coming disaster,
rs the men on the surface had refused to
descend after the waterspout began form.
ing The lower galleries in several mines
are said to have heen completely flooded,
although the water did not rise up to the
upper gallery. In one pit there are fifteen
dead. in another seven, another nine. In
other pits the woodwork and sides were 30
loosened by the falling water and debris
made and the details OF the loss are not to
be ascertained.
The volume Of water broke with n rush
ing report that alarmed the whole city,
and thousands Of men and women were
soon hurrying out to the scene of destruc-
ton. Volunteers were called for at all
the pits ,and men from the night shifts
were sent down the shafts which had been
left reasonably safe, to rescue their COM
rades. The first descent was made in the
mine where about fifteen men were at
work on the lowest level The men in the
upper galleries were found uninjured
and were carried to the top. In the lowest
gallery
Nobody Was Alive
TO tell the story of the disaster. The
mine was flooded mt that level, and several
bodies were found floating i'm the water
and were sent up. No more can be done
before the pumping out of the mine
Ii is reported that the number of dead
in this mine may reach twenty. At an
other pit the entrance of the lowest gal.
lery was under water and no bodies could
be found. On this level at least seven
men were at work. II is the pit where the
miners refused to 20 down when they saw
the waterspout coming and therefore but
one-tbird the usual number were at work.
In the pit where nine men are known to
have been lost there may be twenty or
thirty more dead, as the water rushed
into the lowest two gale ries. IL COM
pletely submerged the lowest gallery.
drowning every soul there In the other
gallery no investigation has been made.
Although the water in IL is but two feet
deep, the timbers were novel or shattered
by the force of the incoming food and
wrecked, so that the rescuing party has
feared TO enter.
The whole mining colony is in the fields
awaiting the results OF
The Work OF Rescae.
Women slept on the wet grounds. intent
upon getting the first news as TO the fate
Of their husbands and brothers The au-
! thorities Of Fuenfkirchen seut out fuel
aud food and big fires were built near the
shaft entrance. A government official has
been dispatched from Pesth to superin-
tend the relief OF those rendered homeless
or fatherless by the storm.
Much OF the machinery for pumping
out the mines was 30 damaged by the force
Of the flood as TO be practically useless,
and the companies have telegraphed to
Pes'h for new machines. The depart ment
Of ,be interior has received dispatches
hourly Of the progress Of the work, and
they have been communicated to the
emperor.
An imperial courier has been dispatched
to Fuenfkirchen with the emperors con-
tril ntion for the relief OF the most press
ins wants of the stricken families. This
contribution is said to be 300 gulden and
promise OF more In case the progress OF
ihc work OF rescue reveals greater loss Of
life than is now apprehcnded.
j. is estimated that at least eighty. and
possibly hundred. miners have perished.
n..s ..g III.