St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-14

short time and causing terrible loss of
life The water poured into the mines
so quickly that the unfortunate men
who were engaged at work in the lower
levels received no warning of their
danger, and before they had a chance
TO escape they were struggling in the
torrent which had almost instantane-
ously engufed them.
The men struggled desperately to
reach the shafts or any parts of the
mines which seemed likely to afford
them place of safety, but the water
rapidly rose higher and higher, and in
a short time every avenue Of escape
was shut off and the men persisted
miserably. 1t is known that twenty
two men were dead in one pit alone,
and that many more have lost their
lives at other points.
A Large Number Lost.
Owing to the great excitement which
prevails in the place it is impossible at
present to obtain an exact list of all the
dead, but it will undoubtedly reach
startling proportions. Between eighty
and one hundred miners, if not more,
have been drowned. The water did not
reach TO the upper levels, and the min
ers working in these portions of the
mines made their way to the surface as
quickly as possible. AS soon as the dis
aster which had -Orertaken their fellow
workmen was learned. the survivors,
with the assistance of many of those
who had fiocked- to the mouths of the
pits, hurried preparations to ge to the
rescue of the men the flooded levels.
As the news of the catastrophe spread
throughout the city immense crowds
hastened to the scene. and the entrance
to each pit was soon surrounded by a
surging and wildly excited mass of men.
women and children. The lamentations
of those who had relatives or friends in
the inundated mines were heartrend-
ing. and many pititul scenes were wit
messed. The grief of the stricken peO-
pie became more intense and uncon-
trollable as some of the bodies of the
drowned men were hOiSted to the sur
face and identified.
Descent of the Destroyer.
An hour before the waterspout
burst the wind, which was from the
south, shifted to the east and drove
from the mountains near Pescara huge
mass of clouds. which quickly turned
black. They were whirled along the
crest of the mountains by the wind,
which blew gale, until, over the hills
skirting the coal region, they had as
assumed the form of an enormous cone,
with its apex almost resting on the
mountain tops. The men at the mouth
of the pits ceased work, and two gangs
OF men from the pit nearest the mount
ain became alarmed and refused 10
descend, starting 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 col
lterieS. 1t hurst moment later and
the water came down in a deluge,
sweeping the men from their feet,
wrecking the shanties, and pouring in
foods down the shafts. Large build
ings were swept from their foundations,
the roofs were crushed in and furniture
and tools were carried through shat
tered doors and windows by the wind
and water Several men standing al
first rush of the food, and are supposed
to have been carried down the shaft
with the water and wreckage.
Victims Helpless.
In the mines the full force of men
were at work. The total number is
said to approach 500 or 400, and they
had absolutely no warning of the com
ing disaster. The lower galleries in
several mines are said to have been
completely flooded, although the water
did not rise to the supper galleries. In
one pit there are 10 dead, in another Z
in another 8. In other pits the wood
work and sides were so lo0sened by the
falling water and debris that no careful
estimate can be made, ard details of the
loss are not to hand yet.
The volume of water broke with s
gushing sound that alarmed the whole