Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-09-01
OUT OF THE PIT.
Despair Gives Way to JOY at Bridge
End, ales.

LONDON, Aug. 27.-All night long the
volunteer rescuing parties kept up their
work at the Park Slip pit. the scene Of
the disastrous explosion at B ridge End,
Wales, yesterday. They worked with
will and removed an enormous guam
tity of debris from the mine. At 6
o'clock this morning they had penetrat-
ed 800 yards into the main shalt. In all
this distance not sign of life was dis
covered, but here and there the body of
q miner was found, It's attitude showing
how suddenly death had come to them.
Some of the men had died in the very
act of using their picks. Ten bodies
were recovered Of men who did not
have q seconds warning of the fate
hanging over them. All who were
killed In this locality, however, had not
met with instant death. The bodies
or two miners were found who
had apparently made frantic efforts to
escape from the pit. They had been
frustrated by the falling roof Of the
mine and their bodies were terribly
mutilated. Crushed to death they were
swept over by the raging fire that
burned out many of the timber sup
ports, and their arms, legs and heads,
en- earth, We're horribly burned.
The rescuers are divided into reliefs.
1t is impossible for any of the volun-
teers to work for any length of time, as
the mine Is filled with after damp.
The rescuers are showing the effects of
| the heavy work they have done since
yesterday morning, but they work with
unflagglng energy.
LIKE VOICES FROM THE DEAD.
Suddenly, while a band of the res
cuers were working their way further
into the pit, a sound was heard that
| caused the workmen to suddenly sus-
pend operations. Eagerly listening
they awaited repetition OF the
sound. Soon it came, low and
weak, but in sufficient volume to
make the rescuers know that somebody
behind the fallen rock and earth was
alive. With hearty cheer in response
the rescuers again bent to their task
| with renewed energy. Word was
passed to the pit mouth, and soon well
come intelligence spread around the
district that some of the imprisoned
| miners were yet alive, and that they
would be saved.
In short time there was scene of
the widest excitement above the pit
| mouth. Women and children who had
stood about all day yesterday waiting to
see if the bodies Of husbands and
fathers would be brought to the surface,
| ran to the pit and in eager, strained
| voices asked the official if the news was
| true. When assur ed that some OF the
men were surely alive. the scene was
| about as affecting as that Of yesterday
when everybody believed that all in
the mine had met their death.
DUG A TUNNEL.
Far below the surface of the ground
the sturdy rescuers continued their diff
cult task. Slowly they dug their way
| forward, careful ever that the debris
| did not tall upon them. AT last they de-
termlned to change their operations
and to dig q sort of tunnel. Creeping
and sometimes lying fiat on their stom-
| achs, they advanced, while those behind
kept the tunnel clear. For many yards
they thus dug forward, eheered and en-
couraged by the sounds heard now and
| then, showing the survivors knew they
were approaching.
Some OF the women fell on their
knees and prayed that their husbands
might be among those whose lives had
been spared. Others still doubling the
good news, stood perfectly still and
gazed with fixed eyes on the burned
and blackened mouth of the pit. as
though they expected to see the sup
posed lost men emerge from it.
FOUND A GROUP OF SUFFERERS.
at last the separating bank of rock
and earth fell inward and the rescuers
following entered an open space in
which were huddled together a num-
Der Of the miners who had
been imprisoned since yester-
DAY morning. 1t was as though
the grave had given up it's dead. The
rescuers found that most of their COM
rades had been badly injured and
burned. So serious, indeed, is their
condition, that special arrangements
will have to be made to get them from
the pit. Sings and other appliances are
being hastily, yet carefully, prepared to
raise the saved men from the pit.
BROUGHT TO TIE SURFACE.
AT half-past O'Clock this afternoon
another dispatch was received from
Bridge End stating that thirty-nine of
cued and brought to the pit head. The
scene when they reached the surface
| was indescribabe. When they were
| re coghlzed by their wives, mothers or
sweetheArts, they were frantically en-
braced and kissed again and again. Their
arrival at the surface, though it brought
JOY to many hearts, brought deep sor-
row and despair for others. 1t was
painful to witness the looks of hopeless
ness and despair on the faces of some
Of the women and children when they
saw their husbands and fathers were
not among the rescued. Sadly they
turned away, and with heavy hearts
walked to their homes. Their despair
was not hopeless, however, for the res
cue OF thirty mine led to the belief that
perhaps others in the far workings of
the pit had escaped and were awaiting
the coming Of their rescuers.
STORY OF ONE OF THE RESCUED.
One of the rescued miners said:
Eighteen OF us got together in level
after the explosion. We could hear the
flames roaring through the mine. Aft
err time we tried to get out. but were