The state herald., 1892-05-20
A COAL MINE FLOODED
OVER EIGHTY MEN DROWNED.
A waterspout Bursts Over Hune.rian
Mine aud Causes Flood.

Dispatches from Fuennrkchcn, in Hungary,
say that watcrspout burst over tho nincs
tiear that city and flooded them, and that be-
tween eighty and one hundred men had been
drowned.
The food came shortly after noon. Tho At
mospherc had been heavy. An hour before
the watenpout burst the wind, which had
been from the south, shifted to ths east aud
drove up over the mountains near Psssvaradn q
huge mass Of clouds, at first ycllowish gray,
but quickly deepening to dead black. The
clouds were whirled along tho crcsts OF tho
mountains By the wind, which rose to gale~
until the clouds had assumed the form OF An
enormous cone, with its apex almost resting
on the mountain tops. The men at the moulin
Of the pits quit work, and two gangs of mem
from the pit nearest the mountain became
alarmed and refused to work. They started
| for their homes to walt for the storm 70 blow
over.
Suddenly the wind shifted TO the north, the
darkness increased, and the conc was swept
directly over the mines. II burst monene
later aud the water came down in dcluge,
sweeping shc men from their feet, wrccking
their shantlcs and pouring In floods down the
shaft. Large buildings were swept from their
foundations, tho roofs were crushed In, furni-
ture and tools werc carried through shattered
doors and windows by the wind and water.
Several men standing at the pit entrances dis-
appeared In the nrst rush, and arc supposed
10 have been carried down the shaft with tho
water and wreckage.
In the mines the full force Of men were at
work. The total number n said to be 800 or
100. Tncy had no warning 0f the coming
disaster ,as the men on the surface had. The
lower galleries in several mines arc said to
have been completely flooded, although the
water did not rise to the upper galleries. In
Jne pit there are fifteen dead, in another
seven, In another nine. In other pits the
wood work md sides were 10 looscncd by the
falling water mud debris that no examination
| has been made, and the details Of the loss arc
not to be ascertained.
| The volume OF water broke with rushing
report that alarmed the whole city and with
IN thirty minutes thousands or men and w0m.-
en- were hurrylng out to the scene Of dcstruc--
ton. Volunteers were called for and gangs
we're sent down the shaft, which has been left
reasonably safe, to rescue their comrades.
| The first dcsccnts were made In the minc
where fifteen men were nt work In the lower
level The men In the upper galleries vefc
found unlnjurcd and were carried 10 the top
Nobody in the lowest gallery was alive 10 tell
the story Of the disaster. The mine was
flooded at the level aud several bodies wcrc
found floating In the water and were sent up.
No more can be done before the pumping out
Df the mines. 1t Is reported that tho number
Of dead In this mine may reach twenty.
In another pit the entrance Of the lower
gallery was under water and no bodies could
be found On this level at least six men were
at work. 1t Is at this pit where the miners
refused to go down when they saw the water
,pout coming, and therefore but onc-third tho
usual number were Mt work. In the pit where
the nine men are known to have been lost
there may be twenty or thirty dead, for the
water rushed into the lowest two galleries.
The government is making preparations to
furnish assistance to the destitute families of
the dead miners.