New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-20
EIGHT MINERS BURIED ALIVE
RESCUED FROM A DESPERATE SITUATION
BY HEROIC EFFORTS.
ONE MAN KILLED AND THREE BADLY HURT
HYDRAULIC POWER HELPS TO CLEAR
OUT THE CAvEDIN NINE

HTDRAULIC POWER HELPS TO CLEAR
OUT THE CAvEDIN NINE.
Pottsvilc, Penn, Nov. l0-A cave-in occurred
this forenoon at tho Hazel Dell colliery at Cen
tralia, operated By L. A. Riley e Co., whereby
eight men were imprisoned in tho minc, besides
two Others who were taken out badly Injured
one of whom has since died. This colliery Is
about two miles from Ashland. and IS large con-
Germ, shipping It's product oyer the Lodgh Valley
Railroad
The entombed men were Henry Martin Frank
Ryan, Allen HOFFMAN, Thomas Mcdonald, John
Chapman, jr., Robert Stahler, John Ryan, and
Poander, all of Ccntralia With the exception
OF Chapman, who was driver boy, the victims
are able.bodicd miners and their helpers. Two
other miners working near BY, Ira Rothermel and
bis son William, had narrow escapes from i'm
mediate death. Both were seriously injured, ana
this afternoon Ira Rothermcl died from his
Injuries.
The work Of rcscuing the imprisoned mon was
at onco begun, and late this afternoon the place
where they were imprisoned was reached; all
were ablc to crawl out Of the opening but John
Chapman jr and Robert Stahler. both badly in
iurcd. They will be taken OUT during the night,
however, If no further accident occurs.
The cayc-ln was caused by the running Of
pillar or column of coal that is left standing TO
support the roof These cocrcs have been OPP
Grated for many years. In consequence there are
many miles Of old workings in which the pillars
have been left standing, which contain hundreds
OF thousands Of tons Of coal. For many years
these old WORKINGS lay full OF water, but by the
cutting Of tunnel this water was drained INTO
the Nahanoy Valley, coming out near Ashland.
This gave the operators chance to take out all
l.g.,I srf.Vlrf in ~
Of the Hazel Dell Collicry. 1t was while engaged
in this hazardous work this morning that the
accident occurred The men were 800 feet from
tho surface and the cavc-in is so extensive that
a yawning abyss now shows on the surface, where
befor, had been a culm bank The process OF
robbing WIS going on at different parts of the
WORKINGS. but where tho accident occurred there
were two mincrs-Jchn Ryan and John Chapman
who had taken the contract and were assisted
by four laborcrs and driver boy.
The accident Is supposed 10 be partly due 10
the accumulation Of water from yesterdays heavy
storm in old surface breaches. There have been
numerous "scturgs' Of properties in and about
Centralia, and houses in several caS's have been
made useless Little timbcring has been done Of
late in the Hazel Dell workings. and what was
done from time to time has suffered from dry rot
Former operators Of the Hazel Dell and treck
works say that ciehtccn-inch timbcrins that was
uscd there WIS 90 badly affected that 1t had 10
IL, renewed every year. This. it is feared, las
had considerable to do with the cavein.
Everything was going on usual In the Hazel
D.u Works This morning, and except for little
more water than there has bccn for somc months,
,o sigps ~ danger were visible until 10 o'clock.
when a cracking in the roof of the mine was hearu
I'D tho few pillars remaining in that part OF tlr
mino started TO run, and before tho miners couiu
reach places Of safety the roof iell IN lhos'
who escaped FAY the suddenncss OF the cave'ih !
almos. unparalleled, and gave them 70 onio u
DO anythn!, but fly for their lives
Ira RotLermel and BIZ son, William said 70 an
Associated Press reporter that JNSc "'''c
oclo,l, thcy fired rather heavy shot, whch
s.,,,.I n p1lor Of coal running, and at
die samc time opened up large body OF water
.h,o,, hod accumulated In q breach from yeSicr-
aov,s storm. A. the pillar ran and the water
,,rce1 i,sclf through. 1t brought tie roof win
+. ana NJ the snme time came in 81 great vol
,,r,. thai II washed Rothcrmcl and his con loo
..,-ls ~ The mouth OF tho drainage tunnel AT
,hiob noint they wcrc rescued The only eNl'
e,o,n tbc mart Of the workings where the caN'-ih
occurred vns at the point whero the iall occurre'
,,d 20 the mammoth vein Is forty-hV' iceu
chick ord about 300 feet from the surface II was
calculated by practical miners that there was
goa feet Of coal TO bo cut through before the men
..,,ld bo reached The removal OF the enorWou9
.uount of 5000. 900 tons of coal ana car'h Was
therefore necessary. This seemed great uhucr-
linking but the operators Of the coilirry a'' '''
bo,scs BEGAN the task, and turned lhc streams
of water uscd in washing the coab INTO thr cave
ia with tie hope Of washing away the oarrrr
which enclosed in living tomb elsi''
lives. The abCst mining engineers ana
mine experts were on the ground all day. ara after
thorouoh examination II was decided that the
hvdraullc power was the safest ana by lar UNI
,uiclle-t means Of getting at tho mon. Ihe Work
of rescue was under the direction OF Sup"tlh'ehu
enc Edward WiliGms The plan adopcl Wa NV
~ numplnc the water from the lower lift to the
ore above and running 1t through chu'e 40, :,
,yhcr, the cavc-in occurred This process washed
away, the dirt and coal. Over 100 men were en-
.,ccd with shovcs to assist the water in carrying
oa this natter At about o'clock an opening
had been started. While this work WAS going on
below, other men were engaged in the more haz-
ordous undertaking Of cutting through the mass
,rd clecting an entrance vt the roof of the gang
way to where the men were thought 70 be. This
oncning was bratticcl and tmbcred 4, the work
advanced, and the bottom was also plankcd.
There was the widest kind Of joy just before
locloGll ut the announcement from the mine that
the rcscucrs had been enabled TO communicate
with tho imprisoned mon. Tho driver-boy. Chap-
man, acting as spokesman, announced that all were
uuinurcd and well, ard awaiting rescue. They
were shut up in caye-in, and TO this fact Is duo
their cscale from Instant death. Had they been
in tho workings nothing could have saved them.
As soon az the opening had been cut through
John Ryan, uninjurcd crawlcd out, the opening
being Just large enough for one man to pull
through lying PROSTATE on the pankS Then one
after another OF the imprisoned men crawlcd out,
until ut nightlall only two remained, John Chap
man, lr, and Robert Stahler, the former being
badly injured about the body and the latter
having leg broken.