The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-02-16
NINE DISASTER.
The Mining Town of Plymouth, Pa,
in Mourning.
ROCK FALLS UPON THIRTEEN MEN.
All Supposed to Have Been Crushed to
Death-Desperate Efforts to Rescue
Them Being Made-Due to
"Robbfng" Pillars.

WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Feb. 1.-THE
mining town of Plymouth is in mourn
ing over a terrible accident that oc-
CURED in the Gaylord colliery. Thir-
teen men, all citizens of that town, lost
their lives while in discharge of their
duties. Their names are: Mine Fore
man Thomas Picton, Thomas Jones,
Richard Davis, John Morris, James
Kingdom, Thomas Merriman, Thomas
Cole, Joseph Olds, Daniel Morgan, John
Hammer, Peter S. Mclaughlin, Michael
Walsh and Thomas ,Leyshon.
All the victims with the exception OF
two, leave families. One of these lost
his wife only a month ago,and four lit
tie children survive him. Consequent
ly the disaster throws eleven widows
and thirty-six orphans on the worlds
charity.
The Gaylord mine is owned by Dan
lei Edwards, one of the wealthiest
operators in the anthracite regions. 1t
is operated by the Kansas Coal Co., of
which Mr.. Edwards is president The
best coal in the mine was taken out
y
cause it could not be worked with
profit. About three weeks ago the
company decided to resume operations,
and party of expert miners was sent
to make an examination. They
found matters in bad shape.
The last men at work in the colliery
had robbed the pillars supporting
the roof until they We're very thin. A
great many falls had taken place, the
passage was blocked by the debris and
the air current was very poor. Mining
experts gave it as their opinion, how
ever, that the mine could be put in
good condition again with small out
Lay of capital. The company decided
to go on with the work at once
Monday morning a large number of
expert miners carrying safety lamps
entered the mine and began the work
of clearing up the old gangways and
propping the roof They had not been
at work long until squeeze" came,
which compelled the men to retrace
their steps. Foreman Picton, with
twelve selected miners, volunteered to
go down the shaft and see what could
be done. Picton's object was to get as
near as possible to the most dangerous
spot, where the squeeze was the great
est. in order to stay its progress by
beaming the roof with heavy timbers.
In cases of this kind the men get as
near as possible to the cavern, and by
insertion of props endeavor to break off
the mass Of rocks overhead to a certain
point. thus relieving the pressure on
other portions of the mine. 1t seems
that in this instance the efforts of Pic
ton and his men did not prove success
full, as the cave-in extended far beyond
the danger limit and a much greater
distance than where the men expected
to he safe if they retreated at the first
indication of the heavy fall. This is
shown by the vast area of the cave-in.
No one is left to tell the story. The
supposition is the men were busily at
work timbering, when the rocky roof
came tumbling upon their heads,
crushing them out of sem blance to hui
manity and putting wall of debris
between them and the mouth of the
shaft 400 feet in thickness.
At first there was some hope that if
the men could be reached in reason
able time they could be saved This
was a false hope, however. The rescu-
ing party had been in the mine only a
short time when they were obliged to
retreat on account of further caving
A second rescuing party under Super
intendent Davis went down the shaft
but soon came back thoroughly dis
heartened and at 8 o'clock all hope of
roe n q rriv
The news of abandoned hone soon
spread. and the wives and children of
the men in the mine, who had assem-
bled at the mouth of the shaft expect
ing every moment to see their loved
ones brought up alive, set up a most
pitiful cry of distress. Mothers wrung
their hands and tore their hair, and
little children wept bitterly. Two of
the women tainted and had to be car
ried away by friends Even stout
hearted men, who had gathered at the
entrance Of the mine, wept almost as
bitterly as the fatherless children.
Yesterdays disaster is the worst that
has occurred in the anthracite regions
since 1885, when twenty-five men per-
ished by cave-in in mine No. of the
coke. Their bodies were never recov-
cred, and monument marks the spot
where the men met their death.
Notwithwithstanding the fact most
people believe the thirteen men could
not have escaped, their friends cling to
a flint hope, and work of attempting
to reach them. dead or alive, has not
been abandoned.
There was one way in which the men
but only to meet death in a slower
form by imprisonment and starvation.
Opening from the gangway there are
a number of cross headings leading to
an old gangway. If the men had
few moments warning they are possi-
bly now in these workings waiting for
help. The distance to this old gang
way from the floor of the shaft is
a bout 800 feet through the closed-up
passages, which must be reopened and
re- timbered before they can be
traversed. Gangs are working with
haste and it is hoped to get
by midnight.
if the men are not there it is thought
there was a possibility of their having
had time to escape in another direction
INTO other workings, and efforts to
reach these places are also being made.
Tho fund startsd By Mayor Gilroy.
# New York, fer tho relief o. the poor
,su smspnts TO $50. .0ae and snufh saoss
9 sspasisd la be contributed