The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-02-14
MINERS ANFH FATE.
Thirteen Are Buried Alive in
a Pennsylvania CoIliery.
THEIR DEATH ALMOST CERTAIN.
Probably Crushed by Masses Of Rock
and stone-A Ray OF Hope Buoys Up
Their Friends, but IL is Almost Gone
Now.

ing Town Oh fiymOutn ~ III huoufhihk
over terrible accident that occurred in
the Gaylord colliery. yesterday. Thirteen
men, all citizens of that town. lost their
lives while in the discharge Of their
duties. Their names are:
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 month ago, and four little
children survive them. The disaster
throws IL widows and 80 children on the
worlds charity.
The Gaylord mine is owned by Daniel
Edwards, one Of the wealthiest operators
in the anthracite region. IL is operated
by the Kingston Coal company, Of which
Mr. Edwards is president. The best coal
in the mine was taken out years ago.
Then 1t was abandoned because it could
not be operated with profit.
About three weeks ago the company de-
cided tn resume operations, and party OF
expert miners were sent into the mine to
make an examination. They found that
the last men at work in the colliery had
robbed the pillars supporting the roof
until they were very thin. A great many
falls had taken place, the passages were
blocked by the debris and the air was too
strong. Mining experts gave 1t a. their
opinion that the mine could be put in
operation again with . small outlay of
capital.
Beginning Of tho End.
The company decided to go on with the
work. Monday morning large number
of expert miners, carrying safety lamps,
entered the mine and began the work of
clearing up the old gangways and prop
ping the roof. They had not been at
work long until a squeeze" came, which
compelled the men to retrace their steps.
Foreman Picton, with twelve picked
miners, volunteered to 60 down the shaft
and see what could be done. The descent
was made at 10 o'clock Monday night.
Picton's object was to get as near as pos
sble to the most dangerous part or where
the squeeze was the greatest in order to
stay it's progress by beaming the roof with
heavy timber. In cases of this kind the
men get as near as possible to the cave-in,
and by insertion of cogs and props en-
deavor to break of the mass of rock over
0eau 10 a CcTtdlu poiut, tuuS Suc
pressure on other portions of the mine.
1t seems that in this instance the efforts
of Picton and his men did not prove
success, as the cave extended far beyond
the danger limit, and much greater dis
tance than where the men expected TO be
safe II they retreated at the first indica-
ton 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 that the men were busily at
work ''timbering" when the rocky roof
came tumbling down ubon their heads,
crushing them out Of semblance to hu-
manity and putting a wall OF debris be-
tween them and the mouth Of the shaft
900 feet in thickness.
At first there was some hope that IL the
men could be reached In reasonable
time they could be saved. This was
false hops, however. The rescuing party
had been in the mine only short time
when they were obliged to retreat on ac-
count of further caving. A second res
cuing party went down the shaft yester-
day afternoon, but soon came back thor
oughly disheartened, and at B o'clock all
hope of rescuing the men alive was given
up.
The news OF abandoned hope soon spread.
and the wives and children OF the men in
the mine, who had assemb bled 1t the
mouth of the shaft, expecting any mo-
ment to see their loved ones brought up
alive, set up most pitiful cry of distress.
Mothers wrung their hands and tore
their hair, and little children wept bit
terly. Even stout-hearted men wept al
most as bitterly as the fatherless chill
dren.
The disaster is the worst that has oc-
Cured in the anthracite region since 1885,
when - men perisbed by a .cave-in in a
mine at Nanticoke. Their bodies were
never recovered.
Superintendent Edwards said that he
would take care of the women and chill
dren whose husbands and fathers lost
their lives yesterday. The mine, IL Is be-
lieved, is total wreck.
Friends Living In Hope.
Notwithstanding the fact 1t is believed
the 13 men could not have escaped, their
friends cling TO faint hope, and work of
attempting TO reach them dead or alive
has not been abandoned. There was one
way in which the men may have escaped
instant destruction, but only TO meet
death in slower form by Imprisonment
and starvation.
Opening from the gangway were num-
Der of cross headings leading to an old
gangway. If the men had few mo-
ments' warning they are possibly now In
these workings waiting for help. The
distance to this old gangway from the
foot of the shaft is about 900 feet through
closed up passages, which must be re-
opened and retimbered before they can be
traversed.
II the men are not there II IL posi-
bility that they had time to escape In an
sther direction into the workings, and
efforts to reach these places are also being
made.
Superintendent Picton, whose son was
i'm charge of the missing party, says he
will not give up hope until the dead bodies
are brought out.