The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-14
We're at Work Propping Up the Tum-
bling Roof When a Cave-In Occurred
and Crushed Them to Death.
ALL WERE MARRIED BUT TWO
Eleven Widows and Thirty-Six
Children Thrown on Charity.
Wall of Debris 400 Feet Thick Between
the Shaft and the Bodies of the Vic
tims-The Efforts at Rescue.

WILKESBARRE, Pa, Feb. 13.-The min
ing town of Plymouth is in mourning to-
night over a cave-in that occurred in the
Gaylord colliery this morning. Thirteen
men, all citizens of that town, lost their
lives while in the discharge of their duties.
Their names are mine foreman Thomas Pic
ton, Thomas Jones, Richard Davis, John
Norris. James Kingdom, Thomas Morri-
man, Thomas Cole, Joseph Odds, Daniel
Morgan, John Hammer, Peter McLaugh-
lin, Michael Walsh and Thomas Leyshon.
All the victims with the exception of two
leave families. One Of them lost his wife
only month ago, and four little children
survive them Consequently the disaster
throws eleven widows and thirty-six chill
dren on the worlds charity.
The Gaylord mine is owned by Daniel
Edwards, one of the wealthiest operators
in the anthracite region 1t is operated by
the Kingston Coal Company, Of which Mr..
Edwards is the president. The best coal In
the mine was taken out years ago. Then
it was abandoned because it could not be
operated with profit About three weeks
ago the company decided to resume opera
tons, and a party of expert miners was
sent into the mine TO make al examination.
They found matters in a bad shape. The
last man 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 current
was poor. Mining experts gave 1T as their
opinion, however, that the mine could be
put in good condition again with a small
outlay Of capital. The company decided to
go on with the work at once.
On Monday morning q large number OF
expert miners carrying safety lamps en-
tered the mine and began the work OF
clearing up the old gangways and propping
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 selected miners volun-
teered to go down the shaft and see what
could be done. The descent was made at
II o'clock last night. Picton's object was TO
get as near as possible to the most dan
gerous part-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 endeavor TO break OH the
mass of rock overhead to certain point,
thus relieving the pressure on other por-
instance the efforts Of Picton and his men
did not prove a success, as the cave ex-
much greater distance than where the men
expected TO be safe If they retreated at the
first indication Of the fall. This is shown
by the vast area of the cave-in.
No one is left to tell the story. The sup
position is that the men were busily at
work timbering when the rocky roof came
turnbling down upon their heads, crushing
them out of semblance 70 humanity and
putting wall Of debris between them and
the mouth of the shaft four hundred feet
in thickness At first there was some hope
that if the men could be reached in a rea-
sonable time they could be saved. This was
n false hope, however. The rescuing party
had been in the mine only a short time
when they were obliged to retreat on ac-
count of further caving. A second rescu-
ing party under Superintendent James w.
Davis went down the shaft this afternoon,
but soon came back thoroughly disheart-
ened, and a O'Clock all hope of rescuing
the men alive was given up.
The news soon spread, and the wives and
children of the men in the mine who had
assembled at the mouth OF the shaft ex-
pecting any moment to see their loved ones
brought up alive, set up a most pitiful
cry of distress. Mothers wrung their
dren wept bitterly. Two of the women
tainted and had TO be carried away by
friends. Even stout-hearted men who had
gathered at the entrance of the mine wept
almost as bitterly as the fatherlesS chill
dren.
To-days disaster is the worst that has
occurred in the anthracite region since
1885, when twenty-five men persisted by a
cave-in in mine No. l, of the Susquehanna
were never recovered, and a monument
marks the spot where the men met their
death.
Superintendent Edwards said tonight
that he would take care of the women and
children whose husbands and fathers lost
their lives in to-day's calamity. The mine,
ii is now believed, is total wreck
Notwithstanding the fact that most peo-
pie believed that the thirteen men could
not have escaped, their friends cling to a
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 impriSon-
ment and starvation. Opening from the
gangway from the foot of the shaft is
cross headings leading to an old gangway.
If the men had few moments warning
they are possibly now in these workings
waiting for help. The distance to this old
gangway from the part of the shaft is
about nine hundred feet through closed up
passages. which must be reopened and re-
timbered before they can be traversed
Gangs are working with feversh haste
and it is hoped to get through some time
tonight. If the men are not there, il is
thought there was possibility of their
having had time TO escape in another direc-
ton into other workings, and efforts to
reach these places are also being made
Inside Superintendent Picton, whose son
was in charge OF the missing party saws he
will not give up hope until the dead bodies
hrnI lO1t IN