Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-02-15
CLOSED In BY A FALL.
THIRTEEN MINERS ENTOMBED IN A
PLYMOUTH COLLIERY.

fIfMOO n COlllEhY.
While Men Were at Work Under a Weak
Roof Terrible Fall of Rock and Coal
Occurs-Thirty Acres Affected by the
Disaster-The Men Probably Dead.
Thirteen men and possibly more are
entombed in the workings of the Gay
lord shaft at Plymouth, and the hope of
their rescue is so small as to be most
discouraging. Experienced miners say
they will never come to the surface dead
or alive, as their opinion is that their
bodies are buried so deeply that they
will never be found. But others more
sanguine anticipate that the active
measures taken by the company will re-
suit in their rescue alive.
The names Of the men entombed are:
Foreman Thomas Picton, married,
large family.
Thomas Jones, married, three chill
& d4frv2Ia dfvIa.
Richard Dayis, married, two children.
John Morris, married, five children.
James Kingdom, married, two children.
Thomas Merriman, married, two chill
dren.
Thomrs Cole, married, three children.
Joseph Olds, married, two children.
Daniel Morgan, widower.
John Hammer, married, nine chill
dren.
Peter s. Mclaughlin, married, six
children.
Michael Walsh, married, two children.
Thomas Leyshon, single.
The cause of the catastrophe was a
cavein and the victims are all residents
of Plymouth. The mine had bad
cavein about two years ago, and has
since had occasional spells of working.
On Monday this settling was most pro-
nounced, and at 5 o'clock on Monday
night gang of miners, the men now
confined, were set at work in the main
gangway at timbering
ALL PROBABLY KILLED.
Everything was going on nicely inside
until O'Clock Tuesday morning when
the residents Of the locality about the
breaker were awakened by a shaking
and trembling of the ground and rocking
of their houses. They knew immedi-
ately that some great disaster had occur
red, and all the miners hurried to the
shaft to find that an immense cavein
had occurred, affecting large portion of
the workings Of the coliery and i'm
prisoning all the men working inside at
the time. The fall covered the gangway
in which the timber gang were working,
and no doubt killed every man of them
at once.
There was, however, one way in
which the men may have escaped in
slant destruction. Opening from the
gangway where they were at the time of
the cavein are number of cross head
ings leading to an old gangway, which
runs along the boundary line of the
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company's
property, and this gangway is supported
by solid wall of coal on the Delaware
& Hudson side. If the men had few
moments warning, which is quite posi-
BILE, because of the cracking sound
always given out before a cavein occurs,
they are possibly in these workings
waiting for help. This help is coming
to them so fast as the work can be
pushed.
The distance to this old gangway from
the foot of the shaft is about nine hum
dred feet through closed up passages
which must be reopened and retimbered
before they can be traversed. Gangs of
men as large as can be accommodated in
the tunnels are working with feyerish
haste.
DANGER INCREASING.
: AT O'Clock on Tuesday night reports
were sent up from the rescuing gangs
that the squeeze showed signs of con.
tinuing, and that chunks of rock from
the roof is falling about them in all di-
rections. The mules were taken from
inside and careful watch was kept of
the air courses. The fans to supply air
to the workers inside are being run to
their fullest capacity to furnish air and
to keep the open spaces clear of gas,
which the immense fall liberated in
large quantities.
The Delaware and Hudson Company
has volunteered to cut through from
their No. mine few hundred feet dis.
tant on the east, and the Parrish Coal
Company also stands ready to cut
through the pillars from their workings
on the westerly side. 1t is probable
that the workings of the Gaylord shaft
are completely wrecked and rendered
useless.
NO HOPE TODAY.
The rescuers have been working hard
to reach the men, but it seems like a
fruitless task, as the miners best ac-
quainted with the workings declare the