The Portland daily press., 1894-05-26
New York Visitors to a Coal Mine
in Danger.
FORCED TO CLIMB FRAIL LAD
:. DERS In DENSE DARKNESS,


W1lkesbarre, Pa, May 25.-One of a
nest of boilers at the No..5 shaft of the
Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal Company
exploded with terrific force this morn
ing, endangering the lives of 400 miners
and 20 membes of the New York Retail
Coal Exchange, who were in the mine
at the time.
About 1875 coal men reached here yes
terday from New York, and party of
them, under the direction Of Superin-
tendent Elmer M. laval, started out
this morning to visit some of the mines.
Arriving at the No. shaft, some de-
scended, while others walked about, in
specting the outer workings. One car
riage load had been left at the bottom
of the shaft, and the other load was
about 100 feet from the the bottom when
the explosion occurred, demolishing the
pipe connecting with the engine room,
and at once stopping the big fan and
the powerful engines
The safety catches on the carriage
held, otherwise the men on it would
have been dashed to death. Meanwhile
the greatest excitement reigned- in the
| mine. The shock of the explosion was
LEU ourouSuOub all bno WOfkS, ana lul-
mediately afterwards the experienced
| miners realized that the fan had stopped,
and at once extinguished their lights.
| There were about 400 of them at work,
| and while some made their escape into
| other mines, and through man holes to
| the surface, about SO of them working
nearest the shaft ran there.
| Here the visitors were in state of
| terror. Unaccustomed to the mines,
they knew nothing of what had hap
| pened. and only realized some geat dam
| ger threatened them. The fire boss had
ordered all the lights out and they were
| in total darkness, and could do nothing
but wait for the men above to rescue
| them.
| was not broken, and Foreman Boyle
called up the engine house and soon
learned the condition of things. He was
| told to do nothing until an attempt was
| made to get ste am again, but he could
not wait long. as gas was beginning to
! gather, and if succor did not soon come
! all the party would perish.
| Superintendent laval, in this emer-
gency sent out fire alarm, and the hose
companies, which quickly responded,
1 began pumping water down the shaft
as the only expedient for forcing back
the gas and giving the party at the foot
| of the shaft air.
Ouuer LII Slfeam OF water Gne miners
| and New Workers stood, for every square
| inch of air was precious, and the water
carried volume of it down the SHAFT.
For nearly an hour the party stood in
this uncomfortable position, and the
| word was sent down that the fan could
not be started. The inner workings
were by this time full of gas and it was
too dangerous an experiment to try and
reach the adjoining mine.
A PERILOUS ASCENT. .
Only one course was left, and that was
to climb up the shaft and the rough
This is commonly called the ladder, but
is merely strips of wood nailed across
the shaft and about 1S inches apart.
Up the shaft, distance of 1000 feet, was
safety, and with many misgivings the
party started, one by one, miner fol-
lowing each one. One hundred feet up
| they met the carriage, and the nine men
| in 1t who had been imprisoned there,
| were told how to escape. They were in a
dreadful condition Of mind and body,
suspended, as they were, with certain
| death below and apparently no way of
escape above, and with streams of water
pouring down upon them. They had
| given up all hope and were only waiting
full climb, and many would never have
reached the top had it not been for the
little resting stages, three by six feet,
at every 80 feet of the ladder.
John and Ratze Bunker are old men,
and stout, and had hard siege getting
up.
Henry Lange tainted on one of the
landing stages, and had it not been for
the assistance Of a miner would have
| fallen to the bottom of the shaft.
William Brennan. very stout man,
had great difficulty in forcing his way
trough the manholes and mis- clothing
was torn to shreds. TT. Farrell felt he
could go no further, went half way up,
and offered miner $500 to get him to
the surface.
REACHED SAFETY AND TAINTED.
At the top of the shaft the New York
ers who had not gone down waited anx-
iously for their friends, and as each
reached the top he was blanketed and
dosed with stimulants, and hurried to
the engine house. I.ange, when he felt
firm ground under his feet, said: "Tele-
graph my family am safe," and faint
ed again.
DIDN'T KNOWIT WAS LOADED