The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-07-10
INSPECTOR STEIN TALKS F.!
Tells What the Governors Commission
Has Done at Pittston.
THE TWIN SHAFT MINE DESCRIBED
Every Effort Made to Reach the Entombed
Men and the Work is Still Being
Pushed-The Commission As
sisted In 1t.

Mine Inspector Stein yesterday returned to
Pittston to join his colleagues on the com
mission appointed by Governor Hastings to
investigate the disaster at the Twin shaft in
Pittston. Before he left HERALD reporter
succeeded in getting the following facts from
him concerning the mine in which the dis
aster occurred, its present condition, the al
legod rappings by the victims and what the
commission has done and proposes doing.
Inspector Stein, by the way is president of
the commission. He says the three inspec-
tors, after consultation with Attorney Gem
eral Mccormick as to what was expected of
them under their appointment, descended
the shaft, which is sunk TO a depth of 434 feet
within the city limits. At that point the
No. 8 vein is cut, averaging 81 feet thick,
and is known as the Red Ash vein, which is
just the Buck Mountain vein of the Schuyl-
kill region. The No. 3 slope is down about
l 200 feet ON an angle of "a degrees. At that
point an everything vein, called the No. 5, was
developed, the thickness being feet
and the intervening measures vary
from 2 to 25 feet and widen out in
thickness north toward the shaft. The
character of these intervening measures is a
very hard, spurious fire clay having vege-
| table impressions more or less clearly defined
and is very easily fractured under heavy
pressure, especially when undermined. These
two veins were worked simultaneously and
about 10 acres Of the upper, or No. 5, vein
has been worked at this point, while 270
acres of the lower, or No. 6, vein has been
worked, or excavated. From the shaft down
to the center of the basin, a distance Of 400
| feet, a general subsistence took place, dis
placing that large area of everything strata,
which makes it impossible to reach the men
entombed in the center of the basin in any
other way than by clearing up the No. 3
slope of the fallen debris This slope is now
cleared distance of 1856 feet and as the rock
material has fallen large, and being hard, it
is very difficult and dangerous to hurry the
work. Still the men are at work night and
day, making every possible effort to reach the
bodies of the entombed men, dead or alive,
in as short time as it is possible to do 50.
This colliery has always been very gaseous,
which necesstated the construction of two
large fans the one 10 feet and the other 20
feet in diameter producing 300, 900 cubic feet
| of air per minute.
At the head and to the right of No. slope
the commission Of mine inspectors decided to
enter with view of trying to find an open
ing down and parallel to the line pillar, SO
as to reach the entombed men with less diff
Guilty than by clearing up No. slope. They
had gone only about 80 yards when they
found this to be the return air way, which
was heavily charged with explosive gas, and
were forced to retire; but they gave instruc-
tions to construct brattice having an intake
and outlet, SO as to avoid any danger from
this travelling gas and in order to satisfy the
relatives and mining public that other means
had been used in order to reach the men.
This work was being prosecuted when they
left on Tuesday afternoon, but fears are
entertained that this territory was also broken
down. Log pillars, or cribbings, are being
substantially built all around the shaft so as
to reinforce the strength of the coal pillars
and prevent them from spalling off, which
has been successful in arresting the squeeze
and protecting the shaft opening.
The Inspectors Tuesday afternoon also
visited the adjacent colliery CLEAR SPRING.
for the purpose Of inspecting the bore hole
which had been put through the line pillar
separating the two collieres. This bore hole
was driven in distance of 80 feet and after
the drill had been withdrawn gas came out
with such pressure that it forced itself a
distance of 90 feet from the mouth of the
hole. This hole is on the same level with
the bottom of the Twin shaft. A consulta-
tion was held as to the propriety of driving
| an OpenlIB pllidI V lctJ
trying to reach the men from this point but
it being distance of of mile from where
the men are entombed, it was finally decided
that it would be dangerous to allow the men
to explore that territory, and as, from sur
face appearances, the inside openings We're
also broken down and would not offer safe
retreat for the exploring party.
Under the present condition at the colliery,
as far as the inspectors are able TO penetrate,
everything has been done that is possible to
reach the entombed men.
The inspectors returned TO Pittston this
morning and in company with Attorney
General Mccormick, commenced the examin-
alton of all witnesses who will volunteer TO
60 before the commission, so as to elicit all
and any evidence that may be Of value TO
them with view to determining the cause
of this sad disaster.
The commission was waited upon by a
deputation of workingmen and asked if the
investigation would be public. They were
notified that the commission had nothing to
hide and that all who could obtain seats were
at liberty to attend all the sessions. As to
the admission Of attorneys the inspectors had
no objections.
Mr. Stein said to the reporter; 81 am Of
the opinion that none Of the men will be
taken out alive. The extent of the fallen
territory is so great that it is impossible for
them to escape. If any of them had time to
get to any place where the top was not broken
down, in all probability they have been
sufocated by gas. There are SO men en-
tombed, This is the number settled upon by
the officials.
The report that rappings by the men were
heard was effeetually exploded. On Monday
| a Youth ahout 10 or II vaarc Of aga a ri ixar
boy and brother of one of the entombed men,
was caught rapping on the pump discharge
pipe and when asked why he had done it he
became offensive and for some time denied
that he had done so. The inspectors deemed
it wise to ask that the boy be not allowed to
work there, as it had tendency to agitate