The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-07-03
ONE HUNDRED MINERS
Instantly Killed or Entombed Alive
Without Hope Of Rescue.
The Accident Caused By n Cavern Ac.
ecmPanied by an Explosion Hun
dreds of Feet Below the Surface
Vain Efforts at Rescue.

o'eock this morning the city of Pitts
ton, nine miles from here, was thrown
into the widest excitement by three
severe, distinct and separate shocks,
accompanied by rumblings resembling
an earthquake disturbance. They
were so strong as to disturb the slum-
bers Of the people throughout East
and West Pittston.
Immediately afterward an alarm
took possession of the entire popula-
tion, which was considerably added to
BY the wild alarm whistle of the
Twin shaft at Pittston Junction, ac-
| eompanied by repeated fire alarms.
Hundreds of people, apprehending
serious results, rushed in mad haste
to the Twin shaft, operated by the
Newton Coal Co., from which the dole
ful alarm came, only to find that the
shock was due to an extensive cave-in,
accompanied by an explosion which
had occurred in the sixth or lower
vein of the shaft. Their apprehen-
sIons were by no means too great, for
upon close investigation it was found
that no less than a hundred men and
boys were imprisoned in this horrible
death-dealing pit.
The distressing news spread with
lightning rapidity and by o'clock this
morning the head of the shaft was
thronged by groups of men, women
and children, the latter wringing
their hands and uttering heartrend-
ing cries for their beloved ones who
were imprisoned in the pit.
The hour following the alarm was
one long to be remembered bv those
| witnessing the sights-the anxious
suspense of the worlsmen, the grief of
the friends and the tender sympathy
tor the afflicted ones by the spectators.
The foreign element in particular, in
their piercing harangues and their
wild demands for their friends, made
the narrowing scene peculiarly pain
| full
Efforts werS made to quiet them by
rendering them the little encourage.
epkpossible, but were unavailing, the
mothers, daughters, sons, brothers and
sisters reasonably feared the worst,
and upon the first information re-
ceived their fears were found to be
well grounded.
The first to come TO the surface from
the shaft below after the explosion,
/
| engaged in labor. The force OF the
conclusion threw him with terrific
! violence to the wall, and with intense
| fear and more dead than alive he crept
TO the foot and with great difficulty
signalled to the engineer at the sur
face to hoist the carriage.
When he was brought up his story
gave to the listeners little encourage
ment as to the safety of any of the
men and boys below. From him was
secured the first information of the
number who were in the shaft and the
positive knowledge that another of
those fearful disasters frequently oc-
curing in the anthracite coal fields had
occurred, He said that not less than
one hundred workmen had suffered
horrible death and that the number
was probably larger.
just at this period word came from
the pit that more men were ready to
be brought up, Momentary only was
the hope of the anxious ones, for when
John Kicker, a runner boy, Jacob
Adams and Frank Sheridan, company
men, were brought to the surface,
they retold the frightful story.
It appears that several days ago the
officers discovered that the rock be-
tween the fifth and sixth veins had COM
menoed working" and to prevent a
continuation of this, all day Saturday
and Saturday night the full compile
ment Of day men and such others as
could be pressed into service from off
the Streets were set at work pillaring
and proppinP the sixth vein so as to in
ha fak, - L
were to go to work on Monday.
Saturday night the regular night
force were working at a point about
three thousand feet from the shaft at
the foot of No. plane under what is
| Renerlly known as the flats, little
east of the Coxton railway yards.
| The force was under the supervision
of Supt. Langan and his assistant,
| Michael Linott Orders had gone
forth that about midnight as many
men as possible should be sent down
to assist in this dangerous work, as
constant cracking and splintering of
| the roof gave indication that the pos
sibilities of danger were most strongly.
| founded.
In accordance with this order be-
tween II and 1 o'clock Sunday morn
ing about thirty additional workmen
went into the mine. This new force
was placed at a point beyond that of
the night hands and the news brought
to the surface by the three men who
may be the only ones to live to tell the
tale, was that all of these hundred or
more men had been caught and either
crushed to immediate death or impris-
oned to perish by starvation.
After hearing this discouraging
news the large throng in waiting be-
came more demonstrative. II was
found, to the CONSERVATION of the
workmen present on the surface,
that all the mine foremen, superinten-
dents and bosses who had gone to su-
pervise the work had also been caught
below. This left the work of relief
without systematic head, but the res
cuers, providing themselves with
safety lamps, hurried on the mine
carriage and were lowered 1000
feet to their mission Of relief. They
were: John Doyle, John Daley, Chas.
Mcdonald and James Tenyon. After
half hour of suspense they returned
with the sad story that the cave-in
had become extensive, that the search
party faced almost inevitable death. !
and that no news had been secured |
A 4 l. 4.