The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-17
ALL EVIDENCE IS IN
Investigation Of Twin Shaft
Disaster Is Rapidly Draw
ing to a Close.
PLAN OF COMMISSIONERS
They Will Not Only Lay the Test-
mony Before The Governor but Will
Designate Where the Blame Lies,
If They Conclude Any One Was at
Fault-COrrob Of the TeSd-
mony That the Kline Was Not
Worked in a Scientific Manner.

NVkEVu IN u EVieutlliV WuuuOls
The taking Of testimony bearing on
the disaster at the Twin shaft was con-
cluded yesterday afternoon and the
commission adjourned sine die. At the
re-opening of the session yesterday
morning at 10 o'clock the usual large
crowd was present, filling every seat in
the capacious ST. Aloysius hall. Attor-
ney-General Mccormick was present as
the personal representative of the gov
ernor. The commissioners and attor-
neys were the same as at the previous
sessions.
General Manager Law was called to
the stand by the miners attorney for
the purpose of testifying to the list Of
entombed men as compiled by the COM
pany, in order that 1t might be made
a part of the records. He was also
asked several questions relating to the
quality of the coal. which he said was of
the Red Ash variety, and certain dis
tunces about the mine, all of which
have been dwelt upon heretofore.
Mr.. Wheaton. attorney for the COM
pany. introduced the question of expert
witnesses, saying that If the commits
sion desired to have them the company
could secure them. Mr.. O'Boyle, one OF
the attorneys for the miners. argued
that inasmuch as the commissioners
themselves We're experts II would hard
ly be necessary to call expert witnesses.
Attorney General Mccormick. after a
consultation with the inspectors, an
nounced that the commission was per.
fectly willing to have either side intro
duce expert testimony, but would not
call upon them to do 50. No experts
were produced.
TESTIMONY OF HUGHES.
Edward Hughes. the tracklayer. who.
it will be remembered. was the first wit
ness called, was again put on the stand
to testify TO the length Of the rails used
In the mines. His evidence was in the
nature of corroborative of the testi-
nony OF IA previous witness, who stated
that thirty-foot rails We're used In the
mine, and that frequently II was pos
.sible to turn these rails on horizontal
plane, showing that the chambers must
have been over thirty feet wide. The
previous witness had testified to the
same facts. but had never taken exact
measurements Of the rails. Mr. Whea-
ton at the time questioned the reliabil
ity Of his evidence and to substantiate
1t Hughes was recalled. He swOre that
he had, in his capacity of tracklayer,
made frequent measurements OF the
rails used In the mine and found them
to run from twenty-one to thirty feet
in length.
The next witness was Frank Tracey.
He testified that he was 80 years Of
age and worked in the mines nearly 81
years. being miner 26 years. All this
time was spent in the mines Of Pitts
ton and immediate vicinity. He worked
at the Twin shaft up to the Thursday
before the accident He was not aware
of the squeeze going on as he worked
in a section Of the mine removed from
the scene OF the main disturbance.
To a question from Chairman Stein
as to the proper size Of pillars he
stated that in his opinion d pillar
should be 1890 feet, differing accord
ing to the thickness of the roof and
the depth of the vein below the sur
face. He said he as well as the other
miners were instructed To drive the
openings from 90 to "a feet in width
He never had any particular fear of
cave-in but was in dread of gas. The
| Twin compared favorably with other
, mines in the matter Of pillars but in
gangways it didn't. He frequently no.
ticed clippings from the pillars par
ticularly in warm weather. which
seems to have bad effect on the pill
lars. In some few places preliminary
measures were taken to prevent the
chipping. He said he abandoned q
| chamber one time and some time later
he went back 10 look at it and found
enough coal Clipped off to load his
| cars for month.
WIDTH OF GANGWAYS.
| To Mr.. O'Boyle's questions he said
that he was never in the gangway's
reached by No. slope and could not
| testify to their width. In the Pennsyl-
vania Coal company's mines the gang
ways are about 16 feet. In the Twin
he saw twenty-four foot gargways. In
his opinion the chipping of the pillars
was not caused by pressure but at
mospheric action. He could not say
| anything regarding the condition of pill
| lars In the caved-in area as he had
never been in there. In his opinion it
; was not good mining to operate two
adjoining veins simulta neously. partic-
! ularly where the coal Of the pillars is
| brittle as was the case in the Twin.
| There Is no common sense in the state
ment that bottom pillars can safely
be smaller than top ones. he said. and
| II Is bad mining not to have one plumb
, over the other. For good engineer II
, is not difficult to have the pillars prac-
| tically one over the other. Miners at
| the Twin were allowed to run their
chambers hap-hazzard. and as a result
of this failure Of the engineer to give
them points 1t was not infrequent
for miners to break into one another's
chambers.
At this juncture adjournment was
made necessary because of the absence
| of witnesses whom the miners attor-
| neys counted on.
Miorael Langan, aged "a, timber
man a. The Twin, was the first witness
| called after the noon recess. He tes-
titled that in the fifth vein 1t was some-
times necessary to take down the roof
or cut up the floor in order to make the
passageway high enough for the cars
to pass. The blasting on the floor
caused 1t to fall In upon the sixth vein
In his opinion the pillars were too small
| He feared a caxe-in for three months