The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-30
DEATH IN A DOUBLE DOSE.
MINERS WHO WE'RE NOT CRUSHED
WERE DROWNED.

Waters From the Adjacent Rivers
flushed Into the Pit of the Twin
shaft Mine in an Irresistible
FIoOd-Rescuers at Work All Day,
nat no sound Heard in the Tomb
Where the Victims Are.
Wnkesbarre. Pa, June 29.-There We're
no new developments at the twin shaft
OF the Newton Coal Company. where a
hundred men and boys We're imprisoned
yesterday by an explosion and fall of
coal. The work Of the rescurers is going
on rapidly. 1t may be two days or may
be two weeks before the men are reach
ed. James McMahon, one Of the bravest
miners in the valley, crawled about the
mine this morning. and it is asserted.
was within coo feet of where the unfor-
tunate men are supposed to be. He cali
ed out TO them on many occasions, but
could get no answer. That all are dead is
beyond further question.
Wlkesbarre. Pa, June %. 9 p. m.-The
situation at the scene of the disaster re-
mains practically unchanged tonight.
The company is making every possible
effort to reach the victims, but there Is
absolutely no hope that any of them will
be recovered alive.
The friends and relatives of the en-
tOmbed men haunt day and night the head
of the shaft, hoping against hope that
some OF the rescuing party may bring
up a word of cheer. But as one gang
after another reaches the surface it an
swers the eager questions with only SAD
shake Of The head, then hope dies out
again and despair sets upon the coun-
tenances Of the unhappy ones.
The rescuing party that went into the
shaft this morning returned at o'clock
this evening and as they jumped from
the carriage the foreman was heard to
say: mo hope of rescue as yet" Later
on it was learned that the situation in
side Is changing almost hourly, owing 10
the continuous caving or Squeezing" n"
and on this account nothing whatever can
be told as to when the men can be
reached
The rescuing party tonight are work.
ing their way to the point where they
propose to start digging tomorrow morn
ing. They still continue to timber as they
go, and the work of the rescuers Is a
most dangerous one.
Henry McAiillin, inside foreman of the
Barnum mine, who went into the pit this
afternoon TO make a careful survey, says
that in his belief caving win continue
more or less for a week. The fan is
immense, and the progress of the diggers
when they do commence to dig, will de-
pend entirely on the soldity of the fall.
Prominent mine officials from all parts
of the country were on the scene to-day
discussing the sad disaster from every
standpoint. A conference was held during
the day. Among the officials who were
present were Mine Inspector Blewett of
Scranton, Anthony Horn, superintendent
of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, of
Pittston, Superintendent Davis of the
Dodson Coal Company of Plymouth, H.
n. Ashley, general manager of the Par
rish Coal Company, of Wilkesbarre, J.
l.. Cake, manager of the Clear Spring
Coal Company, of West Pittston, and j.
Bennett Smith, practical engineer of the
Hazard works, Wilkesbarre.
Most of them have come to the cOnclu-
sion that the bodies will never be reach
ed.
Water has been running into the shaft
since yesterday and to-day it has increas-
ed in volmue Both the Lackawanna and
Susquehanna rivers run in close proXim-
ity to the Twin shaft. From the surface
to the point where the rock begins there
is at least 146 feet of what is known as
river wash. From this point down to the
bottom, or the level where the men are,
thera was previous to the fall 2S0 feet of
rock. AS long as this remained intact,
there was perhaps no more leak
age through the crevices than
in mines which are not in such
close proximity to large bodies of water.
When the fall occurred the 2SO feet of
rock referred to must have been shat
tered, allowing the water to pour into
the mine in large quantities, until the
open space below was all filled. The very
natural consequence of this is that If the
victims did not lose their lives under the
fall they came to their death by drown
ing II lulS De TRUE anu llieIb Is no Itd
son to doubt that it is, it will be impos-
sibe to remove the bodies of the vic
Tins from the mine.
One of the chief officials of a neigh
boring mine stated to-day that the heavy
rains of the last few days had caused
water into the Twin shaft and down
into the fifth vein, which caused the roof
of the Red Ash vein to become weakened
and it gave symptoms of a cave, and this
necessitated the timbefing that was go
ing on when the fall occurred.
Criticisms are already numerous regard
ing the awful calamity, though 1t is too
soon to express an opinion as to the possi-
bility of having averted this almost un-
precedented accident. or to pass criticism
upon those who authorized so large body
of men to enter a mine in so dangerous a
condition. An official investigation will
follow, and it is believed that it will in
every respect be thorough and impartial.
The several acts of the assembly for the
safety of the men employed in the mines
of this state provide ample machinery for
such an investigation, and the proper au-
thoritIes will doubtless see to it that the
provisions of the law are put into full OPP
GRAFTON in this most distressing case.