New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-30
HEROES IN THE TWIN SHAFT.
RAY OF HOPE AT LAST FOR THE EN-
TOMRED MINERS.

E
400 FEET OF WHERE THE MEN WERE AT
WORK AND REPORTS THAT THERE Is
A BARE CHANCE THAT THEY MAY
BE ALIVE INCIDENTS OF THE
DAY IN PlTTsToN.
IRY TELEGRAPH THE TRiBvNEl
Utkesbarre. Penn. June 29.-The gloom whlch
s.s hung over Pittston since the announcement
=, the terrible disaster at the Twin SHAFT W"'
.,rsu-hat lifted to-nigh, by the magnificent
,eroisn Of James Langan, son II Superln'eh-
,or, Iengan. who crawed over 200 feet of
,.uns and fallen rock and reached a spot only
ooo feet from where the most OF the men We're
orrire when the cave-in occurred. Ever since
.,o disaster he has spent all his time In the
1.-TWO working with the relief gangs All the
,,r,s 200 he has believed that only part of the
.,ar we're caught in the fall. as the shift was
s,,,6el and the men We're in two bodies. some
a,s,ance apart He has tried to convince the
onc;als that this was So but although he knows
,,a workings thoroughly they placed no conn
dence in his theory
To night about o'clock he started To cra"I
into the workings over the falls that hne 'he
gangvav II was most perilous Undertaking
port ~ the roof was still falling, and any moment
ba WAS liable 70 be crushed beneath tons OF rock
snd coal In places he could barely squirm along
Ike a snake so close was the Jagged ran 10 'he
roof and in some places the piles or debris rose
.or,v and fifty feet He was afraid to take a
,amp owing 10 the amount OF gas he encountered'
end knowing that ar explosion meant death, not
only 10 himself but 10 all his comrades in the
sangway behind hi.n. So he carefully proceeded
cron,ng his way along as best he could tearing
his clothes 10 shreds scratching his hands and
hoav until the blood soaked the rags but never
d,sheartened he struggled heroicay onward,
reached the top OF the slope. weak from his
exerton and the impure air. but still eager TO
proceed.
NEAR THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER.
Down the slope he went. his progress no easier
than before. until he reached point about half
way down where ne found the air purer than In
any place he had reached Here he rsked strik-
.ng match, and, despite the shattered condition
Of the place recognized II as being abou; fifty feet
from where thirty men were working when he LEFT
them thirty minutes before the accident hap
pened Carefully ne made his way to this spot,
only to find that there was great fall, as nearly
as he could judge thirty feet high, over the spot
and ne surmised that the thirty men were un-
der il
Some 200 feet further down the slope the body
OF the men were al work. but great fall blocked
Iangan's progress as he tried 10 make ms way
further down the slope. He found, however that
q free current Of air passed over It. ana on this
and the fact that where the other forty men
ere there are stronger pillars than In many
other parts Of the mine. he bases his belief that
the men are alive and behind this fall. The pill
lars lust where they worked are extremely large
and capable OF resisting a heavy drag. If they
were IN this shelter there Is hope for them
THE NEWS RECEIVED WITH CHEERS
Cheered by this hope he made his way back 10
where the rescuers were working. and announced
the good tidngs. The was received with
cheers Langan tired as he was offered TO lead
volunteers 10 the fall in the slope. and thirty
men volunteered In many seconds. Superin-
tsnAent HOLSTER. however. refused TO let them
g., and fortunate Il was. for. half an hour after
Langan's return. heavy fall occurred short
distance from where the men stood. The news
Of the young mans discovery has. however.
cheered everybody about the mine, as we'll as the
people Of the town. and an effort will be made in
the morning TO force a way in.
INSPECTOR MDONALD's HOPE.
There Is bare chance that the men are
alive" said Inspector Mcdonald to-day when
Of the Newton Coal Company at Pittston. and
until satisfied that there Is absolutely no
hope We will continue our endeavors 70 reach
them"
The situation at the con!ery Is worse than It
was yesterday. and the rescuing parties have
greater obstacles to overcome Not only is the
mine full Of gas. but water is gathering in large
quantities, and pumps have been rgged up TO
keep II down. But far worse evil than this s
the continued caving Of the mine. which has
not ceased since the accident. The men We're
forced out Of the slope midnight by a heavy
fall extending about 400 feet. and compelling
them to fee for their lives But for the great pre-
cautions which being taken they would also
have been engulfed in the tomb Of rock which
buries their comrades
All hope Of reaching the men through this slope
has been abandoned, for not only IS the slope
filed with great masses Of debris, but the cave
'n has been crawling slowly along toward the
foot Of the shaft Sometimes mass ten yards
long crashes down eplintering timbers and com
peling the men 20 retreat hurriedly. At other
times the fall is only a few feet in extent and
causes little damage. but the fact that this cav
!ng-n IS almost continuous Is what is troubling
the ofiicsls At present all their efforts a this
point are directed to keeping the entrance to the
mine open. and II is not imprOba bic that before
many hours this may be closed
THE REsCUERS IL GREAT PERIL
The men In great danger and an accident
may occur at any time Despite the massive
fimbers they erecting to keep up the shaking
root, the big beams may give way at any mo-
'nent under the pressure Of the thousands ~
tons ri coal and rock above them The mine Is
working IN a way that would drive ess
brave and stout-hearted men 10 the surface
There is a constant thunder Of noise. owing 70
the tremendous squeeze" and pieces Of coal Nv
In all directions. and often with great velocity.
from the sides and roof The cracking and splin-
terng Of timbers and the crash Of falls over the
debris already scattered along the gangway make
situation calculated to inspire terror in the
bravest heart. But the men who are al work I'm