Rock Island Argus., 1896-06-30
HE RAISES HOPE.
latest From the Disaster in the
Twin Shaft Mine.
STORY TOLD BY AMEs LANGAN.


Where the Men Are EntombeL and That
the Air Is sGood-Opinions of Experienced
Men Are. However, That There Il Not
Particle Of Hope-Fatal Accidents st
Several Other Points.
WILKEsDARRE, Pa, June 30.-James
Langan. son Of the entombed superin-
tendent. created sensation late last night
by declaring that he succeeded in crawl
ing over the first two falls in the slope Of
the Twin Shaft mine and reaching within
500 feet of where the men were supposed
to have been at work He insists that
there is vacant space beyond, and he be-
lieves the entombed men are in there He
also says that the ventilation is good. If
this story is true it upsets all previous
theories. Much doubt is entertained re-
gartiing it, however, and it is almost
settled fact that of the small army of men
which entered the ill-fated Twin Shaft at
Pittston on Saturday night not one sur
wives.
Water Is Filling the Mine.
Not only is every approach to the dark
tomb barricaded by enormous masses of
rock and debris, but it is known that in
the mine there is large quantity of water
which is increasing in volume every min
ute. Thus the chances of recovering their
bodies are more remote than ever. Promi-
nent officials say that weeks or months
may be consumed in clearing away the
fallen coal in order to reach the bodies of
the victims. A mine superintendent of
thirty-five years experience thinks the I'M
fortunate men have met the same fate
that befel the twenty-six miners who
perished in No. slope of the Susquehanna
Coal company in December 1885, and
whose bodies We're buried under n noun
tain of debris and never recovered
Men May Have Been Drowned.
There was 2S0 feet of rock between the
river and the place where the men in the
Twin Shaft were working So long as
this remained intact there was, perhaps,
more leakage through the crevices in the
mine than in mines which are not SO close
to large bodies of water. When the fall
occurred the 2S0 feet of rock mentioned
must have been shattered allowing the
water to pour into the mine in large
quantities until the open space below was
filled. The natural consequence of this
is that if the men did not lose their lives
under the mass of rock they must have
died by drowning.
Inside Workings Completely Wrecked.
There are surface indications that the
slope and main gangways of the mine are
packed tight with falling coal and rock.
In other words late falls" have completely
wrecked the inside workings of the col.
liery. Some take the view that it would
be better to let the bodies renain where
they are and devote the money that would
have to be expended to open the passage
way of the mine TO the relief of the widows
and orphans of the victims. Relatives of
the entombed men oppose this proposition
They look with horror upon the idea OF
their loved ones sleeping their last sleep in
an abandoned mine.
Would Abandon the Dead for the Living.
Practical mine foremen who are in no
way interested in the Newton Coal com.
pany say that since there is no such possi-
bility public opinion favors the idea of re.
lieving the living rather than digging for
the dead. The company, however, has
given no hint of abandoning the work of
rescue. At present there are estimated to
be about twenty-five widows and ninety
orphans as result of the disaster.