The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-07-01
PIT is THEIR TOMB
Women and Children Mourn for
100 Dead Coal Miners.
CAUGHT IN A SUDDEN RO0F-FALL.

fropping Up the hoof I'm an Enueavor IN
Stop q "squeeze"-Men Work for Rescue
with Unceasing vigor. But with Despair
I'm Their Hearts-Hardiy n Shadow Of
Hope for the Entombed.
WILKEsBARRE. Pa, June 29.-While
ninety miners were at work In the Red
Ash vein of the Twin shaft, Pittston.
about o'clock yesterday morning, the
roof caved In and 1t is believed that all of
the men persisted About half of the i'm
prisoned men were English-speaking
miners, the others foreigners. The names
of the former are:
M. j. Langan, inside superintendent;
Il. H. Linott, inside foreman; Alex Nc.
Cormick, fire boss; Robert Haston, ma
chinist; Thomas Murphy, driver boss, and
the following miners-Michael Costello.
j. II. Kelley. Michael Gaudhan, John
Hart, James Daley. Michael Cornell,
Daniel Ward. Frank Kehoe. James
.Cleary, Edward Buckley, John Casey,
Edward Rogers James Kehoe, James Nc
Donald Edward Delaney Cornelius Nc
CURE James Golden, NJ. Brien, Michael
Hughes, Edward Kilday, James Burke,
Patrick Ruane. Thomas Tenpenny.
Michael r. Gaffney, Thomas Doing, An
thony Kane, j. w. Murphy, Owen Lee,
Anthony Gordon, James Wall, - Wall
(his SOM, Dominick o Malley, Peter Mar
tin, Michael Ford. Timothy Durbrick.
Thomas Dempsey Thomas Carlin, Pat
rick Gibbons, John OBoyle and Peter
Joyce
Dead May Reach One Hundred.
Aside from these there may be other
English-speaking miners among the un-
fortunates. Thirty Polanders and Huns
were entombed, and it is thought that the
total number of bodies in the mine will
reach 100. The men were at work prop
ping up the roof when the fall occurred.
The alarm was Immediately given by the
ringing of the fire bells, and rescuers were
put to work without delay. Up TO this
writing not single body has been found.
More than two thirds of the victims were
married men and leave families Langan,
who was inside superintendent of the
mine, was also acting mayor Of the town,
and j. II. Linott was ward councilman.
Attempted to stop squeeze"
About two weeks ago the surveyors re-
ported 10 General Superintendent Law that
the mine was squeezing" and that unless
steps were Immediately taken to timber it
cave-in or fall might be looked for.
Superintendent Law lost no time, but at
once put number of timbermen at work
to brace the falling roof. The squeeze"
continued, however, and Saturday the
situation became alarming. In the after
noon a slight fall occurred, and the men
who were at work had to retreat before it.
A consultation of mine officials was then
held and il was decided that heroic meas
ures would have to be resorted TO If heavy
damages TO the mine were to be prevented
Inside Superintendent Langan gave in
structions that the most experienced min.
ers should be secured. and that the party
would go down the mine at clock.
How the Horror Probably Occurred.
Expert tim bermen put in an appearance
at that hour and were soon lowered into
the workings. They made their way to
Red Ash vein, 800 feet down the slope.
The work of propping proceeded rapidly
until IL o'clock, when another fall occur
red. 1t made IA low, rumbling, noise and
the flying coal and debris drove the men
back. Then the squeeze ceased again.
and the men thought il was safe to resume
work. They labored on until 1920 o'clock,
when-so it is presumed-the roof fell in
without warning, making tremendous
crash. 1t is supposed, however that the
men were not all together, but some near
the slope, and these probably ran up the
incline when the fall occurred.
Bare Possibility That Exists,
Tho fallinb rOCl. and coal filled nm the
slope and the adjoining gangways, com
pletely shutting off all avenues of es-
cape 1t was at first supposed that the
men might have escaped being caught in
the fall, and that they were imprisoned
behind the debris, but the facts that are
known would go to disprove this. 1t
is still possible, however, that living men
may still be behind the fall, although IL is
extremely improbable Even if they es-
capped being crushed by the falling roof
the possibility of their being alive for any
length of time in gaseous mine is re-
mote.
Crowds of people gathered about the
mouth of the shaft and numbered thous-
ands by daybreak. Stalwart men stood
appalled,, and frantic women who had
husbands or sons in the doomed mine
waited in despair One mother cried out
that she had two sons below. Another
was the wife of some unfortunate, and
had nine helpless children at home. Many
knelt on the ground, and in voices broken
with sobs implored Divine Providence TO
restore their loved ones alive. When IL
was given out that there was little OF no
hope of rescuing the men alive women
and girls tainted and were borne away
senseless.
The work of rescue was prompt and eff
ficient. The best miners who remained on
the surface joined voluntarily in the. haz-
ardous task. Special efforts were made To
keep the air fan in good order, so that II
by any chance the men were alive they
should have fresh air to breathe.
At this writing all hope of finding any
of the imprisoned miners alive Is aban.
doned. superintendent Lathrop, of the
Lehigh Valley Coal company. who is an
authority says IL will be ten days before
the bodies are reached At IL o'clock last
night the situation at the Inflated mine
was unchanged. The rescuers were hard
at work, but making little progress.
Iowa Semi Centennial.
BURLINGTON, June 29---The Iowa state
semi-centennial commissioners held their