The Progress., 1896-07-02
rhs Accident Was Not Due 7" >"''
nc.s Work Of Rescue St'i '"'S W."
Active steps Are Being Taken I" "''
tho Families OF the Victims.

cverv minute, Thus the chances Oi re-
their bodies are more remote ,
than ever. ,
Prominent officials say thtNt weeks or
may be consumed in clearing
away the fallen coal in order ITO reach
she bodies of THE victims. mine SUI
Derintendent Of thirty five years eXpe~
rence thinks fNhe unfortunate men nave
met tine same fate THAT befell the TWEEN
DISK miners who persisted IN NO. "
s1ope of The S,isQuehanna in December.
1885. These men We're caught ny
crush" of Curm and water from the SUI
face. Their bodies were buried under
a mountain of coal refuse. Three hun
dred men labored for more than three
weeks to rescue them, but the more de-
hris they took out The more rushed in |
from the surface opening. AS The task |
was a hopeless one 1T was fina'iy aban-
toned and the portion oil the mine
| where the men died was closed up. Inc
supposition that there Is water in the
| Twin shaft is well founded. Both the
Iackawanra and SusGuehanna rivers
run in close proximity to the shalt.
| From the surface to the point where
the rock begins There is at least river
wash to the depth of IA feet. From this
MONT down to the bOttCNn of the level
where the men were there was previous
to the fall $50 feet of rock SO long as
This remained intact there was per
haps more leakage through the craviccs
in tine mine than in mines which are
not so close TO the large bodies OF wa
ter. When the fan occurred the $50
feet of rock mentioned must have been
shattered, allowing the water to pour
into the mine in large quantities until
the open space below wins filled. The
natural consequence of this is tllnt ii
THE mon did not lose their lives under
the mass Of rock they must have died
by DROWNING If This be the case 1t will
, be impossible to remove the bodies
t, from the mine. The tory viii be the
/. repetition OF tine Nantikoke disaster
S Mine Inspector Mcdonald has issued
r the following Signed statement: $50
v far as my knowledge Of the working:
" of the mime goes and the manner In
which the work was conducted | dt
not believe the accident was due to any
~ criminal carelessness, but | can no
A. say definitely that it was mot until
= make a thorough investigation. Th
- can not be dome until we find the mel
" or abandon the mime"
T. There are surface indications to
o. night that the slope and main gang
IS ways of the mine are packed tight wit
T. falling coal and rock. In other words
late fails" have completely wwecke
the inside workings OF the collier.
nc Some take the view that 1T would b
D. better to let the bodies remain wGle1
~. they are and devote the money TN;
-. would have Ito be expended to open tt
q pasaageway of the mine to the relief
nd the widows and orphans OF the victim
i, Relatives of The entombed men oppo!
a this proposition. They look with no
be ror upon the idea OF their loved On
he sleeping their last sleep in an abad
doned mine; apart from the possibili
stiIl entertained by some that the M
Is may be alive Practical mine forem'
a''. who are in the Newton Coal C3mpa1
VI say that since there IS no such posSib
Wv ity, public opinion favors the idea
,s,v relieving the living rather than digg
,at- for the dead. The company. howev
ex- has given no hint OF abandoning
,nly work OF rescue
,nly The board OF trade he'd a spec
, di. meeting tonight to consider means
tock helping the families of the victims.
late was decided to send an appeal to
they boards of trade through the east
'alt- subscriptions. At present there are e:
mated to be about twenty two wide
,ro and ninety orphans as result OF
o,n- disaster.
horo James LanGan a son OF the entom
roro superintendent, created a sensation
tho night by declaring TINT he succee
o So in crawling over the first two fails
a Ia the slope and reaching within 500
Of a of where the men were supposed
who have been at work. He insists
aren't there was a vacant spot and he beli'
Dung the entOmbed men are in there.
,ging also says that the ventilation is g
thing II this story is true i. upsets all
hrt vious theories. Some doubt is er
univ tanned regarding it, however.
l'a'e" Georgia Berovitch, d Christian
NC III bian, has been appointed governo
Crete. He succeeds Mussulman.
,, warshtps Not Big Enough.