San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-06-29
AWFUL MINE WRECK.
ABOUT ONE HUNDRED MINERS
sUPFOOATED AT ONCE.
The Disaster Will Ruin the Company
Financially and Wreck Many
Happy Homes.

WILKE sBARRE, Pa, June 90
The excitement at the Twin Shaft
in Pittston, where nearly one hun
dred miners are entom bed, either
dead or alive, continues today. At
the mouth OF the shaft, beside the
wives and children ofthe entombe
men, there are hundreds OF per-
sons, not residents OF Pittston
alone, but visitors from Kingston,
Scranton and Wilkesbsrre. The
grief of the stricken families is
intense. Wives and children, many
Of whom have not left the mouth
of the shaft since the terrible acct.
dent, stand near the opening of the
death chamber and urge the res
cuers to greater efforts. The situa.
tion is almost the same as that re.
ported last night. Practically,
nothing has been accomplished
toward recovery OF the men. There
is scarcely an old miner about the
opening Of the mine who does not
believe the men are all dead.
The rescuing party which went
into the mine at l o'clock came out
OF the shaft at Z. The foreman re-
ports that timbering in the mine
is going on as rapidly as possible.
He said the work is necessarily
slow, owing to the danger OF fall
ing rocks, which have been loos-
ened by the terrible explosion. The
t;,oa tha -, IN mill no coached do
ponds on whether the slope is COM
pletely choked with debris. II not
the rescuers may possibly reach
the men within the next twenty
four hours, otherwise 1t may, be
two or three days. The rescuing
party is 1000 feet from where the
cave-in occurred. Gas continues
to accumulate and the roof, which
was weakened by the explo-
sion, Is in danger of falling at any
moment. A survey OF the interior
of the mine today shows the main
slope badly blocked. 1t is known
positively that fully sixty feet that
were cleared yesterday is blocked
again by another fall that occurred
before four o'clock this morning.
Before any effort can be made to
clear this part Of the slope again 1t
will be necessary to do extra prop
ping and imbering. This will con-
sumo much time.
A few of the most hopeful who
believed there was a possibility Of
the entombed men being alive,
now surrender and no one can be
found willing to admit there is any
life under ground.
Johns, who is considered one Of
the best experts In Wyoming val.
lev, on mine ventilation, said:
at lie my belief that the air cur
rent in the Twin shaft was shut of
the moment the cavern occurred.
Then II the men were not killed by
falling rock and coal they may
have lived some minutes before
being suffocated. Or, IL the shaft
where they were was clear gas may
have accumulated and exploded,
which would, Of course, have
burned the men to death. 1t is
not likely it will be known how
the men died until the bodies are
found"
Mine Inspector Mcdonald said
today he was satisfied the mine
owners are doing everything posi-
BILE to hurry the work of rescue.
The disaster probably means the
ruin of the company which oper-
ated tine mine. The damage to the
mine 10 estimated at $4,000 and
the expense of getting the bodies
out will not fall short of $4,000
and may reach $4,000.