The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-29
EIGHTY MINERS
ARE ENTOMBED
tConcluded from Page IL

squad under the leadership Of an expert
miner.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon special
car from Scranton over the Delaware.
and Western brought a
large party of coal men including sew
eral men whose services are always In
demand on such occasions such as
Messrs Storrs, Daniel and william g.
Langstaff and Benjamin Hughes.
Others in the party were John Mears.
who was one OF the former owners Of
the mine: w. s. Mears. General Man
ager w. F. Hallstead. Trainmaster
George NJ Hallstead. Superintendent
Garrett Bogart. ]. j. and George B.
Jermyn, Thomas Jones. A. L. Collins
and Walter Dickson. Morgan b. Will
liams and other prominent Luxerne
coal men were also on the scene during
the day Many Of these rendered val
liable assistance to General Manager
John b. Law In directing the work OF
rescue
The expert miners who are directing
the work Of rescue held frequent con-
sultations during the afternoon and
evening, but only one new scheme OF
reaching the men was evolved. That
was to cut a tunnel through the 6O-foot
pillar which separates the Clear Spring
and Twin shaft mines. Cake & Dewitt.
owners of the Clear Spring colliery, not
only heartily entered into the plan. but
offered free powder and the use Of their
tools. A gang Of twenty men. under
Foreman Thomas, began work at
o'clock p. m. on the dividing pillar. 1t
Is said by miners acquainted with the
lay Of both collieries, that the tunnel
from the Clear Spring mine will strike
within a short distance of where the
entombed men are supposed to be and
possibly at the very spot. 1t will take
three or four days to break through this
pillar
WILL WORK FROM THE FRONT.
The work of reaching the men from in
front will be continued at the same
time and at the rate of progress made
yesterday. the spot where the men pre-
sumably are should be reached by Tues
day night, possibly before. At o'clock
last night the rescuing party had
reached the head of No. slope. the
foot Of which IL the objective point.
This slope is 1,lOO feet long and the
head OF 1t is about l,100 feet from the
foot of the shaft. Half the distance was
covered yesterday. but as the fall grows
heavier as the objective point Is ap-
preached. the work necessarily grows
slower. At II o'clock a new shift Of fifty
men went in and began work on the
c1n OF N iuh mo
satisfactory progress. and as the set
tling showed sigks Of subsiding some
what they were much encouraged.
AS they go along they build at inter-
walls Of a few yards what Is known in
mine parlance as cog pillars" These
are formed by piling props crosswise
one on top of the other, from the floor
to the roof. Should another cave-in oc-
cure these widespreading pillars will
keep a passage open behind them.
The entombed men built these same
kind of pillars all about the region in
which they were at work Saturday and
hope that they may yet be alive at
least some of them. The miners have
great faith in these kind of supports
and the relatives of the entombed men
are finding in this slim chance their
only grain Of consoling hope. This hope,
slim as 1t is, is virtually dashed to the
ground by the report of the men from
the Clear Spring shaft who raped for
full half hour on the pillar yesterday
afternoon without getting any response,
which they say is a bad sign as it Is
possible to hear the rapping in the
Clear Spring shaft at the point in the
Twin shaft where the entombed men
are supposed to be.
ANOTHER PLAN PROPOSED.
There was also some talk at a late
hour last night Of attempting the cir
| cuitious route through the old workings
| again, but after a consultation 1t was
| decided not to try 1t again for the pres
ent. They reason that the entombed
men know Of this route and II it were
open to them they would certainly be
out by this time. If 1t Is not open from
the rear 1t Is not passable from the
front and unless the gas can be removed
there Is no use attempting to pass
through 1t.
| 1t now looks as If the men can not be
reached for several days.
| At 1.30 o'clock this morning the
squeezing" began to grow worse and al
2 o'clock was so bad that the miners
could make no headway at all. 1t may
be that work will have to be stopped
until the settling ceases.
OTHER INCIDENTS.
The two Gafrney brothers are broth.
ers to the wife Of Wall, who with his
son is among the victims, making foul
from this woman's family who are kill.
ed. Another sad incident is connected
with Lynett's death. He was the faith.
er Of twins born during the week who
were to have been baptized yesterday
Mrs. Lynett does not know Of the ac.
cident
At almost every hour Of yesterday
afternoon and early last evening g
crowd numbering not less than five
hundred was gathered about The Tri
bune bulletin. The news reached thi.
city rather late in the morning but al
noon time It was quite generally known
Wild stories were afioat and no two
had the same tale. AS the story grew
In age It grew in color and as a conse
quence rumors were afloat placing tn,
list Of killed as high as $50. The frs
true statement Of the facts was giver
to the Scranton public from The Tri
bune bulletin.
The father Of John Kicker, who hat
such u narrow escape yesterday morn
| ing, had an experience much similar Il