The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-29

time in a, gaseous mine is remote.
Inc alarm was first given by Water
carrier John Sheridan, who, with
Thomas Gill and another man, were
the only ones to escape out of the
whole party who entered the mine last
night. Sheridan was on his way up
the slope TO get some fresh water for
the men, and when about one hundred
feet from the foot of the shaft was
knocked down by the conclusion. He
was badly cut and bruised by flying
coal and rock. He lay unconscious ten
minutes and then came up the shaft.
The conclusion was SO great that it
was heard for miles around. The foun-
daeions Of nearly every building in
Pittston were shaken and windows and
doors ratified as in a tornado. In the
houses nearer to the mine, persons
were thrown from their beds. The first
thought was that
A GREAT EARTHQUAKE HAD OC-
CURED
and the inhabitants rushed pell-mell
from their houses. The ringing of the
fire bells and the shrieking of the big
mine whistle told the story.
Crowds of people gathered about the
mouth of the SHAFT and numbered thou
sands 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
or widow of some unfortunate one
and had nine helpless children at home.
Many knelt on the ground. and in
voices broken in sobs,
IMPLORED THE DIVINE PROvI-
DENCE
to restore their los. ONES alive.
When it was given out that there
was little or no hope of rescuing the
men alive women and girls tainted and
were borne away
The rescue work was promptly be-
gun. The best miners who remained ON
the surface Joined voluntarily in the
hazardous task, for hazardous it GER
tainly was. / was the constant men
ace OF another fall or explosion OF fire
damp. Special efforts were made to
keep the air fans in good order, so that
II by any chance the men were alive
they should have fresh air to breathe.
The blocked slope and gangways held
out little hope of the air reaching them.
The rescuers were divided into three
relays Of forty men each, under the d.
recuon of Mine Foreman Alex McMul-
len
The men worked as they had never
before worked clearing away the de-
brls in the slope with the energy that
only springs out of the knowledge of
dear lives behind it. They made good
Roadway. considering the difficulties
they had TO contend with, and at
o'clock this morning had cleared the
slope a distance of 500 feet.
ACTIVITY BROUGHT ENCOURAGE
MENr,
but when the first clearance was made.
1t revealed a sight that dispelled ali
hope. Under the mass of rock law the
bodies Of Lanigan and Lynett A dam
per fell upon the work OF the rescuers.
They had been working for life and
mad found death. Still, the hope re-
manned that others of the men might
be penned in somewhere and thai
they would vet have the satisfaction
of finding them alive
AT O'Clock this afternoon it became
necessary to swear in extra policemen
10 control the crowd around the mouth
OF the shaft. 1t had increased to fully
f,CO0 Ropes were stretched around the
SHAFT and only mine officials were al
lowed to enter the enclosure
Sheridan, the water boy, who had
such a narrow escape, tells a thrilling
story of the catastrophe He thinks
there was an explosion of gas which
blew down the newly erected timbers
ana caused the cave-in. He said those
inside had no apprehension of a fall
or a squeeze" Everything
WAS WORKING NICELY
and the men expected to be out of the
mine within an hour.
The report of the fall says the
boy, was like a hundred cannon. and
force f,,11
nVe feet | was hurled against the
side of the slope A piece of rock hit
me back of the head. the wound COM
menced to bleed, and then L tainted"
Richards and Gill, who were on
their way out after timber, concur
with Sheridan that the conclusion was
terrific. They were knocked off their,
feet and banged against some brattice
work. They cannot conceive the posi-
olilty Of anybody being in the wreck
and escape with his life.
superintendent Law saws.
Nobody regrets this dreadful occur
renee more than / do. II is too early
yet TO give any reason as to the cause
or the accident, but / can assure Won
that If thought there was any dan.
ger in the work undertaken by the
men. not single one of the men wou1d
have been allowed to enter the mime
uoh care Tor the damage to the
mine. 1t is
THE LOSS OF LIFE
that gives me 50 much sorrow
The breaker of the Twin Shaft
burned down three years ago. There
were over 100 men in the mine at tbe
time. but all escaped through a second
opening.
The first great disaster in the an
thracite region was in September. 1869
when 40 men persisted in the Avondale
mine. this county. The breaker over
the mine caught fire and all the men
IN the mine were suffocated. This
great catastrophe caused the legisla-
ture TO pass law compelling mines
TO have two openings But when
caVe-in occurred in mine and the
men are surrounded on every side nv
debris. it makes little difference how
many openings there may be. They
cannot escape, even if spared by the
falling roofs.
was Premature.