The evening bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1887-1905, 1896-06-30
NOT ONE SURVIVOR.
One Hundred Men Perished in
the PittSton Mine.
EVERY APPROACH BARRICADED

Block the Passageways and the Mine Is
Being Rapidly Filled With water-It
May BE Months Before the Bodies Are
Recovered.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, June 30.-It is
almost a settled fact that of the small
army of men which entered the ILL
fated Twin shaft at Pittston on Satur-
day night not one survives. Not only
is every approach to their dark tomb
barracaded by enormous masses of rock
and debris, but it is known that in the
mine there is large quantity of water
which is increasing in volume every
minute. Thus, the chances of recover
ing their bodies are more remote than
ever.
Prominent officials say that weeks OF
months may be consumed III clearing
away the falling coal in order to reach
the bodies of the victims. A mine SUI
perintendent of 30 years experience
thinks the unfortunate men have met
the same fate that befell the 20 miners
who persisted i'll No. 3 slope of the Sus-
quehanna Coal company i'll December,
1895. These men were caught in
rush of culm and water from the
surface. Their bodies were buried UNI
der a mountain of coal refuse. Three
hundred men labored for more than
two weeks to rescue them, but the more
debris they took out the more rushed
in from the surface opening. AS the
task was a hopeless one it was finally
abandoned and the portion of the mine
where the men died was closed up.
The supposition that there is water
in the Twin shaft is well founded. Both
the Lackawanna and Susquehanna riv-
ers run in close proximity to the shaft.
From the surface to the point where the
rock begins there is at least a river wash
to the depth of IA feet. From this point
to the bottom or the level where the
men are there was, previous to the fall,
2S0 feet of rock. So long as this re-
manned intact there was perhaps more
leakage through the crevices i'll the mine
than in mines which are not so close to
large bodies of water.
When the fall occurred the $50 feet of
rock mentioned must have been shat
tered, allowing the water to pour into
the mine i'll large quantities until the
open space below was filed. The ma
tural consequence of this is that if the
men did not lose their lives under the
mass of rock they must have died by
drowning. If this be the case it will
be impossible to remove the bodies from
the mine. The story will be repetition
of the Nanticoke disaster.
Mine Inspector Mcdonald has issued
the following signed statement: $50
far as my knowledge of the workings of
the mine goes and the manner i'll which
the work was conducted, do not be-
lieve the accident was due to any Grim
inal carelessness, but l can not say
definitely that it was not until l make
thorough investigation. This can not
be done until we find the men or aban-
don the mine"
There are surface indications that the
slope and main gangways of the mine
are packed tight with falling coal and
rock. In other words late 'falls" have
completely wrecked the inside workings
of the colliery.
Some take the view that it would be
better to let the bodies remain where
they are and devote the money that
would have to be expended to open the
passageway of the mine, to the relief OF
the widows and orphans of the victims.
Relatives of the entombed men oppose
this proposition. They look with horror
upon the idea of their loved ones Sleep
ing their last sleep i'll an abandoned
mine; apart from the possibility, still
entertained by some, that the men may
be alive. Practical mine foremen who
are in no way interested in the Newton
Coal company say that since there is no
such possibility public opinion favors
the idea of relieving the living rather
than digging for the dead.
The company, however, has given no
hint of abandoning the work Of rescue.
The board of trade held a special meet
ing last night to consider means of help
ing the families of the victims. 1t was
decided to send an appeal to the boards
of trade throughout the east for sub
scriptions. At present there are estl-
mated to be about % widows and 80
orphans as a result of the disaster.
James Langan, son Of the entombed
superintendent, created sensation late
last night by declaring that he succeed
ed in crawling over the first two falls in
the slope and reaching within 800 feet
of where the men were supposed to have
been at work. He insists that there
was vacant space beyond and he be-
heves the entombed men are Ill there.
He also says that the ventilation is
good.
If this story is true, it upsets all prev
ious theories. Some doubt is enter
tanned regarding it, however.
IN LAKE MASsAPOAGNE.