The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-29
C0RPSES OR ONLY cAPTlVES.
THE FATE OF SCORES OF MINERS
IN DOUBT.

" Ork All nay Buf None or Ihemi
Able TO Learn the Fate of the Men
Caught by the Collapse.
Wlkesbarre, Pa, June 2S.-At 3 o'clock
this morning the city OF PittstOn. nine
miles from here. was thrown into the
widest excitement by three severe, dis
tinct and separate shocks, accompanied
by rumbling sounds resembling an earth
quake disturbance. They were SO strong
as to break the peaceful slumbers Of the
people throughout East and West Pitts
ton. Immediately after an alarm of the
most thrilling character spread through
the entire populations, which was con-
siderably added to by the alarming whis-
tie of the Twin Shaft at PittstOn juno
tion, accompanied by repeated fire alarms.
Hundreds Of people, apprehending serious
results, rushed in mad haste to the Twin
Shaft. operated by the Newton Coal Com
pany, from which the alarm came. only
TO find that the shock SO distinctly felt
was due to an extensive cave-in, accom-
panied by explosions which had occurred
in the sixth, or lower vein of the shaft.
Their excited apprehensions were by no
means exaggerated. for over 100 men and
boys were entombed in the pit.
The fearful and distressing news spread
with lightning rapidity. and by s o'clock
this morning the head of the shaft was
thrOnged by thousands of men, women
and children the latter wringing their
hands and expressing most heart-rending
cries for their beloved ones who were inn
prisoned in the dark pit beneath.
The hour following the alarm is one
long 20 be remembered by those witness
ing the sights, the anxious suspense OF
the workmen, the grief Of the friends
and the tender sympathies offered the
afflicted ones by the spectators We're in
describable. The foreign element in par
ucular were excessively demonstrative
in their grief.
The first TO come to the surface from
the shaft below after the explosion,
which forced from the pit solid volumes
of smoke and dark earth, was John Gill,
who was working at the bottom of the
shaft. The force of the concussion threw
him TO the wall, and more dead than
alive he crept 10 the foot of the hoist
and with great difficulty signalled to the
engineer at the surface and was brought
up.
A moment later John Riker, a runner
boy, Jacob Adam and Frank II. Sheridan,
company men, were brought TO the sur
face. They told the true and frightful
story.
1t appears that several days ago, the
officials discovered that the rock between
the fifth and sixth veins had commenced
all day Saturday and Saturday night the
full complement of day men and such
others as could be pressed into service
from off the streets, were set at work pill
laring and prOpping the sixth vein so as
to ensure the safety of the workmen who
were to go to work on Monday. Saturday
night the regular night force We're working
al a point about 5000 feet from the shaft
at the foot of the No. plane, al point
under what is known as. the mats, a lit
tie east of the COxtOn railroad yards. The
force was under the supervision Of Supt.
Langan, and his assistant, Michael Ly-
mott. orders had gone forth that about
midnight as many men as possible should
be sent down TO assist in this dangerous
work, as constant cracking and splinter
ing of the roof gave indication that the
possibilities Of danger were well founded.
In accordance with this order between
y and ] o'clock Sunday morning about
thirty additional WOrkmen entered the pit.
The new force of men were placed at
point beyond that OF the night hands and
the terrible news brought to the surface
by the four men who likely will be the
only ones to live to tell the tale was that
all these 100 or more men had been caught
and either crushed to immediate death,
or imprisoned 20 perish in horrifying
manner.
1t was found, to the CONSERVATION of
the workmen on the surface that all the
mine foremen, superintendent and
bosses who had gone to supervise the
work were also with those who were ln~
Drisoned. This gave the work of relief
no systematic head, and yet noDly, un-
sacri6cingly, possibly TO face daath, the
rescuers, provided with safety lamps, hur-
Iied on to the mine carriage and were
lowered q thousand feet or more to tire
mission of relief. They were: John Doyle
John Daily Charles Mcdonald and James
Tenyon. After a half nOur OF suspense
they returned with expressions Of dis
couragemeut and the story that the cave
in had become extensive and thar tQe
searching party faced the gravest danger
bat "a stf
unfortunate men.
With no delay, however, they again
went down TO the foot of the shaft with
other men and again made heroic efforts
to get what information they could but
again, baffled and discouraged. they re-
peated their dreadfu3 story of defeated
efforts. For a third time now z p. ND
with renewed Vigor and stlN more men,
they went beneath the surface into the
. pit and tried by the countor-ganSway to
reach by circuttous route the unfortu-
nate prisoners.
they met obstructions innumerable, the
force Of the concussion having created
disastrous havoc, brattce work pillars,
air conduits doors, cars and top rock
having been piled promiscuously so as
to interfere with all the efforts that could
be made by any human being. Then to
add to the trouble gas had collected so
as to endanger any person attempting
10 reach the imprisoned miners. Not
subdued by these obstacles, they again
effectively tried their last resource. TO
relieve and recover the men.
A remarkable incident of the disaster
is that the mules in the bottom of the
mine, used for drawing coal trucks,
were found running about loose and un-
harmed
A consultation was held this afternoon
of all the leading mine superntendents
ot the Lackawanna and Wyoming val
leys but they found themselves em-
barrassed by the fact that the entire force
of bosses and company men, and in fact
an from whom information could be de-
rived, are in the pit below. For this rea-
son the number of the missing ones is
entirely conjectural
Among those in the mine are: NJ. j.
Iangan. mine superintendent and mayor
pro TEN of Pittston; NJ T. Lynett, mine
foreman; Alexander Mccormick, fire boss;
Thomas Tenpenny, assistant FIRE boss;
THOMAS Carbon, assistant fire boss; John
Oberile, assistant fire boss; Anthony
Kane. driver boss; Thomas Murphy,
driver boss: Michael hughes. night fire
boss.
-s.tza. of q or l1falr afer-