The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-30
looks as II II was going TO be dIficuIt TO

recover the bodies. The area of the
cave is greater now than II was Sunday.
and the danger line is extending The
roof shows signs OF coming down with
In 30 feet OF the foot OF the shaft. No
attempt as yet has been made TO find
the men alive or dead. under or behind
the fall The efforts OF the officials is
being directed 10 save such portions OF
the mines as can be saved. No more
lives will he risked, and the retreat OF
those now at work is guarded. and is
the chief consideration.
''In all my experience In the mine.
have never known OF a case where the
men took such foolhardy risk as in
this one. The rule is TO work from a
place of safety toward the danger. and
cover the retreat In this case IL is evil
dent, the men went directly 10 the great
est point OF danger; TO wit, the basin OF
the coal, toward which all the weight
was pressing, and attempted 10 hold
up the roof. that would soonest come
down. 1 have learned that on 6atur-
day a number OF men who were work.
ing I'm the fifth seam were taken down
TO the sixth, or bottom seam. to secure
that point. All day other portions OF
the mine were worked, and coal was
hoisted. Early on Saturday morning.
there must have been apparent danger.
Alexander Mccormack. the fire boss.
came out Of the mine at o'clock in the
evening and reported. evidently. the in
creasing danger TO superintendent Lam
gan. The official. with Mr. Lynott. his
assistant, went about the town 10 gather
men, securing about 20. At midnight
they went down the shaft The result
is known. At 3 o'clock the crash came.
my opinion as 10 the condition OF the
men is that they are dead. and have
been dead since a few moments after
the fall. IL Will be perhaps days or
months before their bodies are recov-
cred. II ever. The only support the roof
now mas Is piece OF rock near the foot
OF the shaft. which formed an anti
clinaL The rock overhead has now
what is known TO miners as a loose end,
and is acting on the principle Of lever
and fuIcrum. From the surface to the
lowest seam. IL is about 45o feet. and
cracks are appearing on the surface at
many points"
Throughout yesterday vast crowds
eurged about the mouth OF the shaft.
Many OF the women and children have
not left the spot since news OF the
calamity reached the surface, and their
grief is heartrendlng. Others have Sc
cluded themselves In their desolate
homes. All arc hoping against hope.
But those who know. say that buried in
the bowels OF the earth. behind impen-
trable barriers Of rock, and perhaps sur
rounded by rising waters. there can be
no life. 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 in
side workings OF the colliery. Some
take the view that II would be better to
let the bodies remain where they are
and devote the money that would have
TO be expended to open. the passageways
OF the mine TO the relief of the widows
and orphans of the victims.
Relatives OF the entombed men op-
posa this proposition. They look with
horror upon the idea Of their loved ones
sleeping their last sleep in an aban-
coned mine; apart from the Ssssibility,
still entertained by some. of the men
being alive. Practical mine foremen.
who are in no way interested in the New
ton Coal company, say that since there
Ia no possibility of rescuing the en-
tombed men. 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.
Should II take such a step, IL will have
the law on its side. In 1856, the relatives
OF the &c men who were entombed in the
Nanticoke mine brought suits against
the company for neglect and failure to
prosecute the search for the bodies OF
the dead. The supreme court decided,
when the cases reached IL, that the COM
pany had done all that any human
agency could do to recover the bodies,
and that it could not do the impossible.
The suits for damages were. therefore,
dismissed
1t is feared that Mrs. Wall, whose
husband and two brothers are in the
mine, has lost her mind permanently.
The board of trade held special meet
Ing last night TO consider means OF help
ing the families OF the victims. 1t was
decided 10 send an appeal to the boards
OF trade throughout the east for SUBJ
scriptions. The members of the board
headed the list with a subscription Of
$1,000. At present there are estimated to
be about % widows and about 30 or
uhans, as a result of the disaster.