New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-01

hNfiINfS oN THE PILLAR WERE HEARD WHICH
CONVINCED THE WORKERS THAT THE EN-
ToMBED MEN WERE LTvING-vOLUN-
TIERS GO DOWN THE SHAFT But
ARE DRIVEN BACK BY
HEAVY FALL OF ROCK.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rErsuxEI
Wilkesbarre, Penn. June 3O-The miners en-
| tombed in the Twin Shaft are believed to be
! alive The II o'clock shift, which has just
reached the surface has brought good evidence
Of this They heard rapplngs on the pillar. and
when they raped i'm return they We're answered
The sound was faint. but was clear enough not
to be confounded with the noise of creaklng tim
bers AS soon as the shift came TO the surface
the news was announced and volunteers stepped
forward and said they would go down the slope
and crawl over the iall far they can 60. in
an endeavor to get as near the entombed men as
possible. The volunteers James O'Brien,
John Lynott Peter Cornell Dan" Conne'l and
/ James Mahon. Dan" Lehr. the foreman of No.
II shift offered to lead them. and they went
| down the mine at - O. clock.
Ten minutes after ilc, vent down, the houses
of Pittston shaten as they were Sunday
morning when the cave frs, occurred. There
was intense excitement for awhile it was
feared tha, more men had en- engulfed but they
soon reported all safe They said. however, they
had been driven back up the slope 400 feet To the
poin, whore they Sunday. and that the
slope "wOrking' furiously, and a fall was
expected at any moment. All the men have come
out Of the slope. The fall was In the workings
beyond where the entombed men supposed to
be- and must have been extremely heavy one
to shake the houses II il supposed that it af-
fected the roof u the slope. which is expected to
fall az any moment. This is particularly dis
IT, esng when 1t IS considered how close they
were To where the cni)nbcd men are thought to
b. alive.
INSPECTOR MDONALD'S STATEMENT.
Mine Inspector Mcdonald said: I'VE are MAX
ins better PROCESS to-day. From the slope the
distance is GOu fee' We have gone down the
slope lJO fee ThiS would make 4 total distance
traversed of 100 ,eet We me edge
Of the fall. ana is to-mor ~. unless 9TH cpm-
plicatlons aris,.. We will De clearn, 49, some
Of the loose rocs near the place VII. the men
were working. Anf you can say that II it
quires months to do II. the bodi will be
moved. The bodies will be gotten OUT If we
have to blast solid masses Of rock to do It,
The at work now practically safe. In
fact. there is not any apparent sign OF the cave
extending. W. intend to continue on the course
agreed upon since yesterday. 10 go down the
be somewhere near the basin in the sixth VEIN
Among the visitors at the mine to-day
f.. Fl. laval superintendent of the Lehigh and
Wkesbarre Coal Company He said that the
work of rescue was proceeding to-day more
favorably than at any time since the fall.
PRECAUTIONS OF THE RESCUERs.
Thousands upon thou ands of feet Of lumber
are being sent down the shaft. and several gangs
Of men are at work placing props in position at
road reading 70 the hrs' of the s,o!,e. a,l In
the open space arodnd the foot of the shaft.
Nothing is being left undone to the safety
Of the M n engaged in the work Of rescue Men
are stationed ever" few feet along the road 10
watch for evidences Of serious squeezing and
for gas. which continues to fill all the workings
around where the rescuers are at work How
ever. the risk is not nearly so great as during the
last few days
Frank r Patterson. one Of the chief owners
and president Of the company. was on the ground
nearly all the morning. He is mar about
forty years Old. d. with William HILL who Is
now in Europe. makes up the large Philadelphia
coal firm of George r. Newton & Co
DRILLING INTO THE WORKINGS.
The bore hole which was started in the Clear |
Spring mine yesterday t. pierce the pillar Of
1nO feet Of solid coal between the Clear Spring |
workings AMI those of the Twin Mine did not
prove 50 successful was hoped. When the |
drn was I'm about thrty-fve feet it struck rock |
and therefore had t. be abandoned AT o'clock |
this morning a new hole was started. Eleya- |
tions were taken from the maps of both Of the |
collieries, and il hoped that the tgur1ng |
would be 80 close as To bring this hole out into |
the workings Of the Twin Colliery. diamond |
drill l. being used. and il Is estimated that the |
lob Will REQUIRE thirty hours If all goes we'll |
r. when the hole ls drilled through this barrier |
from the clear Spring Mine. no water is FOUND |
on the other side. the hole will be enlarged 90
that II will admit mans body, and then eX- |
plorations may be mad, from that emo.
SLIGHT CHANCES OF SUCCESS
In case the cave-in does not extend to that por
,lon Of the Twin Mine and the men can traverse |
the slope. r,scuers will start in from that point. |
They will have to 60 at the least calculation. |
q bout 300 feet to where the men are supposed |
70 he Then they will strike the fall under which |
the men are anI will begin digging. In case.
however that this area beyond the Clear Spring |
is also affected and "squ@ezing. the rescuers
would not dare 10 venture in beyond the barrier;
and If they should pursue the search they Wouid
have ~ begin timbering and proppng as the |
men are doing the other side This propping |
would have II begin at the point where the ROOF
hegins To threaten ard cave. and the length or
time occupied in reaching the place where the
men are would depend Oh the condition OF the
clone II all the roof Is Squeezing the work
v-culd be well-nigh useless. as 2'WD feet would
bave ~ he ti,nbered ana this would be much
greater distance than that from the foot OF the
Twin Shaft. where the men are now WORKING
which is alb. Ut 500 feat altogether about '"'
foot Of which has already been timbered and
o.ooo
Tho BOARD of Trade contributed $1,000 to-day
for the relief of the sufferers ana to-nght AT d
IT., ,,oss-meetiug $500 wac raised. \ relief fund
viii lac started in the morning for the beneht OF
,ho suffering families of the entombed men.
AN APPEAL FOR THE DESTITUTE FAMILIES.
c,,rorintendent Law OF the Twin Shaft. to-
night issued the following appeal:
a. hat baaD he
foiio, this community will after AvOnda". rank
as the greatest mine disaster OF this country ana
'",,, 49, Inc prosp-ct Of rescue alive seems nearly
ho,ol.ss our next duty is TO the wives. children
and dcoendents Of these brave men who; IN the
IT, - tboir duty have lost their lives and LETT AT
ia,s, ia nersons dependent ola the charity OF the
,oil world Now what Is our duty on this trying
~ mink the leading citizens. to-