The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-12

The Riverside breaker above Peck
vile was destroyed by fire between Q
and IL o'clock last night. The origin
is supposed to be of incendiary charac-
ter. 1t was one of the largest in the
valley and about 45O men and boys
were employed in and about the shaft
and breaker. The damage is estimated
at $4,000. The insurance will proba-
bly, reach $4,000. 1t was operated by
the Ontario and Western railway COM
pany, and the general manager was
DR.. j. n. Rice, of this city.
The flames were discovered by the
watChman a few minutes before 3
o'clock. Their location was in the coal
pockets, and they had considerable
headway before he noticed them. He
sent an alarm by telephone to Peck
vile and Archibald and sounded the
whistle in the engine house. The
breaker is situated three quarters of
mile above Peckvillc, and lies in the
lower part of Archibald borough.
Hose companies from these places re-
sponded, and before their arrival the
watchman and other employees had
made the best efforts they could with
the breaker hose; but their efforts We're
useless, and all that remained was to
save the shaft and boiler house, 800
feet away. They succeeded in doing
this. A culm washery close to the
breaker was also burned down.
MEN IN THE MINE.
At the time the fire started there
were 2S men and boys at work in
the shaft, some of them being long
l.s.A. y
was sent to them without delay, and
they made their exit by means OF an
other opening, equipped with ladders.
The air was filled with the lamenta-
tions of the mothers, wives, and sis
ters of those underground, until they
were all out.
The Riverside" as it was known, was
formerly operated by Jones, Richards
6, company comprising John T. Rich
ards and j. ]. Williams, of this city,
and Il. T.. Jones, of Archibald. They
disposed of their interest a year ago
to the ontario and Western. Under the
latter's control DR.. Rice acted as gen.
eral manager.
1t had a capacity OF 1000 tons a day,
and was worked steadily. The most
modern appliances for preparing the
coal were used, and it was situated
conveniently for shipping purposes. Its
destruction will mean a big loss to the
small army of men and boys employed
in and around it.
Three weeks ago last Sunday the
Waddel breaker in Winton was burned
That structure was owned by DIR. Rice.
1t was his purpose, it is understood, not
to rebuild the Waddell but take all
the coal in that tract to the Riverside,
which was large enough to accommo-
date 1t with the output Of it's own shaft.
The distance between both breakers was
less than q half mile. No definite in
formation was obtained last night re-
garding whether the Riverside" will
be rebuilt without delay or at a re-
mote date.
HUNDREDS FLOCKED TO SCENE.
The flames sent a crimson back
ground of a large area against the sky,
and lit up the borough of Peckville
brightly. Hundreds of persons were at
tracted to the scene. 1t was a majes-
tic sight. The breaker was situated in
a woodland, and the trees loomed up
in picturesque groups when the flames
were at their highest.
The shaft and breaker We're connected
with a long, high trestle and after the
fire had fed on the breaker 1t Crept
| to the trestle and came within so feet
| of reaching the headhouse. That would
have meant the destruction OF the
boiler house, and the probable suffoca-
| tion OF the 80 mules in the mine.
Had the night been windy the out
buildings would have been menaced and
the flames might have extended to the
company store. AS 1t was the fire COM
| panies had very little trouble in re-
straining its spread to any of these
| places.
If the fire originated in the engine
| room or boilers connected with the
breaker, there could be some account
| ing for it. But to start in the coal
| pockets, it can be accounted for in
| no other way than by saying it was
spontaneous combustion or the work of
an incendiary. The former theory is
not at all probable. In a day or two
some information may develop to eX-
| plain the origin.
THE SIXTH BREAKER.
This makes the sixth breaker fire
| within a few months in this valley.
| The Meadow Brook breaker of William
| COnnell & company was destroyed six
weeks ago; the oxford, of the Della
| ware, Lackawanna and Western COM
pany not long after that: then fol-
| lowed the destruction of the Hardly
| Able" and three weeks ago the Wad-
| dell. No. breaker of the Delaware
and Hudson was burned last fall, and