The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-30

EMANUEL WERE AT WORK IN
THE THIRD LIFT AND WERE
CAUGHT BY THE FALLING COAL
AND ROCK - THERE IS SMALL
LIKELIHOOD THAT THEY WILL BE
TAKEN OUT ALIVE -- DAMAGE
DONE TO THE SURFACE by THE
AVING-BuILDINGS INJURED.
A cave-in at Hallstcad shaft Duryca,
yesterday, cntombcd two men and af-
fe ted about $50 acres of the surface
on the Back road leading to Pittston,
damaging several houses and the Ger
man catholic church, and delaying
transit on the Eric and Wyoming and
Lehigh Valley until evening.
The two mon entombed are Thomas
Williams a miner DO years old, with
a wife and six children and David
Emanuel frebOss, 40 years Old having
a wife and three children. The pros
peCt of rcsCuing them alive is almost
out of the question. The area affected
Ippt on settling and had not stopped
at 10 o'clock last night. a rescung
party that went in yesterday soon af-
ter the shock, found the mems dinner
pals but no trace otherwise.
Excitement was at fever heat in Du-
ryea until the people had time to learn
the true status of the accident. Wild
Iumors found ready ears, and spread
with the fury of a prairie fire. The
crash of the falling roof and coal sent
a volume of dust skyhigh through the
opening of the shaft, and it hung like
a., ,l.,
cral minutes.
The greatest excitement prevailed at
the mouth of the shaft where thous-
ands had gathered, and among the
residents in the district affected there
We're CONSERVATION. Many thought it
was an earthquake, and they were pre-
Iarirg to fly to the hills.
SURFACE AFFECTED.
The blast of mine dust that came
out of the shaft made a loud rumbling
report like distant thunder or pow
Crful ConcuSSion Il mile away. 1t
brought the housewives and shopkeep-
ers to the doors. 1t ratified every win
dow in Duryea. 1t was several min
uCcS after the volume of dust went up
until the surface began settling. There
was not a violent disturbance or up
ht0y AL but rather a gradual settling.
The district affected began near the
block of company houses, southeast of
toe breaker and extended to Miller s
Hill" embracing all the territory right
and left until it included upwards of
$50 aCles.
The German Catholic church was
shaken so that the statues and sta
tions Of the cross were knocked down
and broken. There is not much evil
dence of the caving on the outside or
around the church premises, but the
basement walls are fssured and the
plastering is in need of thorough
Overhauling. Father Brehl of Pitts
ton is pastor. 1t is a mission church
Of his parish.
For Il distance of 100 feet the tracks
of the Erie and Wyoming Valley and
lehigh Valley railroads settled two
feet below grade and the signal tower
\near the back road crossing was
IhroWn out of plumb. The trains on
these two roads were blocked until
evening. IT is the AvOca branch of the
Lehigh Valley.
The Watermains of the Spring Brook
Water Supply company We're snapped
apart and the streets We're flooded with
water until a force of men made the
necessary repairs. Much water went
down the shaft from the broken mains
and hampercd the resCuing party later
on.
THE DAMAGE DONE.
The front yard Of Robert Davis set
tied l. feet from it's grade level but
there was no damage done to any
great extent to his property. Fire
shines hotel and two 1Nal1ipCr b,ue,g
owned by him We're shaken up and
tGe fixtures in the saloon were con-
sldcTably damaged. Cleary's hotel and
dwelling adjoining; Paulrs saloon;
Henry Ruth's two houses; John
Thompsons property, We're the places
TO feel the effect most, but it is easily
safe to say that 100 buildings have
been more or less damaged
This was the second CaVe-in at the
Hallstead in two weeks, and the one
yesterday was "A continuation of the
former. The first one affected 10 OF
- acres in the section known as
MOrse's lift, and yesterdays was, il is
thought, fully as extensive. But be-
fore the settling stops it may spread
to much greater area. The cave-ir
is in the old workings, in gangways
from which the coal was taken sever
al years ago.
Williams and Emanuel were putting
in bratticos for a week The latter
was the firehoss, and they were tray
cling about from place to place erect
ing the brattiCe work wherever they
thought it was needed. 1t is impossi.
bic to tell in what part of the shaft
they We're The rescuing party went
to the edge of the cave from every
point Of access or escape and the con.
dition in which they found it dismissed
from their minds any hope Of reaching
the men alive.
There were seven men i'm the shaft
when the fam occurred. They were
Fred Hcnscl the driver boss James
Henley, the pump runner: Thomas
Robinson, another pump runner; Hen,
ry Nicholson, the barn boss: ant
Charles Carey n boy who was his help
er. The driver boss was knocked dowI
and cut by the force Of the shock
All felt it forcibly and they lost n,
time i'm getting to the surface. Non,
of them felt he was safe until he drew
the breath Of fresh air on the grounC
outside and saw the sunshine. Abou
40 mules were inside, too, aud the,
We're taken out later on.
OFFICIALS ON THE GROUND.
General Manager w II. Storrs anC
A. II. Storrs, Assistant Superintendent
Thomas d Davies. Thomas Phillips
Foreman John Hale, Of Bellevue, ant
Evan p. Davis, of the Sloane, arrived
hefore noon and in the afternoon Min,