The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-07


suIts-Boy's Devotion to His Father
wILKESBARRE. Pa, May 6.-Accounts
OF the terrible explosion in a Utah coal
mine on Tuesday have brought to mind
forcibly the precaricus existence that tho
miner leads beneath the earth. But OF all
the accidents which threaten the life OF
the anthracite coal miner, none is more
feared than the deadly cave-in. It is far
more liable to cause death than explosions
or foods, runaway cars or falls down the
shaft
Z Dozens and dozens OF men are crushed
70 death every year by it, and the reports
Of The mine inspectors show that a larre
majority Of the fatal accidents Of the year
are due to it, Witness the great accident
at the twin shaft Pittstcn, Pa. few years
ago when fifty-nine men were shut in or
crushed to death. and the fall at No. II,
Plymouth, Pa, when thirteen men were
killed None of these victims was ever
found, nor is there much probability Of any
trace Of them being discovered.
Sudden and horribly fatal as they are,
the caves give warning Of their approach
A short time ago the writer was in an af-
fected gsngway. There was a constant and
menacing noise. which is almost indescrib-
able Il was like the distant murmur OF
a thunderstorm or the deep rumble OF far-
away breakers. For hundreds OF feet above
and around the rock and coal was work
ing" II was moving and rolling and
crushing itself, groaning under the i'm
mense weight il bore, staggering nobly 10
sustain it, and giving evidence in every
fibre that the remorseless load would very
soon totally obliterate the gangway In
which we stood.
Massive timbers. eighteen inches in
diameter. were being crushed and splin-
tered. bulged and cracked; the car tracks
were distorted in a hundred different
ways. and all the time, from roof and
sides. little splinters of rock and coal
were flying. with sufficient force to cut
the hands or face. At points the roof had
sunk two or three feet, and at others the
sides Of the gangway were bulged in and
threatened at any moment to burst like
everripe fruit Big mine rats, wise as the
miner. were scuttling TO safe place and
we soon followed their example. min
ute in the gangway seemed as long as
an hour on The surface
The Trembling Enrth.
But with all the warning il gives the
cave too often proves TO be the deathbed
and grave Of the miner who is rash enough
TO try TO save for his company what ma
ture is retaining as her own. So it was
In the two great accidents previously men
toned. Valuable chambers of the mine
to cave. and thousands Of tons
of coal would be lost. At Pittston Super
intendent Langan started on a Sunday
night with sixty-five men to place massive
timbers under the affected roof hoping to
avert the threatened destruction. So aw-
full was the noise and so near did death
appear in those trembling passages that
seven men, Superintendent Lsngans son
among them. refused TO work and went
back.
The superintendent and the ffty-eight
lsbored for an hour or so then suddenly
many tons Of rock and coal fell and in an
instant nature had constructed for them
an impenetrable sepulchre. Whether they
we're instantly crushed to death. shut in
and suffocated or slowly starved will
probably never be known
For weeks men as brave as the fifty
nine lsbored at the work Of rescue. a great,
but unavailing struggle Torn. shaken.
and trembling from the shock Of the first
Iall, which dragged upon the other portions
d. the mine like massive chains drawn by
3 monster. working after working col
lspsed. hour after hour for some DAYS.
before il all settled quietly, and the dan
gers OF the rescuers we're fully as great
as those the entombed men had con-
fronted. There was but one practicable
e.
was down a long slope al the foot OF which
II was expected the unfortunates would
be found
-Four hundred feet was clear space. the I
four hundred was blocked 10
within few inches Of the roof By the .
fallen masses OF rock. 1t was through 4
ihese four hundred feet that the rescuers I
had 10 force their way. Volunteers were I
Numerous the most able mining experts I
u the region directed the operations. and /
he work went on day and night At first .
GOOD progress was made, and then. as they
advanced foot by foot the danger and the /
iifilculties increased. Some DAYS they
you'd gain twenty or thirty feet and then
be driven back some distance, only 10 1
aitack the living mass again with mag /
1ihcent courage and endurance.
Desperate Efforts Mt Rescue.
IL was in the midst Of this work that .
he writer saw them Some ninety feet
had been gained through the fall The .
whole slope. some nine feet in width. had .
hot been cleared, but a narrow passage I
Tour feet wide had been driven through
The centre Of IL. This was propped and
strengthened by great timbers. for there
was constant danger Of the roof coming
down. The gas was heavy and safety
lamps had TO be used. SO the light was
dim and uncertain. The moaning OF the
mine was still 10 be heard and had a most
weird effect as II breasts and gangWays
were mourning for their victims The
men worked IN shifts Of half-a-dozeu each.
three hacking and peching at the face
Of the fall with their picks and three shov-
cling back the debris to others behind
them, who passed fl out in a line
Great masses Of rock had TO be- shat
tered with drill and hammer. for il was
not safe to use powder. and the prog ezs
was distressingly slow. AS soon as one
Ihift became tired another took its piece
and the work went on. Inspectors a-d
foremen stood about directing the work
and keeping a careful eye on the danger