Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1891 — HORROR UNDERGROUND [ARTICLE]

HORROR UNDERGROUND

WATER ENDS THE CAREER OF eighteen MINERS. Six Hundred Feet Underground Thev Are O rer whelmed by a Deluxe In Five Minute*—Only a Few Escape—Distressing Scenes Reported. [Hazleton. Pa., dispatch.] Eighteen men in watery graves mark the result of the most awful mine horror that has ever occurred in this region. Jeansville, the mining village of J. C. Hayden & Co., two miles across the ,-aountafns from this place, is the scene of the disaster which has resulted fn such loss of life and brought desolation and anguish jto so many homes. The lost are: Lawrence Reed, married, eight children. James Griffiths, married, one child., Edward Gallagher, married, fwo children. James Ward, married, eight children. Harry Bull, married, seven children. Joseph Matskowitcli, married, four children. Barney McCloskoy, single. Patrick Kelly, single. Jake Wiasto, single. Mike Smith, Hungarian. John Bor no. Tom Glik, married, one child. Tom Tomaslcaskay, married, three children. Joe Astro, single. Bosco Frinko, single. Thomas Groko, single. John Boyle, single. Sainuol Porter, single. At 11 o’clock this morning, while Charles Boyle and Patrick Coll, of Leviston, were engaged in drilling a hole in their chamber in the lower lift of No. 1 slope, they broke into old No. 8 slope, that has been idle for five years and had been flooded to the mouth with water. William Brislin, a driveb, was driving at the bottom of the slope when be felt the wind coming and cried out: “Boys, for God’s sake, run for your lives or we will all be drowned. ” In a moment the force of water came and Brislin tarely escaped with feis life. Besides him six others —Henry Gibbon, John Neems, John Boyle, Charles Boyle, William Coyle, doortender, and Patrick Coll —were saved. Tho water rose rapidly, and before any attempt could be made to rescue the rest of the workmen the slope, which is 624 feet deep, was filled to the mouth, and the eighteen men were buried in watery graves. The news of the disaster created the wildest excitement, and the mouth of the slope was soon thronged with people, frantic in their efforts to obtain Information of the Inmates of the mine. When ail tho men who escaped reached the surface, and it was known who the lost were, the excitement increased, and in less than half an hour hundreds of men, women, and children gathered around the slope, and the terrible scenes of anguish that ensued cannot be depicted. Wives Imploring piteously of the miners standing by, who knew only too well, the fatal result, to save their husbands from tho terrors of a watery grave; little children crying for the papa who would never return; relatives and friends wringing their hands in sorrow and distress, and appealing to a merciful providence to save all, when within each breast was tho certain feeling that their prayers would be unanswered. A pump was got in working order in a short time, and every stroke was watched anxiously by the onlookers, who seemed to count tho throbs of the mighty engine as it forced the of black and sulphurous water from the mouths of Hie huge column pipes at the entrance of the slope. A large duplex Cameron pump was also at work by 7 p. m., and every minute it takes 1,500 gallons from the slope where the men are entombed. Hayden & Co. will pump tho water out as rapidly as machinery p'aced in position can do the work. How long it will take is a question, since no definite idea of the volume of water can be ascertained. Mr. Brislin, one of the escaped miners at the bottom of the slope, said: “I was waiting at the bottom of the slope for a trip to come out. Snddenly I heard a loud noise and I thought it was the trip. Then a fearful blast of wind came add knocked me down tho gangway. I cried out to J&mea» Griffiths. Then tho wind blew his light out as suddenly as it did mine. I tried to run for the slope, but stumbled and foil. Then John Boyle and John Neems came running out. Neems’ lamp was burning and through the aid of Neems’ light we got to the slope. The water came pouring after us as we ran. We got to the slope then the light went out. We clambered up as fast as we could, and the water came rushing after us, rising very quickly. In five minutes the water rose 208 yards to the mouth of the slope, the pitch of which is 83 degrees. ” The civil engineer in charge of the mines was a man from Pottsville, LeFevre Many theories are advanced as to the cause of the disaster. Some charge it to neglect to notify the workmen of the dangerous proximity of the water. The slope where the accident occurred is a new slope which was sunk from the bottom of a worked-out slope. The latter has been flooded for at least sixteen months, and only a few of tho old miners knew of the presence of that great body of water, and many a time had the rema.rk been made that if the lower gangway workings were driven up too near a dreadful accident would be the result. None of the workmen had any idea that the workings were driven as near to the water as they wera