Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2015 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= USGenNet Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Ludington (Michigan) Record Thursday, July 9, 1896 Volume XXIX DEATH IN THE MINE ONE HUNDRED MEN ENTOMBED AT PITTSTON, PA. Shaft's Mouth Surrounded by Frantic Men and Shrieking Women - Nearly Every Innocent Victim Leaves a Family to Struggle on Alone. Coal Pit Their Tomb. One hundred miners were caught under a fall of rock in the Twin Shaft mine at Pittston, Pa. It is believed that all perished instant- ly. If it prove that the men are dead sixty-three women will be left widows and 200 children be fatherless. This is the most terrible mine accident which has occurred in the anthracite region since the great disaster at Avondale, in 1869, in which 129 lives were lost. The Twin Shaft operated by the Newton Coal Company, the principal stock-holders of which live in Philadelphia, is an old mine, but the output has always been large. Some two weeks ago it was noticed that the mine surface was "squeezing" -- that is to say, the surface was pressing hard on the props and pillars. Steps were at once taken to stop it. Heavy timbers were put in and every precaution was taken to prevent a cave-in. Friday it was thought the "squeeze" had been ar- rested, but Saturday it began to "work" again. The principal trouble was in the red ash or lower vein of coal 1,500 feet from the foot of the shaft. There were two heavy falls on Saturday afternoon and it was thought dangerous to enter that part of the mine. At 8 o'clock in the evening Inside Superintendent Langan concluded that something would have to be done and done quickly if it was hoped to save the inside workings from destruction. Accordingly he issued orders to get a party of the most expert miners together to make an effort to prevent further damage to the mine. Calls were sent out and at 9 o'clock that night about 100 men had gone down the mine. Nearly all of them knew the great risk they were running, but they argued thus: "The superintendent and foreman are with us; if they do not hesitate to go in, why should we?" The men worked hard and faithfully until a little after 3 o'clock, when, probably without warning, the roof on the 1,000 foot slope where the men were at work fell in. The concussion was so great that it was felt for a distance of four miles. The foundations of nearly every house in Pittston were shaken, and the citizens first thought a vio- lent earthquake had taken place. Immediately after the accident occurred there was a call for volun- teers. Two hundred men responded at once, and, despite the great dan- gers sure to be encountered, entered upon the work of rescue. The men were divided into relief gangs of forty each, for the work is very tedious, as the roof has to be propped as fast as the men work their way through the debris. The greatest excitement prevailed about the mouth of the shaft all day. The relatives of the imprisoned men gathered in large numbers and their grief was pitiable. "Oh, my dear husband," "Oh, my poor papa," were the criew of anguish heard. Many of the women swooned and had to be carried away. Some knelt on the wet ground and prayed that their loved ones might be brought out alive. At last the excitement became so great that a special police force was sworn in to keep the crowd back. People from all over the valley went to Pittston by train, trolley cars, carriages and bicycles. No Hope For Miners. The situation at the Pittston, Pa., shaft has undergone no change. The rescuers continue to work under great difficulties. The squeeze is now general, and at the foot of the shaft the loud rumbling noise of falling rock in different parts of the mine can be heard. There was another fall which drove the men back. Double timbering is now being resorted to. It is very slow and tedious work, and even under the most favorable conditions the workers could not hope to clear a gangway to where the entombed men are in less than a month. ===========================================================================