Three Men Entombed in the National Mine
Body of Michael Kelly Was Found by Rescue Party
at 11:15 o’clock Last Night - Large Area
Affected
Thirty-five Men in that Part of Mine When
Caving
Began Yesterday Morning - Many Had Narrow
Escapes
Rescue Crews Working with Feverish Haste to
Reach Those Still Entombed
Three men were entombed, one man killed, three
were injured, several others had miraculous escapes from death, and twenty
acres of land were dropped in South Scranton in a squeeze of gigantic proportions
in the Devil’s Eyebrow of Dunmore No. 2 vein of the National mine of the Glen
Alden Coal Company yesterday morning.
Seventy-five men attacking the mass of debris,
coal, rock and earth from three different angles had not reached the missing
men up to an early hour this morning. W.W Inglis, President of the Glen Alden
Company, is personally supervising the work of the rescuers, and it is hoped
that the men will be found alive.
Michael Kelly of 2412 Winfield Avenue, a
company hand, was killed. His body was found lying at a passing branch in the
main gangway at 11:45 o’clock last night. A small scar on the head, probably
received when he was thrown down by the force of the explosion, was the only
mark on the dead miner’s body, according to reports from the rescuers.
With the exception of three entombed men, all
other employees in the area affected by the cave had been accounted for,
company officials said. The missing men are: Edgar Hughes, 1123 Ambers Street,
Section foreman; Al Reese, 1014 Snyder Avenue, electrician and widely known
sprinter and athlete; and John Barrett, 2106 Cedar Avenue, company hand.
President Inglis in a statement issued
yesterday afternoon attributes the squeeze to the small pillars which had been
left standing by the first company which operated the mine and which had
started to disintegrate by reason of the huge weight they supported.
The area affected by the cave covers five city
blocks, starting at the 2200 block of Pittston Avenue and extending south.
Fissures in the surface were discernible for a distance of 800 feet west of
Pittston Avenue. The squeeze was of large proportions, but despite this, caused
comparatively small damage to surface property.
Patrick Walsh, 2706 Cedar Avenue, and Anthony
Kufink of Minooka, laborers for John Jones, who were caught behind the cave
made their way out of the mine after hours of wandering in the darkness. The
men were carrying timbers to their chamber when they were knocked to the floor
of the mine by the rush of air which followed the first squeeze. They kept
together by using Walsh’s belt as a guide rope and sliding along the rails,
finally crawling over the rock and debris until they were picked up by the
rescuing party.
Three injured men were removed from the mine
shortly before noon and take to the Moses Taylor Hospital after first having
been treated by Dr. E. H. Repburn. All are expected to recover. They are: James
Doughtery, 424 Genet Street, slight bruises, left for his home last night; John
Kearney, 2556 Colliery Avenue, suffering from bruised back; Anthony Pillott,
516 Ripple Street, suffering from shock and minor bruises.
Great excitement prevailed in the vicinity of
the affected area. The squeeze was accompanied by a road and rumbling that
could be heard for a great distance. Residents of the vicinity had their first
intimation of the impending cave about 9:45 o’clock, when the ground shook
beneath them. The rumbling continued for about five minutes. Throughout the day,
there was further evidence of settlings, but it was not as distinct as that
which accompanied the first shock.
Fissures could be plainly seen in the vicinity.
Some extend for several blocks along Birney Avenue, while other bisects lots
and cross streets. Only in a few instances was there any evidence of great property
damage and that consists largely of cracks in cellars, walls, doors jammed and
fallen plaster. Numerous water and gas pipes were pulled apart as the surface
dropped.
President S. D. Dimmick, vice president of the
Glen Alden Company, Mayor John Durkan and William LaFontaine, director of the
Dept. of Public Works, Mine Inspector S.J. Phillips, in whose territory the
affected mine is located, visited the site.
Up until 3 o’clock, it was believed that six
men had been entombed. The rescue of Walsh and Kufink at 3:30 o’clock brought
joy to company officials and bolstered up their hopes that the four missing men
may be found alive. Workers in the mine, however, were inclined to the belief
that the missing men likely had their lives snuffed out by the force of the
concussion caused when the thousands of tons of rock and earth splintered
pillars and props sent air shooting at a terrific rate throughout the
underground passages.
The subsidence occurred in the No. 2 Dunmore
vein…which is located 150 feet below the surface and reached a point
approximately 2,000 feet from the shaft at the National mines. It took on the
nature of a slide because of the fact that the various veins extend up the hill
towards Pittston Avenue. The cave area covers a section in which is located a
plane over which coal cars travel to the foot of the shaft.
Thomas Bohen, who operates the hoisting engine
at the head of the plane, was one of the men who escaped before the squeeze
assumed great proportions. Bohen told company officials that he heard the roar
as the roof began to work and kicked out the door of the engine house and
started down the plane. At this time, only the top coal had fallen, and he was
able to make his way to safety.
About halfway down the plane, there is a cross
cut and some time shortly before the squeeze, Bohen had talked with Section
Foreman Hughes over the phone. Officials believe that Hughes, Barrett, Reese,
and Kelly were all at work in the cross cut a short distance from the plane.
This is presumed to be the spot where the cave assumed its greatest
proportions.
President Inglis and Vice-President Dimmick
returned from their first trip and later entered the works and were able to
reach a point 40 feet from where Hughes and the other entombed men were last
seen… Mr. Inglis was hopeful even late last night that the men would be found
alive. He based his hope on the fact that near where the men are supposed to be
entombed, a trip of empty cars was standing and these may afford shelter to the
men…
There were upwards of twenty men in each gang
all working towards a central point. They are working in eight-hour shifts and
officials said would continue so until the entombed men are found. The fact
that no mining is being done in the immediate vicinity of the cave probably
prevented a greater loss of life as a result of the subsidence. No mining has
been carried on in the area of the cave for some time. Mr. Inglis attributed
the cause of the cave to the fact that the persons who had charge of the first
mining operations left pillars of insufficient size.
Inside Foreman William King was making
preparation yesterday morning for placing additional props in the vicinity
where the cave occurred. This fact accounted for the presence of Barrett and
Reilly in the area. Company men said that indications of a settling were
noticed a short time before the squeeze occurred…
The havoc that the squeeze caused in sections
of the mine was told by workers. The terrific rush of air knocked workmen to
the floor of the mine and extinguished lamps. It was accompanied by a loud road
and rumbling that continued for several minutes. Miners in other sections of
the workings rushed to the nearest openings and made their way to safety.
As soon as the seriousness of the situation
became apparent to company officials, hurried calls were sent for ambulances
and physicians. The staff of the Moses Taylor Hospital was rushed to the scene,
and three ambulances were stationed near the head of the shaft, ready to rush
the injured to hospitals. Dr. E. H. Rebhorn remained on duty, ready to care for
any injured.
Captain Arnold Ruth and several patrolmen were
dispatched to the scene and kept the crowd of curious persons who swarmed to
the head back. A great crowd swarmed to the shaft after first reports of the
disaster, but late in the afternoon, it had dwindled to only a few persons. The
cold, biting winds kept many away.
Dr. Rebhorn remained on duty at the head of the
shaft all night, making his headquarters in the breaker hospital… Father Hugh
Kelly of St. Joseph’s, Minooka, was to serve any of those found alive…
The area covered by the cave embraces the
territory between Winfield and Birney Avenues and Campbell and Saginaw Streets.
John J. Coyne of Birney Avenue, Minooka, whose
home is several blocks from the cave, declared yesterday afternoon that his
home shook and trembled with the force of the subsidence. At first, Mr. Coyne
thought it was a powder-mill explosion…
The cave in the workings of the National mine
spread terror throughout the territory affected. Throughout the morning and
afternoon hours, women and children remained outdoors, fearing to re-enter
their homes because of the constant evidence of new settling.
Pictures and plaster were knocked from the
walls, canned goods shaken from shelves and stoves disturbed in the following
homes for several hours after the explosion: Leon Martin, 2436 Pittston Avenue;
James Kelly, 2626 Pittston Avenue; John Lydon, 2501 Pittston Avenue; Mrs.
Patrick Burke, 518 Campbell Street; Mrs. Robert McCrea in the 2500 block of
Pittston Avenue; Mrs. Michael Coyne, 2401 Pittston Avenue; Mrs. Michael Coyne,
2321 Pittston Avenue, Frank Dunstone, 2400 Pittston Avenue; and numerous
others. During the afternoon, large cracks appeared in the earth on all sides
of the two-story store structure of the Scranton Throwing Company in the 2500
block of Birney Avenue. Nobody was at work in the building.
Stories Told by Survivors of Mine Cave
Hurled about Underground Passages by Terrific
Rush of Air
Their Lights Blown Out
By Following the Rails They Were Guided to
Where
Rescue Party Was Working
Tribune – January 14, 1922
Stories of the explosion, the terrifying
rumbling noise accompanying the hundreds of tons of coal and debris as it
gradually caved, filling chambers, old workings, etc., told by men fortunate in
reaching the outside world after anxious hours of crawling on hands and knees
through small openings were dramatic.
Patrick Walsh of 2709 Cedar Avenue and Anthony
Kufink of Birney Avenue, Minooka, laborers for John Jones, the well-known
singer, and the only two men reached by the 75 or more men working feverishly
in cutting their way through walls of stone, coal and dirt, related the most
vivid account of the squeeze.
Martin Bohen of South Scranton, employed as a
hoisting engineer on a slope in the mine, also gave a description of the first
signs of the disaster and of his race to save his life. Trembling from the
cold, their clothes wet and torn from flying pieces of coal and stones, they
crawled over in making their way through small openings. Walsh and Kufink
looked pitiful when brought to the surface near the shaft of the mine. Walsh
was also suffering from bruises of the left wrist, arm and forehead, while
Kufink was unable to speak because of shock. He sustained no body bruises.
“We were about 1,500 feet in the mine and
carrying timber to an opening near the plane when we heard a rumbling sound
overhead,” said Walsh. “A dull sound reached our ears, and it was apparent that
the timbers were crumbling beneath the weight of tons of coal and rock.
“Suddenly, there was a loud report, our mine
lamps were blown out, and both of us were hurled against the side of the
chamber,” Walsh continued. “Left stranded in the dark, we began to feel our way
out the best we knew how. After walking some little distance, we found it
necessary to stoop in progressing, and the more we moved, the closer to the floor
we had to go. It was not long before we had to drop on our hands and knees in
an effort to continue, and it was then that we were convinced we had been
trapped behind the cave.
“With the terrible thought in mind of being
buried alive and with the continual rumbling of the surface giving way ringing
in our ears, we crawled along. We talked continually as we moved, but after
experiencing much trouble in squeezing through small openings, the thought of
losing each other entered our minds. Taking our belts, we knotted them
together, Andy holding one end, and I the other.
“Suddenly, both of us dropped several feet. We
first thought it was into a chamber, but investigation revealed that it was a
motor pit. In our battle against time, we remained in the pit just long enough
to stretch for fear of the continual caving completely blocking passages to
safety. We had no idea where the opening into which we were crawling led to,
placing faith in God and trusting to luck.
“The belt we used in crawling came in handy in
assisting each other out of the pit. After groping about in the dark for a
short while, I again found an opening, and together, we started our journey to
safety or our death.
“We had not traveled far when our hands rested
on tracks, and, feeling the rails, gave us some encouragement. Deciding to
follow the tracks, our progress was more rapid. Fewer rocks and chunks of coal
blocked our passage. Crawling along, we gradually grew tired. With the thought
in mind, however, that to stop for a rest might mean death at any moment, we
carried on. Moving forward, we noticed that the opening was becoming larger,
and it was not long before I noticed a light some distance straight ahead.
“Letting out a call for help, an answer of ‘We
are coming for you’ was shouted by what seemed a hundred men. Sounds of picks
and shovels striking the walls ahead of us reached our ears. Cheerful at the
sight of the miner’s lamp and at hearing the voices of our comrades in rescue,
Andy and myself crawled ahead with more determination to get out safe.
“We continued on for some time, and moving
closer to the light, I called to the men to stop picking for fear the coal and
rock would fall, burying us of blocking our passage. It was not long before we
reached the end of the opening and caught sight of the men coming to our
rescue. One buddy, who I failed to recognize, took hold of my shoulders and
assisted me from the opening into the chamber where they were at work. Andy was
right at my heels.
“It was the happiest moment of my life, and
right down on my knees I fell in uttering a prayer to God for saving us. A
number of the rescue party assisted us to the bottom of the shaft, and a short
time later, we were hoisted to the top.”
Officials of the company, including Dr. E. H.
Rebhorn, a member of the Moses Taylor Hospital staff, met the two men at the
shaft. To them, Walsh and Kufink told of their battle for life.
When told that it was 3:45 o’clock, Walsh
expressed the belief that it could not be past 12 o’clock, noon. Both Walsh and
Kufink were hurriedly removed to their homes where Dr. Rebhorn later visited.
The story related by Martin Bohen was just
another of the heroic fights to save his life. Bohen is employed as a hoisting
engineer on a slope in the mine and works in a concrete engine house in the
Dunmore No. 2 vein. The terrifying rumbling noise that Bohen heard warned him
that there was immediate danger, and he lost no time in trying to get out.
The squeeze, however, had already caused part
of the roof to fail and crush the engine house in the mine. Bohen pushed away
part of the door, crawled out and started toward an opening. On the race with
death, Bohen was struck by falling pieces of coal, but he traveled as rapidly
as he could and finally reached the open safely. He suffered slight body and
head bruises and received treatment at the first-aid station near the colliery.
Thomas Summeral, a brother of Mrs. Patrick
McNally, of 2716 Pittston Avenue, Minooka, was another miner who made his way
to safety out of the mine after traveling some distance through darkened
chambers and with pieces of coal and rock flying all about him. Summeral was
not far back in the mine, and this perhaps saved his life. He reached the top
of the shaft round noon.
Summeral, very much excited and trembling from
shock, was unable to tell a connected story of conditions inside. He did say,
however, that in making his hurried exit from the mine, he saw men shouting and
racing along dark roads in an effort to escape the falling roof.
According to one official of the company,
Summeral informed him that in making his way through a chamber, he came across
the body of a miner. The man laid face downward. Summeral, according to his own
story, discovered that it was Michael Kelly, one of the men reported as entombed.
Examination revealed that he apparently was dead. With rumbling overhead
growing louder and coal dropping from the roof in large pieces, Summeral then
moved ahead in an effort to save his own life.
When talked to by a Republican man
yesterday afternoon, Summeral could tell the story that would throw light upon
the cause or the manner in which himself and comrades were thrown about by the
rush of air. The three men removed to the Moses Taylor Hospital were also
suffering too much from shock to relate their experiences inside the caved
area.
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