The Underground World: A mirror of life below the surface

by Thomas Wallace Knox

THE GREAT CALAMITY IN PENNSYLVANIA.—ITS CAUSE.—DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.—SCENES AT THE MOUTH OF THE MINE.—BURNING OF THE BREAKER.—DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRE.—EFFORTS FOR RESCUE.—THE DOG AND LAMP.—DESCENT OF THE SHAFT.—WHAT THE EXPLORERS SAW.—DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES.—AFFLICTION OF FATHER AND SON.—BRINGING OUT BODIES.—BURIAL OF THE DEAD.

In a former chapter a brief allusion was made to the terrible disaster at Avondale, Penn., where nearly three hundred lives were lost. Public attention was everywhere called to the disaster at the time of its occurrence; the daily and weekly journals were filled with details of the incidents at Avondale, and the illustrated papers vied with each other in giving pictorial representations of the horrifying scenes. To many readers the accounts of the time are doubtless still fresh in memory, and will remain so for years to come.

Avondale, the scene of the catastrophe, is about four miles from Wilkes Barre, and the same distance from Plymouth, and is situated on the right bank of the Susquehanna, in Luzerne County. Near Avondale the scenery for some distance is quite pleasing to the eye, and has often been praised by tourists. At the time of its occurrence the accident was called “The Unparalleled Disaster,” and very properly so, for never before and never since has it seen its equal in the United States.

DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.

The fire broke out on the morning of Monday, the 6th day of September, 1869. It was thought by many persons that the fire was the work of an incendiary, and to this day there are some who adhere to this theory, although no evidence was ever obtained to warrant such a belief. The idea rose from the fact that, for nearly two months before the disaster, the miners had been on a strike for an increase of wages, which their employers had refused to grant, and the men were compelled to give up the contest in consequence of the exhaustion of their funds. It was on the first morning of the resumption of work inside the mine that the fire broke out, and at a time when nearly three hundred men and boys were at work.

The Avondale Mining Works were built in 1867, and at the time of their destruction yielded a supply of about four hundred and fifty tons of coal daily. The mouth of the mine is two hundred feet up the side of a mountain, and over it was erected a large building, known in mining parlance as the “breaker.” Here were also the engine-rooms, and the machinery for breaking and screening coal as it comes up from the mine. Above this entrance the ground rises at an angle of forty-five degrees, the town of Plymouth lying to the north. From this point there is a charming view of the valley of the Wyoming. On both sides of the mine are mountains, which stretch far away to the north and south, while meadows and gardens slope gently to the edge of the river, which meanders through the valley.

About eight o’clock on the morning of the disaster, some boys, working in a field near the breaker, observed a bluish vapor rising, but paid no attention to it, knowing that the miners had resumed work. An hour or so later the keeper of the stables in the mine took a quantity of hay for his mules down the shaft, and on his way nothing attracted his attention; but as soon as he reached the bottom he discovered fire. He at once gave an alarm; and at the instant his cry was heard, a column of flames shot with terrific fury up the ventilator and into the engine-room. So great was the heat, that, before the engine-man could reverse or stop the engine, he was driven from his post, and in a very short time the breaker and out-buildings were a mass of flames. The hoisting apparatus, the only avenue for the escape of the miners, was completely destroyed, while there were two hundred and fifty persons below. The only way to get air into the shaft was through the main opening,—in fact, the only opening,—and this was found to be partly filled with burning timbers and débris. Before the flames could be stopped the shaft was partly filled up, and all communication with the miners was cut off.

Immediately after the fire broke out there was the greatest excitement around the entrance to the mine. For a time everybody appeared to have lost his reason, and men were rushing to and fro, not knowing what to do. But this state of things did not last long, and confusion speedily gave place to order, or at any rate as much of it as could be expected at such an occurrence. Despatches were sent to different places, and soon the fire departments of Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Kingston, and other cities were on their way to the scene of the conflagration, where, it is needless to say, they did good service, and were gladly welcomed. In a few hours thousands of people were journeying to the Avondale mine, some as sight-seers, and others to render what aid they could to the poor fellows known to be below. The neighboring mines suspended operations, and master and men joined heartily in the work of rescue. When the fire department arrived, it was thought impossible for the men below to be alive, as they were supposed to have been suffocated; yet there was a hope of their reaching some retreat in the inner chambers of the mine, and it was determined to lose no time in attempting a rescue of the miners at all hazards.

THE FIRE IN THE SHAFT.

The shaft, which was lined with wood, was ten feet by sixteen feet square, and about three hundred and fifty feet deep. A partition extended from the top to the bottom, forming a flue for the foul air to pass out of the mine. It was up this wooden box or chimney that the fire first came, and, as it was separated from the main shaft, the stable-man could not discover the fire on his way down.