1898 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

Ix ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc.Ferguson mine, operated by the Dunbar Coal Company. On themorning of the 16th, accompanied by Inspectors Connor, Adams,Blick, Hobs and CalhTghan, I went into the mine and made an examination.We found that an effort was being made to subdue thefire by excluding as far as possible, all air from it, presuming thatthe gases evolved from the fire would ultimately extinguish it, andwhile from the conditions that obtained this seemed a very propercourse to pursue, it was at the same time fraught with danger tothe persons employed in the mine, from the fact that the fire was ina gob of large area in which explosive gas had lately, been detected.In view of the possible danger of an explosion and the consequentloss of human life, it was deemed proper to ask the mine officialsto take from the mine all persons other than those needed to removethe danger, which they very promptly did. After a period of30 days, no explosion having occurred and the danger apparentlyhaving been removed, the usual operations of the mine were resv;med.May 10.Called to Pittston by Inspector Hugh McDonald to advisewith and assist him in an ivestigation as to the cause and circumstancesconnected with a cave in the old workings of the Hallsteadni'ne at Duryea, operated by the Delaware, Lackawanna and WesternCompany, wherein David Emanuel and Thomas Williams wereentombed. On the same day attended the inquest as to the causeof the death of James Monahan, Stephen Jenkins and John Titus.These men were engaged in putting slides or guides in the Hallsiead shaft on the evening of the 5th of May. A stick of timber8x8 had been placed high in the tower, from which a block and tacklewere S'uspended for the purpose of lowering the guides to the workmenin the shaft. One guide had been lowered and put in position,when the second guide was drawn into the shaft. From some unknowncause the chjiin that was wrapped around the stick of timberIP the shaft, on which the blocks were hooked, slipped from the stick,the Hallstead mine, judging from the evidence of the parties indirectcharge, a copy of which is on file in this office, every possibleeffort was made to recover Emanuel and Williams alive or theirbodies. It also shows that the mine oflicials ex])ected this portionof the mine to cave, or at least gradually subside. And while, perhapsas a rule, the loss of life from this cause is not gi'eat, it is aserious menace and is surely detrimental to surface property andl»recii)itating guide tackle, scaffold (in the shaft) and men to thebottom of the shaft, a distance of about 300 feet, killing the threemen instantly. It appeared from the evidence that no blame couldbe attached to anyone, unless* it may hav^ been the deceased JamesMonahan, who put the chain around the timber and failed to ])ro])-ej-ly secure it. Regarding in the cave in the abandoned workings of