SUDDENLY there burst in upon us at the Prospect Col=
liery office, at Wilkesbarre, on 04ober 30, 1898, a
miner who gasped out to our head clerk," Gus, the
Midvale Slope's on fare.",
"What," exclaimed Gus, starting back and turning
"Yes, it's all afire. I just came from there" repeated
the miner between the gasps. He was out of breath from
running.
Gus turned to our messenger boy and f,a,id, "Dennis,
hunt up Shoemaker and tell him." Dennis was out in no
time, and Gus was ringing for the main office. of the Lehigh
Valley Coal Company. He notified the manager at the gen
eral office, telling him all that he had heard. At that time
Mr. Shoemaker, the outside Foreman came in.
"Tell him, he'd better get out the city Fire Depart
ment," excitedly exclaimed Mr. Shoemaker.
Gus did as directed, but the general manager decided
that it would be less expensive to use all the fire hose and
iron pipe from the supply store instead, and that we should
borrow all the fire hose from the Dorrance colliery, which
was another mine owned by the Lehigh Valley company sit
uated about a mile away.
Soon hose and pipe were coming in by the wagon load.
The officials in charge of the mines also came as quickly as
possible. The news had already somehow reached "Duck
pond," the little city suburb where many of our foreign
miners lived. Women, children and some idlers from thence,
hastily passed the office on their way to the Midvale open
ing.
At the opening a, considerable number of anxious peqple
were already gathered, for it was known that the men were
working beyond the fire. A line of pipe and hose had been
T4e Free Lance
A PASSING INCIDENT.