Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-03-12

announced in the News on Saturday last
a fire broke out in the 26o foot level OF the
Empire mine, on Saturday morning about
1 o'clock. There are different theories and
| declarations as TO how that fire originated,
and there is no harm in our publishing
exactly the rumors which we have heard,
| because, Of all the fires which have yet &C.
CURED in Gold Hill. this one has caused
more alarm and serious contemplation as
to its ultimate damage than any other.
One rumor, and the first one We heard on
Saturday was. that the workmen, when
leaving the mine at four o'clock in the
morning, neglected to e%Stinguish their
candles which were stuck into the drift
timbers. which, in the absence Of their suc-
cessors. burn, into and fred the timbers of
the :. drift" Another rumor was that, in
the excitement Of getting a wounded man
out Of the mine, the timbers caught lire
while the workmen were absent. Another
rumor was TO the effect that the catastro-
phe was a visitation Of Providence, and n
curse upon the mine, by reason OF a recent
attempt whether successful or not we
can, say,) to u down the wages Of the
workmen below the established prices.
We give these reports merely Ms specula-
tons as TO the probable cause OF the fire
in the Empire mine, which has caused
such an excitement for the last two days.
During last Saturday. IL was well known
that many of the timbers in the west drift,
a, the $50 foo, level, as well as the ,imbers
in the main shaft were on fire. and that
the u,mos; efforts were being used to
smother the fires, by closing up the top OF
the shaft and the hoisung-works. But,
by reason of the connection with the other
mines, and the draft Of air passing there
from. the fires seemed to feed and spread.
All the workmen in the Empire left off, az
also the workmen in the Imperial, Eclipse,
and other ~neighboring mines, all Of them
being more or less filled with gases and
smoke, so that it was unsafe TO remain.
Three workmen had 10 be carried out OF
the Stevenson mine. being almost l~ifeless,
caused BY gaS.) The fires in the Empire
shaft. about 9 o'clock on Saturday night,
were terrific. and before IL o'clock they
burst through the planks and earth on the
top. and de6antly embraced the massive
timbers which constitute the hosting ap-
paratus, and laughingly spread and Tapped
the sides and roof Of the building. The
shaft and drift. for perhaps five hundred
feet. were a mass Of fame! But our gal
liant firemen - the members Of Yellow
JACKIE, Hose No. 2. Liberty Hose No. l,
and the noble boys Of No. 6 Engine and
Hose Carriage-werc all on hand, and
fought nobly TO save the building, and to
subdue the ~devouring and determined
enemy which was eating the vitals out OF
the mine. Several times the building was
on Ere. and while one was subduing the
fire in the building, the others were throw
ing two heavy streams down the shaft. At
9 o'clock on Sunday morning, the fire still
ragged and roared down in the drift, where
it was impossible for water to reach It. It
was then concluded to again shut up the
shaft. and by closing up all the connec-
tions with the other mines. TO smother It
out. But this plan was not as effectual as
anticipated, and sometime after noon, a
consultation Of the different Superin-
tendents was had, at which it was decided
to remove the roof from the hosting
works building, to uncover the shaft, to
open the connecting drifts with the other
mines, and to fill the lower mines with
steam from the engines and boilers Of the
neighboring works. At dark. last even.
ing, this plan Of subduing the FIRE was not
carried out. Mr.. Williams, Chief OF the
Virginia Fire Department, with a dozen
picked fremen, and the Gold Hill 6remen,
may the Lord bless every irc-laddie who
took part-had n consultation with the
mine men, and all Of them worked the
whole of last night. 81 THIS FORMING
FIRE WAS ENTIRELY OUT. Mr.. Nc
In,osh. of Eagle Engine No. 3. and Mr..
Lee. Of Liberty No. l, were the frs. who
ventured down this morning and explored
the burnt district. They found nearly all
! the ,imbers of the drift one mass of charred
and burnt pieces, and the shaft is very
nearly in the same condition, but the fire
was entirely out, choked. smothered and
dead. Repairing the premises is already
commenced. and the Empire mine will
soon be itself again. The other mines are
no, damaged to the extent of a dollar.
They only stopped work for two days and
NIGHTS,