New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-04-24
THE BURNING MINES.


MESSAGE 10 THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
sCENEs-sUBTERRANEAN HORRORS.
The following painful particulars OF the re-
cent calamity In Nevada from The Virginia Guy En-
krpr'se April s. and TO- We indebted to tho edtor,
Mr.. ]. T. Goodman, for special copies ,s-r.. i.
April S.-Yesterday morning about O'clock tue tu
beers OF the Yellow Jacket mine fire the oofcot
level 2s feet south Of the shaft the kentuck inc
The fire discovered about O'Clock, though II nad
doubtless been burning longer-some OF the miners say
that they detected the smell Of burning timber as early
as o'clock In the morning The night shift leaves on
work at o'clock in tile morning, and the day shift begins
work at O'clock aud doubtless the fire originated froma
candle left careessly sticking against timber by some
one belonging to the night shift During the interval be-
tween and 7 o'clock there workmen in the mine
but before the danger had been discovered
% SSSsf SR :S Crown P Kn
tuck The fret work after the fire was discovered was
to Try TO gst nter ga nha b. Winters
the Yellow Jacket arrived at the mine from tls Guy
that tho rm was sounded AS the alarm was
given the fire companies OF Gold Hill ana virginia CITY
brought their machines and were too On inc
In their power those LETT UNDERGROUND AZ uIst
the smoke 50 dense and frequent Ina' n mo ono
o'clock it seemed to draw away from the kentucK' an
two descended to the 7oQloct staton ~1s 1s o
found two dead bodies. About the same nine tm9
brothers employed In the Grown Point mine, attemptcd
to up the shaft on the cage one p eo nsenpe
His head was caught between tho cage ana tmocrs unu
no held his dead and almost headess Drother VIII
away and the beat of medical attendance procured Tor
him and although he remained lnsenslDe' INC eLJ
part OF the day t was thought last evening"
Toward noon some OF the hremen at work at the Ye-
low Jacket venurcd down TO the VOOoot level ana sc
ceeded in bringing up three bodies Inefe Is not IIe
slightest hope that any man IN either OF inc mines
IL being known that there were number OF miners IN
the Point at the 1000 foot eye FAR below inc IRE
II o'clock IN the morning cage was sent down Win
g5 c HsT @PG. spne Ipa written 1O on large piece
OF pasteboard, by the snperlntendegt j. r. Jones'
are ,d a0 %s s I 70 ,pu so sss' . he '1 s
terrible aud produces and speedy death Write word TO u.s. and
No answer came back and there can be no doubt but
that the for whom 1t was intended were oil dead De-
As soon as t was known that the mines fire.
and that large number OF miners were Imprisoned be-
low the most Intense excitement prevailed both IN Gold
Hill and this city. The wives, children ana relatives OF
grief was such as tears 10 course DOM the
cheeks Of tho most stouthearted; Father no 70,
all that could be done to comfort the weeping women ana
children but the reverend fathers could ma but NJ
tbeiI erwin Children clngng to them abont with
hands casped rocking themselves to and fro yet scarce
Iy uttering an audible sobthev seemed perfectly as
founded and overwhelmed at the suddenness and awful
ness OF the calamity Turn where they would there was
man known TO be below had been brought mp dead yet
no smoke Issued from the shaft while at tho Kentuek and
sitting column OF smoke mingled with the pungent gases
generated from the burning wood and heated ores
thesc shafts but experienced the choking effect OF
the smoke and gas issuing from below, or could Tor
those IN the mine could be alive yet wives and relatives
would still hope, against everything and 10 every rec
tIon almost 6uperhuman cXertiOns were made 10 ex'
tnguish fire. by closing mp the shafts and turning
down into them tho steam from the several hosting
medatey but to do this was squvnent 70 say tna9 az
iOit hay lylng-beSidcS,
would have drawn from all present. at all interested IN
fato Of those below such wall us no one "oua Wish
No orc could have lived to descend feet into either
The Gown Point or Ken shafts bat tbs Yellow Jacket
shaft being cooler the gallant fremen and equally gal
liant miners descended It, and brayey began the battle
With the fire. long string OF hose was attached 10
bydrant on Mainst and carried down to the e0)fOOt
level when the work began. The reinen would ADVANCE
as far as possible extnguisbing the burning timber ana
when cave occurred or the bers seemed about 20 glyo
wny tho water would be shut of and the miners would go
were so heated that very frequently found neces
sary to fan back after the burning mbers had been
gushed and play the stream upon te roek ~ oISe.
20 cool Il down, and IN places water nearly boiling NOT
stood to the depth OF two or three nehes on tne no0r u
the tunnel Then the air was bad, and with the steam
aud gases, almost suhOcatng ana was Iound neces
an order 70 enable te men to eotiuue work During this
hgt severa caves occurred, when the miners came TO
Tsse o a again go forward with their stream IL
was such work few remen In the United States have
undertaken. ana sneh a. none Dus INC hreneh Oh
some of those who were below and who fortunate
Witch oecarcd far down IA ITO drifts OF the lower
levels. All IN saving that tho smoke and stining
gas came upon them suddenly and that although they
Tn he'd at for the shaft there were many who sank
down tho AT the Crown Point the men SO crowd
ed upon the cage that detained nearly tive minutes
the station fearing 10 give tho signal TO hoist While
many were IN danger OF being torn 90 pieces young
fearful moment OF his life. One man, unable 10 hud room
49, nd nnrIyht era wled upon the cage and hrustlng
Ia head between our informants lees, begged al
loved to remain thgro ana go up. re was aiowed %
| left hehi
selves into the shaft and some were heard falling back
on the floors Another young told that in rushing
for the shaft 1t suddenly occurred TO him that Inc might
| fall INTO Il, when lac got down and erawied upon hls
reached the shaft While lying nc tho shaft no says that
three four came running ombehnd and pitched
headlcng into the shaft At one lowering OF the cage
man who went down the sufferers finding that
there were more below Than could be brought up
that trip, himself got OF into the dr aud put on buaid
young who su1ocated that he could hardly
stand We were unable 10 learn so are o. ' h D
were happy 10 hear tha nc was aItetWaLd DI0uSnI uP
safe and sound Few lcmen In part OF the United
states wOn an No na Of the eSrfS and wa now
wish 10 state that oil did their duty most cheeruy even
see the shfts-fOr they frequently ohaugedof five lad
dies with their big hats going down on the cagea new
foot level all day. and abou9 o'clock at night, as 1t was
found Tic fire rising secoud stream was put on ut
learned about l2 OcloCklust night tha tho wOrklen
ablo to reach the bodies Of OF the unforunates
sceded and by strenuous efforts and by cropping around
succeeded in recovering ana sending to the surface Is
OF tho shaft Mt the 0foOt Lowell where they had fallen
from the levels above but the most found IN the
lcOOOo level lying In all sort OF desparng positions
lust as they sank down overpOwered under the effects Of
te foul SNAKE strongly charged with tho pungent and
] dcndly tcarbouic acid gas. The body OF one man
was found sitting In the north cDd VI the Grown Point
shaft doubled up with his head resting on his knees I'M
| medatey under trickhng stream OF water Tho body
OF another found this pumIshaft with his arms
I tightly embracing the bl0wpipo.
The corpscs all presented most shocking appearance
All tho TEXTURES were swollen and distorted, ard 1t
seemed M though al the blood In the bodies had been
g,f. fnn y III
most dead that their wives and relatives wcTo not
| allowed 90 them