Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-10-16
THE FIRE At THE UTAH NINE.

At "a o'clock last evening an alarm
of fire was sounded by q whistle north
of Virginia. Soon the sky was lighted
M with flames, and the whistles through
ont the city joined in giving a general
alarm, which brought people out in force.
The fire was seen to be at some distance |
away, and none of the fire engines, ex- |
cent No. G, made any attempt to reach |
the scene of the confiagration. The
boys of this company took their engine
and about !, 900 feet of hose to the fire,
but were too late to be of any service.
They deserve credit for the spirit they
displayed. The fire was at the Utah
mine, about one half miles from Vir-
ginia. The hosting works were de-
stroyed long before assistance could
reach the place from Virginia. The fire
originated from the explosion Of coal
oil lamp. The flames spread so rapidly
that the engineer on duty, MIR. Walker,
did not have time to hoist the men work
| ing in the shait-four in number-out of
the mine. He attempted to do so, but
was compelled to leave the men to their
fate. He did not abandon the attempt
until he was enveloped in the flames and
very severely burned on the hands and
face. All those present state that every
effort was made to rescue the men from
the mine. All were powerless to stay
the progress Of the flames, there being
no adequate supply of water around the
works. 1t was terrible TO be forced to
abandon the men in the mine, to what
even the most hopeful feared must be a
frightful DEATH but such was the only
alternative. All that could be done was
to stand by and breathe prayer for
their safety. Fortunately there WAS an
other way of escaping through the new
shaft, and the men working in the mine
whose names are G. B. Bray, Samuel
Roe, Charles Allen and VIM. Hunter,
availed themselves of it and made their
escape. Prospecting was formerly done
through an old shaft about 500 feet west
of the one now in use. This is down a
distance of about 800 feet. An incline
the 4OO-foot level The shaft is down
about 600 feet. The men had to
climb the ladders in the new shaft about
200 feet before reaching the drift men
toned. While doing so burning frag-
ments fell past them to the bottom.
These produced the only smoke there
was in the shaft. 1t may be well to
state in explanation that the draft of air
is from the old to the new shaft. Robert
Laird one OF the employees at the mine,
descended the old shaft to ascertain the
fate OF the men below, and after getting
down about 100 feet was hailed by them
from the bottom The good news that
they were all right was received with q
shout by the crowd on the surface. A
D rope was lowered to them and they were
taken to the surface, not one OF the NUN.
Der being in the least injured. The
damages are confined to the hosting
works and machinery, the former being
a total loss and the latter greatly injured
r The shaft, pump-reds. etc., are not in
, jured, with the exception of two or thre,
sets near the surface. 1t is not though
that the boilers are much damaged. Tn,
0 total costs of the works was about 800,
O 600. On this there was only $4,000 in
surance. The value of the machiner,
not ruined will be about $30, 900, kim
b the total loss not far from $40, 900. Con
i siderable lumber was piled close to tn
q hosting works, but both it and 600 cord
of wood, which were also near the works
were saved.
The experience of the men who wer
d down in the shaft is one that they wi
j. not want to repeat during the rest o
their lives. II may be that they kne,
n there was no danger of the flames reach
ing them. but il not they must kno'
% how it feels to face q terrible death,
J. Had il not been for the connectio
II with the old shaft there is nothing moi
certain than that every man in the mir
n would have been suffocated. The lesso
O to be learned from this has often bee
=. taught and can not be too deeply in
20 pressed on the minds OF every minir
=. man in the country. Another thing thu
70 it eau not be amiss to call attention t
is the insecurity of burning kerosene
10 ordinary glass lamps.-[G. II. News, l
(.