Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1879-07-02

At half past Z. o'clock last evening .
fire broke ont in the bottom Of an old
unused winze which goes down from
tho 1000 to the 2135 level Of the Inn
perial mine. The fire was discovered
about the hour named by two pump
men, who started to 90 down 10 the 1900
level Of the mine. They encountered
the smoke and beat Q retreat. When
they reached the surface they fell faint.
ing TO the ground. but were soon able to
give the alarm. The smell Of the smoke
and gas soon spread the alarm below.
and the men working In the several
mines ct oncs started to get out by drifts
leading In the direction Of tho Grown
Point and Jacket. The location Of the
ire was soon as~oertsined. and Q stream
of water was sent down the air pipe TO
Il. The draft WA up through the Wine
10 the 1000 level, thence northward along
drift leading out to the also station Of
the Bullion, and thence up the Bullion
incline and shaft. The draft being very
stropp In this direction, men were en-.
abled TO construct o bulkhead to the
south OF the burning wipze, IN the 1000
drift, and another in the 2l35 level drift
10 the southwark. Thus tho smoke and
Gas were forced northward along the
drift on the 1000 level. which goes ont
to the Bullion incline.
There were rs men at work In the
Bullion, Imperial, Alta and Exchequer
minss Of the time OF the ire, all OF
whom escaped. except John Croker,
william Perry and D. Donahue. Perry
and Crocker are married and have fam.
lilies living In Gold Hill. These men
are still In the mine, and II Is thought
they must have been suffocated by the
deadly gas generated by the burning
timbers. There is, however. q posi-.
bility that they are safe In som drift.
The steam, gas and smoke continued to
come up the Bullion shaft oil night,
and Il was impossible for anybody to get
down 10 where the men were supposed
10 be. It 10 considered that they had
two chances for their lives. One OF
those is that they may have como down
TO the 1850 station and taken the same
route southwark a. that by which the
ave men escaped. It Is thought they
NAV have taken this route and become
lost In the lower levels, a. soon after the
alarm was given some one wal heard to
ring the bell at the old Yellow Jacket
shait. The other chance for them was
10 90 up TO the 1900 station, where there
IL q drift closed by o door into which
they might take shelter from the gas
rushing MP the incline. An air pipe
leads into this drift, and on the supposi.
don that the men were In the drift the
blower was kept running ct full speed
last night and to-day in order to give
them plenty OF fresh air. A small
stream OF water was also sent down the
air pipe.
The excitement around the Bullion
works has been very intense from the
time Of the alarm last evening up to the
present.
This morning ali the Imperial miners
were able TO 60 to work as usual, a.
the Are was out, but the long DRIFT to the
Bullion furnished Q supply that lasted
until noon to-day. The workings will
probably be fully explored tonight. and
the whereabouts Of the mon ascertained.
The origin OF the fire Is . mystery.
A candle wal kept In q little niche In
the aide Of the 2l35.ievsl DRIFT, on the
opposite side. or across the drift, from
the bottom Of the winze, which took
Are, but this was 80 arranged that should
Il burn down II would drop into . can OF
water. No powder was kept at that
point. As for the three explosions heard
BY the men at the 1850 level Of the Bull.
lion, II IL considered that they may have
been blasts ared somewhere In the nigh.
borhood, as even the blasts ct the Julia
mine can be heard.
The damage TO the mine 10 not ma.
tsrial, as the fre was confined TO the old
winzs In which II started. This 10 due
to the good judgment and prompt action
Of tho men having charge Of the different