Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-03-03
Helena, Montana, Thursday, March 3, 1881.

powder in box near mouth of tunnel which
had not exploded, and it was not safe to &C
there until it had. Waited about two
minutes when powder went off with two re-
ports Went up and looked in tunnel and
saw tunnel and timbers all burning for a
distance of one hundred or one hundred and
fifty feet; draft was very strong and heat in
tense. 1t was not long until mouth of tun-
mel was closed up with snow; considered that
a good measure to prevent fire from reaching
into mine. AS soon as / saw mouth of tun-
mel closed went to ore chute in No tunnel
and tried candle to air pipe; found good
draught of air going through. Gave orders to
all men there to clear shute; tried the air
again in little while; found draught stop
ped after which / noticed water running
down chute. Urged men to hurry up and
clear chute as fast as possible to get air
through Wine. In few minutes air COM
menced to pass up through wize and chute
above ore. Then | went to Sullivan's boarding
house to get more men; woke up Mr.. Sulli-
van and told him to send men up to mine
| as it was Oh fire and six men in it ; told him
to send four men up to No. 3 and four men
to No. to help clear chute out. Then came
home and went to Mr. Muth's residence and
told him of fire; then went back to No. 3
tunnel Immediately; then ordered the open
ing at No. 4. level closed up and mouth of
No. tunnel opened so as to turn fire and
draught out of No. 3 tunnel. My reasons for
this were that there was awinZe from No. to
No. 2, connecting also with No. 3, in which
draught was flowing through and drivingtire
further into mine. Most every one objected
to the plan, from which cause abandoned
it for the time / knew the only chance of
getting men out was to get them out of No.
l chute in No. tunnel. 1t was then quarter
to six, morning of 18th. | sent Mr. Pearson
(the clerk to mill with orders to wake up
the carpenter and to stay there and help
him make so feet of ladder and send them
up on car. Considered the chute in No.
would be the only access to mine for perhaps
many weeks. The measures | adopted were
done by my own direction and those of fore
man.
Mr. Young was here recalled and asked
how many men were at work on the night
Of the 10th in No. 3 tunnel
Ans-There were eight.
Q-Please give names of those men.
Ans-Dan Mckay, Alex Innis, Pat.
Laughlin, Thomas Woods, Hugh Mcdonald,
John Shorter, Jas. Keegan, Jas. Braslin.
Q.-Please give names of bodies recovered
Ans. Pat Laughlin, Thomas Woods, Hugh
Mcdonald, John Shorter and Jas, Keegan.
James Braslin's body was not found, and
Alex Innis and Dan Mckay escaped.
Subscribed, JAS. L. YOUNG.
L. c. Trent's testimony continued:
Q.-How long is No. 3 tunnel?
Ans.-About five hundred and fifty feet.
Q.-What distance from No. 3, does chute
enter No. from No. through which bodies
were taken down?
Ans-Two hundred and ninety feet.
Q.-Was there any in which the men could
have made their escape, except coming out
at mouth of No. 3.
Ans-They could have gone up through
stope to level of No. 4 tunnel, if they had
known of fire before door was opened; | sup
pose they would try there to escape. / knew
if they had attempted it under the circum
stances they could not have got through
alive, as it would be the natural course of
flame and smoke after the door was opened. |
Odd you regard the shop as dangerous
to mine by having fire there at any time?
Ans-I did not consider it unusually dan
gerous for a blacksmith shop.
Q-Did you at any time forbid men build
ing fires there?
Ans-I did about a year ago, between
shop and tunnel where they formerly had
stove. Had stove taken out and forbid them
putting it back. Did not consider charcoal
fire dangerous in forge, but had forbid any
charcoal being kept there did not consider
that wood or shavings would be used in an
open forge; had I known it, would certainly
have forbid it; would not consider it safe to /
use shavings in shop of that description.
Q.-What time elapsed from discovery of /
fire until commencement of work to clear
chute?
Ans.-About ten minutes after I reached
mine.
Q.-Was there any time lost in trying to /
rescue men through No. tunnel?
Ans.-There was not.
Q.-How long did it take to open chute so ]
as to get any above?
Ans.-Could not say exactly. 1
Odd the explosion of the powder in /
mouth OF No. 3 tunnel have anything to do Z
with forcing heat or gas back to where the 4
men were? E
Ans.-I think not; there was sufficient {
70 carry all gasses and smoke to most every /
part of mine. s
Q-Were they between fire and fresh air? (
Ans.-They were not.
Q.-Why did you think it was dangerous
Ii SHOP lTOlu SlldN etIIu IlOU
Ans.-From the fact that / consider any
ire from wood or shavings, unconfned by /;
tove unsafe in any building of wood.
Q.-Do you consider that everything was I,
lone that could be done, to save the men. i
Ans.-I do. q
Subscribed to, this the 18th day of Febrl-
ny, A. d., 1881. L. C. TRENT. d,
Alex Innis after being duly sworn testi- Il
led as follows: Il
Discovered the mine was on fire at half d
asst one on morning of 11th; was then stand f
ng about forty feet from head of east stope, t
bout 200 feet more or less from mouth of '
unnel; concluded that rags about the door g
7ere on fire: started out intending to put i
ut fire as we had done once or twice before
Then was within $50 feet of mouth of tun- I
ell my light went out from draught which IT
anne through tunnel; the smoke was very f
hick at that point concluded the whole Ia
hop and magazine was on fire; turned to a
i've the alarm and got back within 30 or 40 a
,et of where the men were at work sung b
Mt Fire! and was answered as | supposed Il
y Mr.. Braslin could not see men as my 4.
ght was out and they were down the stope n
turned to get out, stopped down over ditch "
y water to get a breath of fresh air before 81
arting; started for month of tunnel with k
ut light, kept close to right hand side to v
'uch timbers; as came along the smoke Il
as SO thick could not open my mouth with Il
Lfety as / was nearly suffOcated whel "