The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-10-09
A BURNING MINE.
A Great Fire Raging In Michigan
Copper Mines.
fifty Miners Imprisoned In the Lower
Levels-Two Lives Lost So Far
A Loss OF Over 100000 In
u Pennsylvania Town.


Hou0HToN, Mich, Oct IA serious
fire Is raging In the Calumet & lIecla mine
at Calumet The fire started Saturday
night, The bodies of two persons sulIocat-
cd In the mine have been recovered, and ru-
mors are alloat that others are missing, The
mine can not be entered and Rll openings at
the surface have been sealed, In hopes OF
smotheIing the fire. Parties attempting TO
reach the fire have been compelled to 10.
turn 10 the surface Immediately, No cause
Is known, and lncendiarsm Is suspected.
Owing TO the large extent of the openings
aud the vast quantities Of lumber used In
the mine, serious consequences may result
MARQUETTE, Mch,, Oct 7,-At three
o'clock yesterday afternoon the fire at the
Calumet & llecla mine was still burning,
although somewhat under control, as the
men on the surface had succeeded In bat
tcrlng the shafts and wln2es In which tho
flames are raging, At this hour also fifteen
men were taken ont alive through the main
shaft, but all efforts TO reach the remaining
fifty men had 80 far been Of no avail
The fire started eleven hundred feet
below the surface, and Is supposed TO
have been started by IN explosion Of pow
der There are no dangerous gases In this
mine and no fire could be fed by them ac,
cOrding t0 the statement Of copper miners,
Thomas GrIbble and John RNpson are the
dead men Identified, Grlbble has family
living here, An work Is suspended at the
mine for the first time In lts history. The
exact loss can not NJ this time be estimated,
but will be very heavy, as some of the main
supports are destroyed.
CALUMET Mich, Oct 7.-.Thc fire which
broke out In the dry portion Of the lIecla
branch Of the Calumet and llcCla Mine Is In
the timbcrs on the sixteenth level, 100 feet
underground, and above the present work.
lngs, which are at considerably greater
depth. The smoke arising from the flames
h 80 dense and sitting that the fire can not b0
reached, and endcavoH 70 eXtlngulsh II are
necessarily attended with extreme difficulty
and danger. Its origin Is not known.
When II WAS first discovered John Raps0n
and Thomas Grbble were sent down 10
start the pump at the eleventh level, AS
they did not return rCsculng party was
sent 10 their relief. They saw l,apson who
had been suflocatcd by the heat and smoke,
but could not reach the body. Subsequent
ly the rescuors were 0yeipowered
by the fumes arising from the burn.
ing umbeS, and tho men were dragged
out senseless. Reetoratlyes were applied
In time 10 save their lives On Monday
Rapsons body was recovered, but that OF
his unfortunate comrade still remains la the
mine, There are number Of men In the
lower levels, but ~ plenty Of air ean bo got
" them but little apprehension Ia felt as 70
their ultimate escape, Work Is suspended
at the mine, oil the shafts being closed, and
the most strenuous efforts are being put forth
" subduo the flames.
South BETHLEHEM, Pa. Oct T.--At
three o'clock this morning o fire started
under the stage OF the Grand Opera House,
which resulted In the total destruction OF
tho entire building and the cutting OF the
row VI fourstory brick buildings nd.
Joining. In tho lower portion VI the
Opera House were three large
stores which were also burned One was
occupied by II. II. Fenner, butcher another
by q. W. Rhodes, who kept the Bethlehem
Iron Company's store The stocks In the
stores were valued ut $4,000, William
Winds liquor store, In the block adjoining,
was also burned. Milton Lawfcr's hard
ware store was damaged 10 the ex-
tent OF $4,000. The 0pera.lIouse
belonged 10 II, p, Wilbur President
Of tho Lehigh Valley Railroad Company,
The loss on II Is 100000, During the prog
ress OF the fro u number Of barrels OF
liquor were rolled into the street. Some
fremen broke In the heads OF the barrels
and drank liquor like water. Many OF them
became helplessy drunk, and one named
Manser fell OF IN awning roof and broke
his back.