St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-01
Hundreds Of Feet Below the
Surface Eight Miners Are
Being Cremated.
Circumstances All Point to
Ineendiarism as the
Cause.
From Several Of the Shafts
Belch Huge Pillars Of
Flame.

HANCOCK, Mich, Nov. 0O.--Ihe Catu-
met and Hecla mine was deliberately
set on fire at II o'clock last night. Of
the two or three hundred men on duty at
the time all but eight escaped un-
harmed. As soon as the fire was dis
covered the men began to work their
way up, and when they reached the FIRE
itself, made an attempt to turn on the
water, but the pipes had been discon-
nected and no water was to be had.
The signal wire had also been
cut, and there was nothing left but
80 fight for life. Under the guidance
of coolheaded leaders. the men worked
their way around the burning tunnel to
other connections with the main en-
CINE shaft, and thence to the surface.
While the scenes below were beng
enacted the cry above that the mine was
on fire had reached the homes of the
miners, and the wives, children and
friends of the men below soon crowded
around the shafts wild'with grief and
anxiety. As each man came up
OUT OF THE DEATH TRAP
he was seized by weeping wife and
children or anxious friend, and cries of
grief were changed to shouts OF rejOic-
ing. The men kept coming up until 1t
was known that all but eight had been
rescued. For these no possible hope re-
mains, as the only avenue of escape is
. cut Off. They were doubtless smotil-
cred between the sixth level, where the
fire originated, and the surface. Their
names are: Antony Langin, Andrew
Hansen, Joe Roe, Antony Calslie, Gus
tav Tava, John Flick, Joe Mossogliee
and John Vanderbilt. At the spot
q
working, and this, taken in connection
with the disc0nnerting of the water
pipes and the breaking of the signal wire
leaves no room to doubt that the fire
was the work of an iucendiary. just
one year ago the mine took fire under
circumstances which pointed strongly
to incendiarism. 1t is limited that an
interested syndicate is at the bottom of
these fires and that the work is that OF
their hired accOmplice for the purpose
of checking the production of copper.
and hence booming the price. The man
agement had standing reward for the
discovery of the man who set the fire a
year ago, and if human agency can dis
cover the perpetrator of this deed it is
openly declared that he will be
HURLED DOWN THE BURNING SHAFT.
No means of approximating the prob
able loss to the mine company are at
hand. The other fire burned for thir-
teen weeks and did millions of dollars
worth of damage. 1t was nothing i'll
fierceness as compared with this one.
Late this evening the fire burst its way
through to the surface, and a huge
pillar of flame and sparks shot upward
like volcano, but it was again smoth-
cred by coverings of earth.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
MApOITI1T,TF Mich Nov 90-The
great Calumet Il Hecla mine is again on
fire. This time the fire started on the
sixth level of No. 5 shaft, and is burn
ing with terrific force. Like the fire of
last year, it started On Thanksgiving
day, when the mine was practically
idle. There were about 200 men on the
seventh level on the night shift.
About II O'Clock they smelled smoke,
and at once understood the tcrrors of
their position. An attempt to
signal the surface disclosed the
terrible fact that the signal wire
was not working. They were
cut off from communication, and
but for the GOODNESS of the men in
charge, from escape as well. Word was
at once dispatched to warn the men to
flee for their lives. Faithful pilots set
about leading the squads of terror
stricken miners through different ave
nues to the main engine shaft. some dis
tance away. Two men started up No.
shaft TO locate the fire. They found it
on the sixth level, and also found the
water connections and signal wires cut
above them. There was no hope but
flight to a lower level and escape
through the main engine shaft. All
doubt of incendiarism is exploded. The
fire is the deliberate work of COOL
CALCULATING, MURDERoUs FIEND,
who would not only destroy the mine,
but the lives of the miners as well. OF
the 200 miners, all escaped but eight;
those are certainly deaG, and not even
their ashes are liable to be seen again.
Their names are: John Vanderbilt,
Antony KaIski, Joe Mossoglie, Joe
Rowe, John Flick, Andrew Hansen.
Gustave Dana. Antony Languin. The
men behaved with remarkable GOODNESS
and slowly made their way to the sur
face, bqt none too soon, as in short
time the main engine shaft was
filled to suffocation with hot smoke,
and it is probable that the
doomed men met their deaths some
where between the. sixth level arid the
surface in that shaft on their way up.
The scenes at the surface as the men
came out were terrible, and only such
as are to be found at great mine dis
Rster. Smoke is now q p. m.) issuing
from several of the shafts, which are
being covered with timberS and earth.
1t would be foolish to attempt to ap-
proximate the loss, as the fire is every
way much worse than that of last year,
and is liable to burn for months. The
whole community Is grief-stricken at
the horrible fate of eight of their towns
men. The fire must burn itself out, and
1t may take weeks, and even months,
unless it can be flooded, which is hardly
probable.