Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-09
CAUGHT IN A CAVE.
FOUR MEN IMPRISONED IN THE ST.
LAWRENCE ON SUNDAY.

After seventeen Hours Constant. wsrl
Three of the Men Are Rescued Alive
and Every Effort Being Made to Reacf
the Fourth.
For over a week the intense pressure o
dirt on the hanging wall OF the ledge on the
St. Lawrence mine has been heard in the
continued swapping OF timber and the con.
tlnuous falling OF particles of dirt and an
occasional rock until one minute t. IL m.
last Sunday when the wall gave way and a
cavlng in extending from the 500 to the 100
level took place.
With the exception OF four, all the men
were either at the shaft, or already on the
surface about to enjoy their dinner when
the shock came, raising clouds OF dust, and
the cencussion having an effect upon them
all below ground.
There is a connection from the 2OO-foot
level OF the st. Lawrence to the 4OO-foot
level OF the Anaconda. At a point distant
some 200 feet from the shaft OF the ST.
Lawrence, toward the Anaconda, another
cross-cut ran at right angels to and tapped
the ledge. From this point the shift OF
some l25 men had been working upward
and as fast as the one had been removed
had filed in the floors beneath them until
they had reached the ninth floor accessible
to the cross-cut by ladders running up a
drift.
From this ninth flooring, after all the
Others had quit work to 60 up for dinner,
jim Cooley n Tim Harrington ia one
drift and Mike Sullivan and Pat O:Neil in
the other had drifted into the foot wall to
a depth OF thirty feet to get dirt to fill in
below them in place of the ore already
taken out. The only one of the four who
had a watch with him was Cooley, and
finding it to be about quitting time 5 min
utes to IL, he told Harrington it was
"time," and, leaving Harrington putting
his belt and about ready to start for
the main shaft, Cooley went to the drift
where Sullivon and O'Neill were, a distance
about thirty feet. As soon as he stepped
on to the flooring he felt it trembling and
shaking, and as he continued on it com
menced to sink. At this time Har- |
rington was descending the ladder from this |
ninth flooring. Cooley hurried to the |
drift where Sullivan and O'Neill were and
reached them just as the whole mass went
and the two walls came together, |
and the three were imprisoned. The mass |
containing many C~revices, and loose, the |
imprisoned had plenty of air, but for an
hour and a half they had nothing else to
cheer them except the light of their flicker
ing candles. At 11:30 p. m. they heard for
the first time the noise of the rescuing
party and by pounding with a hammer on
q broken-off piece of two-inch air pipe ex-
tending outward from their prison COM
nunicated the fact that they were alive.
Their candles gave out, at 6 o'clock. At 2
o'clock yesterday morning the rescuing
party were within ten feet of the impris-
oned, and were able to communicate with
jhe men n learned their names and con-
lition and at $40 o'clock Mike Carroll
dropped his shovel and shook hands with
he rescued men.
A large quantity of ore has been taken
rom this ledge. and the mine either filled
lp by waste or timbers placed in position
loser than it would be possible for the
anne to grow upon the surface.
From the time the accident happened a
arge crowd OF miners and others had as
embed in and about the two mines, but
mainly at the Anaconda, from which mine
III efforts at rescue were prosecuted. Large
AKA timbers, cut for cribbing purposes,
nd men were sent below, and in the lead,
men worked at their utmost through the
dirt and rock, and when tired
heir places were instantly taken by their
and hour after hour the work
ushed forward.
Superintendent Tibbey of the Parrot ex-
an offer of all the of his
1ine and supplies to Mr.. Carroll, which
indy offer was gratefully acknowledged
y the latter, but was not awaited OF for
he reason that his own resources were
nipple for the work in hand.
At IL O'Clock yesterday clearinghouse
was found and every effort is being made
o find him. /
The results of the caving IN can be seen
It the surface by d crack extending up
ards of 100 feet. |.
All of the four men were unmarried
kept James Cooley. whose wife is daily
from the East.
Not n Of the four were members OF the
liners Union.