The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-24

SCENES AT THE
smoke Prom the Fire In the ~. Law renee
Find. Its Way Into the Adj"ining
Mine with Terrible Re~ults-
The Flames Under Control.

BUTTE, Nov. 2s.-Thc ominous blowing
of the whistle OF the Anaconda mine u
little after y o'clock this morning alarmed
the people Of this city by announcing tai
occurred at the great mine east of the
city. The whistle blowing at such n time
i'm the morning was the casiss, of people
gathering i'm startled groups about the
streets. wondering what calamity couil
have arisen. The first intelligence of the
nature Of the disaster came over the tclC-
phone wire u minute or two later. The
Anaconda office called up the Rocky
mountain telegraph office and the words
camc distinctly over the wire:
.Scnd up three or four doctors at once
els il u cave in ar n fire."
"A fire. came the answer.
Messengers were ut once dispatched and
Drs. Leanitt. Hough, johnson, cooper,
Howard and other physicians. together
with an increasing string of Butte citizens,
gan tn reach the city OF IL terrible catas-
trophe at the mine, began moving toward
the scene.
Ii was at $50 o'clock this morning that
IA stationman went to Superintendent
Michael Carroll of the Anaconda mine,
mt his office. and said to him:
"Mr. Carroll, there il smoke on No. a."
Mr.. Carroll, with the foreman and two
Others. lost no time in getting into u cage
and descending. IL took but little tn con-
~ 1850 ~ ""' - ~,
st. Lawrence mime, the 5oUNfoot level of
which is connected with the SUIfoot level
of the Anaconda. The superintendent
then went tn the st. Lawrence mine and
descended that to fight the fire.
Meanwhile IA few OF the Anaconda
miners had ventured down that mine. 1t
is said the first signs of smoke were dis
covered as early as 5:3D o'clock in the
morning.. hut could not bc traced. At
first the miners. although they had been
.f.,.l tI.,t -. S...rl xxs..l1 Ia. fVs,y..
had freely descended the mine i'm order tO
see the fire and endcavor tn stop il. But
il was not long before The smoke began
pouring from the mouth OF the mime In
such dense, sitting clouds, that to de-
sccnd became almost AN impossibility
While. there was no fire i'm the Anaconda.
the draft came down The mouth of the st.
Lawrence and drove all the smoke from
the fire i'm the ~. Lawrence into the Ana
contla.
Anaconda became So dense that il was "a
difficult matter tn remain at the mines
mouth, il became whispered about that
several mcn were down in the mine. Re
lief parties were promptly organized. Two
cages of men started down into the gulf
of sitting smoke. hut soon the bell for
return was sounded. aud tine relief men,
almost ~sufTocated with smoke. staggered
from the cage, several of them completely
overcome for the time. IL was not known
LOW btiitiy t1eu WITT tN'hoWs tuk " AZ ~
licvcd there were some. and the miners,
standing agliast AIT the top. me ntioncd the
names of one and another OF their COM
radcs who were missing ana who
they feared were far down the
shaft. Again and again differ
cnt parties attempted the descent.
Each time u return became necessary
after u descent of IA few hundred feet. At
last, calmcr counsels prevailed and more
careful preparations were made for u last
attempt. A party WAS organized aud its
mcmbc were provided with sponges To
hold at their faces and keep ont the
sitting air. Four men, il il said, stepped
into the cage. They gave "a last look
around at their friends, and one or two of
them shook hands with their partners, ut
teriny "A last good bye" The signal was
given and the cage began falling like "A
shot.
IL seemed an eternity before the cage
rs,appcarcd. Some of those who went
return, while n few were got out. The
rage went down IA far ~ the
SOO-foot level. Among the rcscuinG party
were Timothy Kclleher, Jerry Sullivan
and Daniel Murphy. Arrived at that
level. the rescuers began ~lraugin their
comrades in the mine to the cage. The
miners were lying exhausted and aplar-
emily nearly suffocated. Harry Page.
Billy Queen, Leary, Mike Griffin and
John Lyons were taken to the cage ar
rushed tai il themselves. Another man
was seen lying not far away. Patrick
Murphy. hut the men were all So nearly
sutfocatcd now that the signal was given
and the ascent bcgan
IL was "a most terrible ascent! Scarcely
"a man was conscious. The sad party who
told the story to u reporter in
am awc-strickeu voice hours afterwards,
said that Harry Page was the first one To
give way. The men uInblcd on without
securing "a firm hold and i'm fact were too
sfsftsxI la rpfnits a firm h.ll Al uan PEA n.