Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-25
ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST.
Seventeen Miners Buried in a Quartz
Nine a! Angels Camp.
OVERWHELMED BY A LANDSLIDE.
Railroad Travel Interrupted by
Washouts-Rain and Snow
Storms North and South.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REcoaD-UN1oNl
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE RrcoaD-us1os..
CRUSHED TO DEATH.
Sixteen Miners Lose Their Lives in TIL.
Lane Ouartz Nina

Sixteen Miners Lose Their Lives in the
Lane Quartz Mine.
SAN ANDREAs, December 24th On Sunday af-
ternoon at about O'clock a cave occurred in
the Lane mine at Angels Camp, by which six
teen men lost their lives The news did not
reach this place till Monday morning as all tel
egraphic communication with Angels was cut
off by the storm. special reporter at once
started for the place on horseback, the roads
aud creeks being impossible for vehicles. The
trip was accompanied by no little peril, owing
to ths swollen streams
As soon as the town of Angels was reached it
was apparent that something terrible had hap
pened, as all the mills had been shut down and
the citizens were gathered in little knots, speak
ing in hushed tones.
At the scene of the disaster sturdy miners
were at Work endeayorlng to reach the interior
of the mine. Women ana children, whose hus-
bands and fathers and relatives were in the
mine, stood about wringing their hands and
weeping. Strong men broke down.
The officers of the mine had been at work day
and night directing the work, but at fearful
odds. The cave was tremendous, ard it was an
lmposibility to work fast. The mine is in the
heart of the town, and has extensive hoistng
prominent gold mines of this county, and is
owned by Merssrs Haywood and Hobart, of San
francisco These gentlemen purchased this
and the adjoining Sickle mine about three
years ago, since which time they have made
extensive developments and improy yements, and
are employing about ninety men.
The vein in the mine is thirty feet wide and
is worked through two shafts, called the north
aud south shafts, being about ninety feet apart
and being 450 feet and 400 feet deep respectively.
The vein matter is extracted from the full
thirty feet in width, and the openings thus left
are braced by enormous timbers, two and three
feet in diameter, and five feet apart. Little if
any waste rock is thrown into the opening to
I'LL in 1t was the pressure of the earth against
these walls OF the worked out vein, increased
by the heavy rains that caused the cave.
AT the time of the cave on Sunday afternoon
there were nineteen or twenty timber men at
work in the slopes timbering the mine. most
lucky circumstance is that the regular force of
miners had been laid off for day or SO, owing
TO an abundance of ore, aud thus seventy men
were not in the shaft that would have been
there had the regular work of mining been 60
ing on that day.
Three of the timber men, named Dan Daniel
son, August Anderson and Tom CorWin, escaped
from the mine after the cave occurred by run
ming through a long DRIFT into the adjoining
''Stickle' mine and climbing up a ladder 70J
Fleet through a shaft. I he first knowledge of the
cave on the surface was the appearance of these
three men, who gave the alarm. COrwin was
badly cut and bruised about the face. Daniel
son stated his experience as follows
Myself and Anderson were working in the
400foot level, and were waiting for timber to
come down the shaft. went to the south shaft
to get shovel, and when returning heard a
fearful crash and explosion, the conclusion of
which threw me to the floor of the level on my
face, eXtinguishing the light. l crawled back
LOWdTu Lue s0GIb huu llI my Wleu L
heard rocks and debris falling. and timbers
crushing above me, and knew that cave had
occurred. | found my partner, and as we
started to run heard voice calling for help
from one of-the slopes. Going to the spot, we
found Corwin cropping around in the dark with
his face cut and bleeding. We hurried him
along with us, and the three of us reached the
'Stickle' shaft, through which we climbed the
ladder 200 feet 10 the surface where we gave
the alarm"
This man Danielson was uniDjured. As soon
as the alarm was given the greatest excitement
prevailed in the town. The foreman, Charles
Lille, Immediately took force of men aud
went into the north shaft and down TO the $50
foot level. They went along the level about
sixty feet when they found the passage closed
tight and an ineXtricRble mass of timl ers,
logging and debris. 1he ground was still moY-
ing, and the crashing of the timbers and falling
rock drove the men out of this plsce.
They went to the surface and got on to the
cage in the south shaft, and after descending
about ECO feet the cage could not go further.
They then re-aScended, and went to the
Sickle mine, and got up steam By the aid of
coal OIL and getting into the cage descended
that shaft and went through the drifts into the
Lane mine, and here again reached the cave
and could not go further.
Here agsin the rock and debris were still fall
ing and timbers crashing The slopes looked
like mass of drift wood. The timbers were in
fearful confusion and crushed. Peering into
the mass the bodies OF two men were seen
crushed and mangled between the timbers.
They could not be reached and were not recog
nized.
There was no other recourse than to go into
the north shaft on the 350-fcot level and by
axes and blasting cut through the debris. This
work has been commenced and volunteers are
at hand far more than can work.
The men are undoubtedly all dead as no hui
man being could survive in that fearful crush.
1t is a doubtful question when the bodies will
be reached. Some may be recovered in a week,
and others may never be recovered from the
terrible mass of debris.
Not 81 S0uud comes from the mine hIIt Tho
cracking of tmbers and the falling of rocks.
The names OF the men lost in the mine are:
Thomas Knucky, married; George Williams,
married and has four children; j. Bray, mar
ried. Nick Cuich, B. Sagare, Pete Perenio,
Thomas Bertro. Paul 0wsovich John Buiolotto,
John Toboco, Charles Pollark, Joseph Cornow,
John Martin, Mitchell BrondWich, Jim Casey,
William Vincent.
The extent of the cave is not certain. 1t is
believed that the ground between the 200 aud
40J-foot levels has fallen and for a distance of
100 feet or more in length the surface of the
mine is intact save few cracks.
The niue is a peculiarly unlucky one. More
accidents have happened in it than in any mine
in the county. great number of lives have
have refused to work in it on account of the
liability 10 caving, because OF the great
width OF the vein, and the enormous cavity left
in the mine. supported only by timbegs, leading
to the belief that caves were likely to occur.
THE SEVENTEENTH VICTIM.
FAN AEDREAs, December 24th. 1t is reported
that another miner, Carlo Luzzett, is killed in
the mine. IftTue, this makes the seventeenth
victim. He leaves a wife and two children.
One body among the timbers has been recognized
as Peter Perini 1t cannot be reached. Another
body is in sight, bus not recognized.
LATEST FROM THE MINE.
SAN AHDREAs, December 2lth.-The latest re-
port from the Angel s disaster is that the surface
of the mine has sunk forty-five feet deep, from
shaft 10 shaft, and has completely shut off all
work at reseuing the bodies. The rescuing
party were nearly caught in this new cave, and
only escaped to the surface by the prompt ac
tion of the top men.
No bodies have been recovered, and owing to
the severity Of the storm at present it is impos-
sible to do anything with the mine. The works
on the surface are likely TO be destroyed.