Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-27
Miners Who Showed That
Heroes Can Be Found in
Humble Garb.
Facing Death They Decend
into a Very He'll of Fire ,
and Smoke.
Tim kelleher, John Murphy
Henry Page, Jerry Sui
Ivan Prove Heroes.
Fears That Others Perished In
Those Awful Depths
The Fire.

From Sundays Daily.
Deep down in tine gloomy depths OF tn
81. Lawrence mine, q thousand feet iron
the surface, buried in the stump, lie th'
bodies OF two, IL not four brave men, who
rieked and lost their lives in an attempt DC
suppress a fire on the 5OO-foot level early
yesterday morning. The names Of these
men are Patrick Murphy, Henry Page
Jerry Sullivan and Tim Kelleher. The
latter performed heroic acts and
died q hsro's death. The de.
tails connected with the origin OF the fire
and the subsequent death OF the four men
named are yelled in uncertainty, and will
probably never be accurately learned. not
that the company refused to give informa.
ton. but because of h peculiar conditions
that prevailed and the great excitement
attendants upon the discovery OF fire in
the mine. A MINER reporter spent the en-
tire afternoon in active pursuant Of infor-
nation. and though many obstacles were
encountered they were all surmounted
and q reasonable degree OF accuracy estab-
Nshed to support the narrative given be-
low.
The fire was first discovered by Neil Me-
Caig, q miner employed on the bO0.foot
level. McCaig, while at work about $50
a. M, had his attention drawn to a crosse
cut by the odor OF burning wood. Hurry
ing over to the opening, he discovered q
portion OF the timbers on fire. II
had passed the incipient stage and was
rapidly gaining Roadway. McCaig. who
was fully aware OF the great dan
ger and the immense loss impending,
quickly pulled off his coat AND made q des-
perate attempt to subdue the flames by
beating them out. 1t required but a me.
ment to satisfy him that his a was hope
less, and almost suffocated with smoke and
gas he reiterated toward the shaft, ano
occurring assistance. seized the hose and
attaching il to one OF the great stand pipes
began throwing water uponi the burning
mass OF timbers. The volume OF water
was insufficient to have any perceptible
effect other than to create q sitting
smoke, which drove the men backward,
forced them to return to the shalt and
thence to the surface. They had fought
the flames for an hour without success,
and at 8 o'clock the hoarse whistles
sounded q general alarm.
The FIRE occurred at q most opportune
time. Had it started two hours earlier or
AN equal length OF time later. the loss OF
life wonld have been appalling, as In either
event several hundred men would have
been at work in the 700, 800 and BOO
foot levels, and wholly cut Oh from esI
cane, the FIRE having started in the 800
foot level above. Fortunately the night
shift, save five or ssix men,, had ceased
work and gone home, while the time for the
day shift to report had not yet arrived
There were, therefore, only q lew men in
the mine, and these men at work on the
,555OO.foot level, discovered their danger IN
time to escape. I:ytI
70 The Anaconda and st. Lawrenceminss
sdioin each other, are operated by the
same company, and are connected at each
level from the 200 to the s00-foot, 81 tne
st. Lawrence. The intense heat createdia
powerful draft down the shaft OF the ~.
Lawrence which forced the smoke through
the levels to the Anaconda. from whence 10
issued upward through<the great shaft to
che suface. W Al
A large quantity OF -powder stored in the
6OO.ioot level excitstt harm, and fearing
an sxpTosion would s1sne and wreck the
entire mine, il not shattsF the very founda-
lions OF the top buildings the superinten'
dent called for volunteers to ASSIST In
removing 1t. Tim Kelleher, jerry
Sullivan. John Lyons, Henry Paee,
and Matt Sullivan, all miners, voiun'
teered to remove the power, and get
ting ON the cage, they wsresoon going down
the shaft, battling bravely against heat
and smoke. Reaching the 6oo,foot level,
thew secured q quantity OF the powder and
plaeed It on the cage. The shalt ls
eou;pped with q double cage, and wniie
Kaueber and Sullivan assembled to discharge
their load Lyons, Jerry Sullivan, Page ana
Murphy remained below to load the other
Gaze. The former two waited at the Top
for several minutes, waiting for a signal
rom below to hoist. The unusual delay
coupled with the dangerous situation the
man bslow were placed in. excited alarm,
and Kelleher proposed to descend ana
ascertain the reason their companions
were detained. Sullivan agreed to &C
counarv him, and together they went to
What proyed to DO Kelleher's death, wniie
Sullivan narrowly escaped q similar ia'e'
Upon reaching the 5O0-ioot eve the e"o
man found Lyons, Page. Sullivan and MUIR
phy lying PROSTATE at the edge Of the sna,o'
aImost suffocated with smoke and gas. WIN
than, VAS a miner named Shea, b hao
bssn working on the level in question, ano
who had been unable to escape. Fortu'
uately the fire was burning away from tpe
sbaft and toward the Anaconda, and the
rsacuers were not compelled to endure the
fierce heat that would have otherwise made
this position uncomfortable. With a heroism
born OF a noble motive, Kelleher and SUI
Ivan lifted Shea and Lyons onto the Gags
and aignaled to hoist, and then being un
able, owing to the heat and smoke &c
rescue the others. who were then probably
dead.