Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1889-03-30
A FIERY PHENOMENON.
THRILLING EXPERIENCE OF TWO
CHOLLAR MINERS.


They Blast into Vast Pocket Of Gas
Ignition and ConsternatiOn-A Roar.
ing Furnace for More than Half an
Hour-Something Unprecedented Ia
the History Of COmstock Mining
Strange Results, Etc.
Virginia New Enterprisel
A phenomenal incident occurred on
the 750-level of the Cholla: mine on
the night of St. Patrick's day, the
particulars of which have just been
disclosed by the two badly-scared
miners who played leading parts in
the sensational underground drama.
George Murray ana Tom Bailey
were engaged in running the main
drift north on this level-which is
several hundred feet from the station,
in new ground and newly timbered
from one end to the other. They had
fixed everything for the firing of a
round of holes in the face of tho drift
and retired to the station to eat SUP.
Per and give the powder fumes
chance to work off.
On returning, Murray lowered his
candle into the mass Of debris to as
certain the result of the blast, when
he lost his candle and portions of bis
eyelashes and eyebrows by the sud.
den ignition of volume of gas which
belched forth and reared like vol.
cano.
The situation was appalling. The
flames covered the entire face of the
drift and were driven back with ter
rlhc force into the upper timbers
several feet from the face.
Murray and Bailey were so awe
stricken and spelI-bound that for a
few moments they could do nothing.
Finally, one of them rushed back to
the station and returned with his
arms full of hand-grenades. These
were thrown with great force and
broken at the face of the drift, but it
seemed like adding fuel to the flames.
Pieces Of broken glass could be heard
juggling against the top of the drift,
as if the frantic element was laughing
at all efforts to check it,
Seeing nothing but terrible cat.
astrophe before them, one of the
miners was dispatched for the shift
boss while the otLer stood guard over
the fearful fire at distance of 20
feet--the heat being so intense that
it was impossible for him to get
nearer.
Reiuco-cements shortly arrived with
more hand-grenadcs, which proved
fully as useless as the first.
An excited conference was held,
which resulted in miner being sent
on top for Babcock ex,inguisher,
while another was instructed to have
every preparation made for blowing
out timbers and bulkheading against
the flames.
When the extinguisher arrived on
the scene a stream from the machine
was turned on the face of the DRIFT,
and in few moments the fire was
subdued; but whether this result was
brought about by the exhaustion of
the gas or the efficiency of the extin-
guisher is question.
But probably the strangest part of
the story Is yet to be told. The
spread eagle flame was dazzling in its
briliancy-more like that Of electric
light than gaslight. There was no
smoke from it and no smell, but the
miners who fought it experienced par
tial blindness and severe headaches
An examination of the timbers-
which it was thought must be badly
burned, although green-revealed the
fact that while blistering hot, were
not even scorched, showing that the
flames Rugged the ground above pref
ty closely.
Murray and Bailey estimate that
enough gas was consumed In the 40
minutes to have supplied the whole of
Virginia City with light for six
months.
Had such thing happened in old
ground or anywhere adjacent to old
timbers (Which inhale gaseous sub.
stances), the miners say they could
have accounted for it to some extent,
hut, as above stated, both ground and
thinkers were new in this case.
No such phenomenon has ever be-
fore been seen or heard Of in any. oil
the Comstock mines, and the men who
witnessed it are not eager for a rope
tition of their experience. They have
passed over considerable ground IT
the same drift since without anything
of the kind having again occurred
and are now waiting to hear some oil
the knowing ones explain the mystery