, 1889-12-26
Awful Disaster in a CAL
ifornia Mine.
ONLY THREE ESCAPED
The Others Crushed by Fall
ing Earth and Rock.
AN EXCITING RACE FOR LIFE
Heartrending Scenes at the Mouth
of the Shaft-Meager
Particulars.

SAN AsDREAs, Cal, Dec. PA CORE
spondent who went to the scene of the
mining disaster at Angel camp, has re-
turned here and reports the following
particulars; The accident occurred in
the Utica mine. The main shaft, which
Is 400 feet deep caved in from the 300.
foot level, carrying all the stones, timber
and earth in its way. The amount of
earth giving away was solid mass of
soil and rock and timbers forty-five feet
wide and sixty-five feet long.
Nineteen miners were at work in the
400 foot level putting in timbers. With
out moments warning the vast mass
of timbers and rock, with the rapidity of
lightning, suddenly fell, crushing the
miners below. Three men only of the
number who were working near the
mouth of the drift had warning. Hear
ing some some stones fall they became
frightened and ran for their lives. The
last one of the number was struck by
falling rock and severely cut on the
head.
The remaining miners, sixteen In all,
were pinioned by the falling mass OF
debris, and could not escape.
NoIu Nto StlI W lIc tOl'
that "a cave had occurred, and men were
sent down the shaft to render all the
assistance possible. When these reached
the scene it was found that there was no
possible hope for those who were at
work. All were undoubtedly crushed to
death.
IL was but n few moments until the
news Of the appalling accident was sent
over to town, and friends and relatives
gathered at the mouth of the shaft, eager
to hear news from loved ones below.
Willing hands were soon at work, trying
to hear some word from those who were
in the shaft. From time to time, as
news from below was brought up TO the
surface, the scene was heartrendering in
the extreme. Three of the uniortunutes
were married.
ALL WORK SUSPENDED.
SAN AsDRBAs, Cal, Dec. 24.--There is
no hope of rescuing the sixteen miners
who were buried by the cave-in at the
Utica mine Sunday. Working parties
have found two dead bodies, but will
not be able to reach them until to-
morrow, and IL Is feared that they will
not be able to reach some of the other
victims for several weeks. 1t Is believed
that all of the sixteen men were crushed
to death.
ANOTHER CAvED IN.
This afternoon the surface of the mine
at Angels Camp, in which the disaster
occurred Sunday, has caved down to q
depth of forty feet, and the cave extends
along the vein from the north shaft TO
the south shaft, at a width of thirty
feet This makes 1t necessary to stop
all the work of recovering the bodies.
TWO BODIES RBoovERED.
SAN AHDREAs, Dec. H.-lnformation
reached here this afternoon that the sur
face of the mine in which the disaster
occurred Sunday has caved down to a
depth of forty feet and the cave extends
along the vein from the north shaft TO
the south shaft, at the width of thirty
feet. This makes 1t necessary to stop
all work of recovering the bodies. There
is little doubt that the hoists have been
drawn into the cave.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 24.--To.day
Messes. Hayward and Hobart. owners
of the Utica mine, have received briei
letter from Superintendent Lane, giving
an account of the sad disaster. Lane
throws little light on the affair. He
says that the mine was considered un-
safe OH account of the spongy con.
ditIon of the earth above the
$50 foot level, and that he
had given an order that the usual tim--
pering precautions be taken. George
Williams, the boss timberman, an old
and very reliable man, went down to the
330-foot level on Sunday afternoon to
retimber portion of the mine in and
about the slopes on that level, when
suddenly and without moments warn
ing the crash came.
The area involved in the cave-in is t
present unknown, but must be large.
Hayward and Hobarth have good
record as mine operators. Hayward
has been running on large scale for
forty years, and Hobarth has been close
ly identified with mines for thirty
years. Together, they have had thou
sands of men in their employ. The ac-
cident in this mine is the first large one
they have experienced.