The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1891-02-07
SCENES OF ANGUISH At The SLOPE,
Extensive Timber Frauds in Mime
sofa Discovered by Special
Agents.
The Report on the Wounded Knee
Battle in the Hands of Sec
retary Proctor.

SusoAnuou IA WooSAy graves A"hh Iao ie
suit of the most awful mine horror that
has ever occurred In this region. Jeans
vile, pretty little mining village of j.
G. Hayden & Co., two miles across the
mountains from this place, is the scene Of
the disaster which has resulted in such
an appalling loss of life and which has
brought desolstion and anguish to so
many homes and dear ones.
At II O'Clock this morning, while
Charles Boyle and Patrick Coll of Lewis
ton, were engaged in drilling hole IN
their chamber in the lower lift of No. i
slope of j. Z. Hayden & Co., at Evansville,
they broke into old No, 8 slope that has
been idle for five years and had been
fmded to the mouth with water. VIM.
Brislin, driver, was driving at the bottom
of the slope when he felt wind coming
and cried out, "boys, for God sake run
for your lives or we will all be drowned"
In a moment force of water came and
Brislin barely escaped with his life. Be.
sides him six others were saved. They
are: Henry Gibbon, John Neline, John
Boyle, Charles Boyle, VIM. Coyle, door
tender, and Patrick Coll. The water rose
rapidly and before any attempt could be
made to rescue the rest of the work men
the water flowed in and in five minutes
time the slope, which is 624 feet deep,
was filled to the mouth, and eighteen
men, who but few hours before, with
light hearts, left bright sunshine and
clear sky to descend into the dark cavern
of coal. were buried in watery graves,
and their lifeless bodies, black trimmed
and MANNED, are alone left TO tell the
terrible cost Of mining coal. The lost
are: Lawrence Reed, married, eight
children; James Griffith, married, one
child; Edward Gallagher, married,
two children; James Ward, married,
eight children; Harry Bull, married, sew
en- children; Joseph Matsowitch, mar
ried, four children; Barney McCloskey,
single; Patrick Kelly, single; Jake WI
asto. sinele: Mike Smith, Hungarian;
John Berno, Tom Glik, married, one
child; Tom Tonaskaskay, married, three
children; Joe Astro, single; Bosco Frin-
ko, single, Thomas Greeko, single; two
unknown Hungarians.
The news Of the disaster created the
widest excl ement, and the mouth Of the
slope WAS soon thronged with people,
frantic in their efforts TO obtain 1nforma-
tion of the inmates of the mines. When
all the men who escaped reached the sur
face and twas known who the lost were
the excitement increased, and in less
than half an hour hundreds Of men, wo-
men and children gathered around the
slope, and the terrible scenes of anguish
that ensued cannot be depicted. Wives
imploring piteously of the miners stand
ing by, who knew only too we'll the fatal
result, to save their husbands from the
terrors of watery grave; little child en-
crying for papa who would never return
relatives and friends wringlng theil
hands in sorrow and distress, and appeal
ing to merciful providence to save all
when within each breast was q certain
feeling that their prayers would be un
answered.
The weather, which was bitter cold
did not have any effect toward diminish
ing the crowd, and 1t wasoniy after tht
terrible result " as made plain tina
none of the entombed men were livlnt
or could possibly be reached until all thu
water had been pumped out of the slope
that the grief stricken friends of thu
unfortunate men could be induced to g
to their homes. When an associated
/ press reporter arrived at the scene y
about 1880, j. c. Hayden s. Co. had
large force of men at work under Maste
Mechanic Rude placing pumps In posi-
ton. One was got in working order in
very short time and every stroke of tn
pump was watched anxiously by 0nlOol
ers who seemed to count the throbs 4
the mighty engine rs 1t forced gallons {
black and sulphurous' water from tn
mouths Of the huge column pipes at th
entrance OF the slope. A large dupie
cameron pump was also IN working ord
, by I O'Clock tonight and every minu
takes 1900 gallons from the slope whe
men are enNmbsd. The firm OF Hayds
: u Co. will pump water out as rapidly
the machinery placed in position can I
the work. How long It will take IL
j. question, since no definite idea OF 4
Wi anne Of water can be ascertaine
Some 1T the miners my il will take ia
n weeks before the bodies can be reachs
others say twice a. long. since all
water that han collected in the abandon
No, 8 slope viii run into this lift Of
l slope, and will, OF course, have to
pumped out.