Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-30
THE "A l{Gt =.
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 80 1892
IN MORTAL PERIL.
Eleven Workmen Imprisoned in
an Iron Mine.
A SUDDEN OAvE-IN CATCHES THEM.

Their Fellow workmen Using Every Effort
orTheir reds at the W outh
of the shaft Waiting for News of the I'm
fortunates, Among Them Four Frantic
wives-Sounds Showing That Life Exists
Heard from the Prison Chamber, and
sanguine Hopes of Recovering All the
Men Alive.
ASHLAND, Wis, Sept. 30.-Shaft No S, OF
the Great Norrie iron mine at Ironwood,
was at o'clock yesterday morning the
scene of cave-in, and last night eleven
men who We're caught by the falling earth
were still entombed in a room in the bowels
of the earth, while their fellow workmen
were working with might and main for
their rescue The entombed men are: John
Bloomquist, Simon Daskiman, Frank Den
shaw, Sam Denshaw, Michael Doves, Her
man Erickson, John johnson, Jacob Sund-
quist, Abraham Thompson, two unknown
men. All the men are unmarried except
four, Johnson, Thompson and the two
Denshaws.
Can Hear the Imprisoned Men.
At $40 last night one room was reached
IN which two men were working. This
contained two trammers. The room was
apparently full. The remainder of the
men are in two rooms further back. The
buried men responded to signals on timbers
four times in an hour. between and s
O'Clock. The prospects were brighter than
during the afternoon that the men will be
rescued. The catastrophe occurred shortly
after the drill holes had been fired, and the
conclusion loosened the hanging wall.
bringing thousands of tons of earth down
upon the men who were in the drift. The
hanging wall of the mine consists of loose,
friable rock, requiring very great Quanti-
ties of timber for support.
Believes the Men Are Safe.
The scene of the disaster is at the largest
iron mine in the world, whose wealth of
ore is unlimited. The cavern extends from
the surface TO the fifth level. As soon as
the cave-in occurred large crew was
summoned to the mine ana the work of
rescue began at once. The men are en-
tombed in room IL, the fifth level and Cap
tain Sutherland, of the mine, is certain
that the cavern has not molested the room
and that the men are all safe The room
in which the men are is sixteen feet wide,
forty feet high and forty feet long
Work of Rescue Very slow.
None of the entombed men is supposed to
be hurt, unless they were caught in the
right foot passage which leads to the room
and is now filed with caved ore The res
cuing party at once began working with a
will and is drifting toward where the men
are imprisoned, changing every five min
utes. After drifting about thirty-five feet
the rescuing party struck loose earth and
was obliged to timber its way it pro-
gressed, which kept it back some time and
made work very slow.
Wives the Mouth of the Pit.
Hundreds of women and children
are gathered about the shafthouse eagerly
waiting for news of the men below. John
son, Thompson and the two Denshaws are
married men. The others, with the excep-
ton of Dawes, who is the skip tender, are
what is known as timber men. These are
unmarried. The wives of the four first
mentioned are at the mouth of the pit. The
grief and fearful suspense have well nigh
driven them insane, and it is with difficulty
that several women are prevented from
throwing themselves into the dark open
ing which leads to what may prove the
scene of their husbands death.
Still Hearing from the Prisoners.
Soundings were resumed late last night by
the rescuing party and answers have been re-
eeived by the same means from the second
chamber of the caved portion. 1t is now
n certainty that some of the men are alive
in the second room and unless something
unforeseen occurs the rescuers will reach
them by noon today.