The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-09-30
Thu EARTH CAVED,
THU WATERS RUSHED.
Terrible Destruction of Life and
Property.
TWENTY-EIGHT ARE KILLED
Six Hundred Thousand Dollars Dam.
age Suffered.
A Bessemer Iron Mine Caves in, and
This Is Followed by Flood of
the Waters of River
Near BY.

CHRYsTAL FALLS, Mich, Sept. g.
Mansfield, the only producer OF Bes-
semer ore in the Chrystal Falls district,
located six miles from here, caved IN at
10 O'Clock last night, burying twenty
eight workmen and destroying $500, 600
worth of property. The Mansfield work
ing levels ran directly under the Mich1-
CANINE river and parallel with it for sew
eral hundred feet, the first level being
thirty-five feet below the bottom of the
river. The five lower levels ran parallel
to the first. the bottom being 42S feet be-
low the surface of the water. The five
upper levels were stopped out in the prog
ress of the work, leaving only the timbers
and pillars of ore to bear the mighty
weight of the floors of ore above.
The accident is supposed to be caused
by the giving way OF the timbers on the
fifth level, allowing those above to fol-
low and at last the river to pour in upon
the fated men.
After the cave, the river bed below the
mine was dry in an hour and forty
minutes. Forty-eight men descended
the shaft last night Twenty escaped
and twenty-eight persisted. The bodies
will never be recovered. Most of the
survivors were at work on the bottom
level, which had not been stopped out,
and consequently did not cave when the
levels above fell. The men heard the
crash of the cave and started for the lad
der way. All but four on this level
reached the ladder way before the torrent
of water down the shaft cut off all avenues
of escape.
Tony Bulletto, the skip-tender, was
standing with Frank Rocko, night boss
at the shaft, on the fourth level. They
heard the crash and realized what was
coming.
Rocko went into the drift to inform his
men of the danger and did not return.
Bulietto came to the surface in the skip
alone.
Andrew Sullivan was another night boss
on the sixth level at the time of the acct
dent. He called his men to follow him
quickly. All but four men on this level
reached the ladder way in safety. AS
they assembled, however, they were
nearly suffocated. so great was the air
pressure caused by the water pouring
breathe only at each landing place and
came to the surface more dead than alive.
Mine Inspector Roberts says his deputy
has been employed in the mine and given
the work daily attention. He also says
he visited the mine personally at the re-
qnired intervals and the proper amount
of timber had been placed in position by
the company.
ssIt is a clear demonstration - said he,
stthat the timbering system in mining
cannot be employed in that sort of
ground. The company had taken all the
necessary precautions in the conduct OF
the work. ~
The lost miners are:
SAMUEL STEPHENS, married;
JAMES STRONG, married:
w. II. PIERCE, married;
FRANK Booker,
SWAN Johnson;
SAM JOHNSON,
MIKE HARRINGTON,
AL TARRESANI,
FRANK JOHNSON,
SHELTIMo ZODRA,
PETE TURY.
NOCOLO FONTANI,
CHARLES BOIL, married;
JOHN HOLSTRoM,
BAx TORURALI,
JOHN KIRRUPPA,
JOHN RANDALs,
JOHN WARMER,
OSCAR LUNDQUIsT,
CHIRIC ARCANZELO,
ANT STIFANO,
AUGUST CoLoGA,
o. D. CoNsTAN TI,
VIGILS ZODRA,
CELIsTA NEZRI.
The Mansfield was developed about six
years ago and has been worked continu-
ously ever since. 1t is estimated that
200, 600 tons of ore were in sight when the
accident occurred. Today it is a worth
less pit, only marked by small bay.
caused by the sinking from the natural
bed of the Michigamme by the cave.
The death of the twenty-eight men has
marked the end of the Mansfield mine,
for unless the river be forced to seek an
other channel this rich deposit of iron ore
can never be worked again. Eight of the
victims leave families of children father
less, and about half the remaining
twenty were supporters of parents.
What measures, if any, can be taken to
rescue the bodies of the dead are yet I'M
determined.