Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-12-02
Fire at the Keystone.

The hosting works Of the Keystone
Mining and Milling Company were de-
stroyed by Gre early last Sunday morn
ing. We clip the following accurate ae-
count Of the confagration from tie
Rapid City Daily Journal of TGeed5 y
morning:
"The building used as hosting room
was thirty by eighty feet on the ground
and was about forty feet high. 1t COW
cred the compartment shaft, and the track
, Of the tramway from the main tunnel
passed through this building on to the
mill building located about eighty feet
| further. The tramway was covered
from the mouth Of the tunnel to the
mill. The men working in the shaft put
in a shot aud left at about 4:30 In the
morning and at the time they were
hoisted everything about the place was
all right. The engineer allowed steam
! to run down after the men on the night
shift had left on account Of the ore sup
ply in the mill having been exhausted
there was not enough steam to work the
force pumps with which the mill is we'll
supplied. There is also an ample sup
ply of fire hose to use in an emergency
like the present one. Thomas Kitrell
who was working in the concentrating
room sacking concentrates, was the first
TO discover the fire, and had there been
sufficient supply of steam he could
easily have saved the building destroy
ed.
when the fire was first discovered il
was after FIVE o'clock in the morning,
ana the blaze was under good headway
on tie east side ofthe building. As soon
as steam enough TO work the pumps
could be raised the hose was laid and
all efforts were made to save the mill
The steam whistle sounded the fire alarm
and in short time bucket brigade of
about seventy men were also busy pass
ing water from the reservoir in the
creek to the crushing room in the apex
of the mill building and by incessant
work the men succeeded in saving the
structure after the side and roof had
been entirely burned off. No effort was
made to save the hosting building. the
structure having passed beyond the con-
troll by the time the men reached there.
The FIRE is conceded to be of an incen-
diary origin as there was no combus,i-
ble matter in the structure burned, the
steam to drive the hoisting engine being
conducted in pipes, wrapped and packed
in box filed with saw dust, from the
main boilers of the mill. In the con-
struction of the plant every effort was
made for protection against fire and if
the steam had not been allowed to run
down it is possible the flames would not
have done much damage
Every man in the camp, with the ex-
ception of an Italian, did all in their
power to save the works. After the fire
was put out this Italian assaulted Frank
Beadls, the mill foreman, with a stick
of cordwood, after which he was
promptly driven out of the mill. His
actions and anarchistic remarks before
and after the fire lea the men at once 10
suspect him of setting it and during Sum
day forenoon there was strong talk of
lynching him, but better counsel pre-
vailed and the Italian was notified to
leave the camp without delay. He took
the advice and in his hurried departure
he forgot his hat, making his way bare
headed to Hill City. and yesterday
morning he telephoned for his ward
robe.
"The works were fully insured, but
work will be suspended until the loss is
adjusted and new hoisting machinery
is procured. which will probably require
q month. The estimated loss is placed
at about 81, 500"