The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-12-12


attained a headway which at the present
threatens to cause considerable damage to
the colliery.
When the HERALD went to press the
colliery officials were making gallant efforts
to get the fire under control, but the flames
seemed to have a strong hold. The officials,
however, said that with plenty water they
could place the mine beyond danger There
is an ample water supply at hand but the
facilities of getting the hose down to the scat
Of trouble was giving the officials some
trouble
The fire started in the pump house which
is located on the Holmes or Primrose) vein,
and which was located abont fifteen feet from
the bottom of the new shaft and about 200
feet vertical height from the surface. The
new shaft has not been in operation for over
two years past and is practically worked out
but the pump has been kept in operation and
there is also pump in a slope about one hun.
dred yards from the pump house near the
shaft.
The operations of the colliery have been
entirely. ly.dependent the old,or Mammoth,
shaft for two years or more aud the only
men who have been working in the shaft
are the night and day pump men aud such
mechanics and carpenters who may have
been sent down to make repairs.
There is no connection between the old
and new shaft workings, save an opening
made for the purpose of lowering feed, etc,
but that has long since been closed up and has
only rarely been used by mechanics sent to
make repairs to the pumps.
Joseph Hilton was on duty at the pumps in
the new shaft last night and he assembled the
shaft at $3.50 this morning, He was relieved
by George Flock the day man. Flock went
down at at about o'clock and after a brief
visit went down the slope to examine the
pump there. He was down the slope 30 or 40
minutes when he returned to the shaft pumps
house and found it on fire. Hastily ringing
the bell he jumped upon the cage in the shaft
and upon reaching the surface gave an alarm
of fire.
A telephone message was at once sent to S.
A. Beddall, the land agent for the shaefer es
tate and that gentleman gave the alarm to
the Columbia Hose Company, whose head
quarters are almost directly opposite his resi-.
dence. The company responded promptly
and was upon the scene by s o'clock. The
company ran its hose over to the shaft, but
when it was lowered the weight was so great
that the coupling broke and its service was
useless.
Notwithstanding this discouraging feature
the Columbia boys gave a good helping hand
and were by no means stinting in assistance.
Immediately after the alarm Twas sent from
the colliery the officials put the colliery ap.
paratus into play Attaching to two borough
plugs and drawing upon the water tanks.
At the same time the fan, which is located
about 200 yards west Of the shaft, was re-
versed and this drew the smoke and flames
from the shaft.
Although the fire did not directly affect the
old shaft workings, all the men there were
called out and the stable bosses put all the
mules in a distant part of the mine, so that
they could not be affected in any way by the
smoke.
No successful attempt to descend the shaft
was made until about IL o'clock and when
the men who descended the cage then re-
turned to the surface, among them Inside
Foreman James, it was stated that with an
ample supply of water the FIRE could be
speedily eNtinguished
This afternoon the fire was raging at the
bottom of the old shaft snd gallant fight was