Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-10-05
DROWNED IN a MINE

flooded by the Sinking OF the Mich.
isamee River In Northern Michigan
Twenty-Eight Men Lose Their Lives,
While Eighteen Others Had . Marrow
Escape-CrimInal Carelessness Respon.
sible for the Awful Catastrophe-The
Bodies Beyond Recovery.
CRYSTAL FALLS, Mich, Sept. 90
With terrific rush the waters of the
Michigameer river broke through its bed
weakened by mining, into the Mans
| 6eld mine, between 9 and 10 o'clock
last night, drowning twenty-eight men
who were at work directly under the
CAVERN. There were forty-six men in
the mine when the accident occurred,
but eighteen of whom escsapsd.
None of the bodies have been recov-
cred, and it is believed it will be neces-
sary to divert the channel of the river
before they can be secured.
The news was slow in reaching the
outside world. The nearest telegraph
office is at Crystal Falls, six miles
away, and though railroad track
runs into the Mansfield mine camp, it
was only used to haul out ore and to
bring in supplies A courier carried
the news to Crystal Falls late last
night, but not until this morning was
it sent abroad.
1t is believed to have been the worst
disaster that ever occurred in the Lake
Superior iron region.
When the night shift went on duty il
was noticed that more water was com.
ing into the mine than usual, but no
alarm was felt by those at the pumps.
as they managed to keep the drifts"
free.
The miners pursued their work as on
every night when they started in to
pass the twelve hours under ground
earning bread for their families.
Suddenly, few minutes after
o'clock, there was a loud report and an
overpowering rush of water, and the
men felt themselves overwhelmed by
an avalanche of ore and water. So
fast came the flood that It Is doubtful
whether the men on the upper levels
had time to drop their tools and run
for their lives to the old shaft. Had
any of them reached the perpendicu.
lar opening, however. it would have
availed them nothing, for this shaft,
known as 'Old No. l." collapsed as
soon as the water reached it and un-
dermined its base.
This occurred at precisely $3.50, and
it was then known to those in charge
of the mine that the men in the upper
level had been trapped and drowned
like rats by an accident which had
long been expected. Had there
been time the men might have
descended by some means to the
lower levels and crossed over to
No. 2, but the in-rushing flood came
too fast, and it is thought that most
of them met death within five minutes
after the break occurred.
The men at work in the lower levels
were warned in time to escape. A few
minutes after o'clock they heard an
ominous roar, and at once suspecting
the cause, dropped their picks and fled
for their lives. The water, pursuing
as it did the devious course necessary
in running from one level to anothss..,
was already ankle deep in the lower
levels when the men reached the shaft,
and were drawn up from what seemed
certain death. ~
The news of the disaster sped on
swift wings throughout the little ham
let, ap9G. wild cry Of alarm was voiced
by<che Inhabitants as they rushed from
'eheir homes and gathered about the
shaft just as the last one of eighteen
men was brought to the surface alive.
When the cause of the accident was
explained to the anxious inquirers a
cry of horror went up as they realized
that the long expected and much.
dreaded accident had taken place at
last, and brought with it the results
so long feared by the wives and moth.
erS. .F
There was a call for volunteers,
which. was, at once answered, to de-
scend the only available shaft and sue
cor, if possible, any man who might
possibly be found alive. But the cour-
age and strong intent of the hardy
miners was of no avail. as the waters
had already reached the lower levels,
and the angry roar which greeted the
would-be rescuers as they peered over
cluded all hope Of rescue, and the
twenty-eight men were given up.
All night the water poured into its
new-found bed, and not until 9 o'clock
this morning did it resume it's natural
course after having effectually filed
every cavity of the great mine.
The death of these twenty-eight men
marks the end of the Mansfield mine,
for unless the river can be forced to
seek another channel, the bodies can.
not be secured, nor can this rich de-
post of iron ore be worked again.
The Mansfield mine is situated on
the banks of the Michigamee river,
about six miles east of Crystal Falls,
! the county seat of Iron county, and
has been worked between three and
four years and has shipped about co.
| 900 tons of bessemer ore. The depres-
| sion in the iron trade has closed prac-
| tically all the mines in the Crystal
Falls district, and the Mansfield was
almost the only one from which any
ore was being raised, the fine quality
of it's product enabling it to keep on
working. The ore lenses dipped rap
idly beneath the stream, and for more
than two years the chief workings
have been directly under the bed Of
the river.
There has been much trouble with
water, and predictions have not been
wanting that the river would some
day break through the roof of tho
mine.
| THE VI CTIMS.
The following is list Of the lost
| men.
w. H. Pierce. Ole Carlson.
| S. Johnson. Joseph Kolla.