Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-10-05
TWENTY-ElGHT DROWNED.
A Terrific Rush OF Water Floods the
Mansfield Mine.
workmen Caught as in Trap. with No

manbIlGlO NliI1es
-
worIkinen Caught as in Trap, with No
Chance to Escape--It May he Long
Time Before the Bodies Are Recovered.
CRYSTAL FALLS, MICH, Sept. 29.-With a
terrific rush, the water OF the Michigamme
river broke through a bed weakened by
mining into the Mansfield mine, between
8 aud 10 o'clock last night drowning Is
men who were at work directly under the
cave-in There were 40 men in the mine
when the accident occurred, but IS of them,
who were working in the lower levels,
managed to escape.
None of the bodies have been recovered
and IL Is believed II will he necessary 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 a railroad track
runs into the Mansfield mine camp, II was
only used TO haul out ore aud bring in
supplies.
a courier carried the news to Crystal
Falls late last night, but not until this
morning was the news sent abroad. IL is
believed TO have been the worst disaster
that ever occurred in the Lake Superior
iron region. When the night shift went
on duty it was noticed that more water
was coming into the mine than usual, but
no alarm was felt by the men 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 II hours under the ground
earning bread for their families. Suddenly,
a few minutes after 8, there WIS loud re-
port and overpowering rush OF water, and
the men felt themselves being over
whelmod by an avalanche Of mud, ore and
water.
So fast came the flood that 1t 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 perpendicular opening, how
ever, 1t would have nvailed them nothing,
for the shaft known as "old, Number
One collapsed as soon as the water
reached and undermined lis base. This
occurred precisely at $50, and 1t was then
known to those in charge Of the mine that
the men In the upper level had been
trapped and drowned by an accident
which had long been expected. Had there
beer, time the men might have descended
by some means to the lower levels and
crossed over TO No. Shaft but the in
rushing flood came too fast, and II Is
thought that most of them met death
within five minutes after the break oc-
Cured.
The men at work in the lower level were
warned in time to escape. A few minutes
after 8 they heard an omin0us roar, and
at once suspecting the cause dropped their
picks and fled for their lives. The water,
pursuing as it did the devious course neces-
sary in running from level to another,
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 hamlet, and
wild cry Of alarm was voiced by the in
habitants as they rushed from their homes
and gathered about the shaft Just as the
last one of the Is men was brought to the
surface. When the cause Of the accident
was explained to the anxious inquirers,
cry OF horror went up as they realized that
the long expected and much dreaded acct
dent had taken place at last and brought
with II the results so long feared by the
wives and mothers.
There was call for volunteers, which
was at once answered, to descend the only
available shaft, and succor, II posi- BILE, any
miners who might possibly be found alive
But the courage and strong intent of the
hardy miners was Of no avail, and the
waters had already reached the lower
level shaft, and the angry roar which
greeted the would-be rescners as they
poured over into the dark channel at once
precluded all hope of rescue, and the 2s
men were given up.
All night the water poured into its new
found bed, and not till this morning did it
resume its natural course, after having
etfectually filled every cavity and crevice
Of the great mine. The death Of these Is
men marks the end of Mansfield mine,
for unless the river can be forced to seek
another channel the bodies cannot be Sc
cured, nor can this rich deposit of iron
ore be worked again,
The Mansfield mine is situated on the
banks of the Michigamme river about six
miles east OF Crystal Falls, the county sent
OF Iron county. IL has been worked be-
tween three and four years and has
shipped about 600, 900 tons Of Bessemer ore,
The depression in the iron trade has
closed practically 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 lis
product enabling it TO keep on working.
The ore lodges dipped rapidly 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
break through the mine. No measures
looking to rescue of the bodies Of the
drowned have yet been determined. A
careful survey of the ground by engineers
will have to be made and the first step to-
wards getting into the flooded workings
must be to divert temporarily or perma.
nently the course OF the Michigamme
river and then pump out the mine.