The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-10-06
DROWNED LIKE RATS
y Mime Under Il River Caves in
and is soon Flooded by the
in-ltusl.ing Torrent.
twenty Eight Workmrn Drowned
Like Rats-Many Men Had
Narrow Escapes.

CRYSTAL FALLS, Mich, Sept. 30
Mansfield, the only producer Of Bessemer
ore in the Crystal Falls district. located
six miles from here, caved in at 0 o'clock
Thursday night. b%urying tw~enty.eight
workmen and destroying 100000 worth
Of property. The Mansfield working
levels ran directly under the Michi-
CANINE river and parallel with it for sew
eral hundred feet. The first level was
thirty five feet below the bottom of the
river. Five lower levels ran parallel 70
the first, the bottom being rs feet below
the surface Of the water. The five unper
levels were stopped IN the progress of the
work, leaving only the timbcrs and nil.
lars of ore t. bear the mighty weight of
the floors of ore above.
The accident is supposed to have been
caused by the giving way Of the timbers
Oh the fifth level, allowing those above
TO follow, and at last the river to pour in
upon the fatcd men. After the cave the
river bed below the minc 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 me recovered. Most of
the survivors were at work on the bot
tom level. which had not been stoned
out and consequently dld not cave when
the levels above fell. The rien heard
the crash of the cave and started for the
ladder way. All but four on this level
reached the ladder way before the tor
rent OF water down the shaft cut Oft the
avenue Of escape.
Tony liulletto. the skip tender. WAS
standing with Frank itocko. the night
boss, at the shaft on the fourth level.
They heard the crash and realized what
was coming. l;ocko went into the drift
to inform LIS men Of the danger. and did
not return. Bullctto came To the sur.
face in the skip alone. Andrew Sullivan.
another night boss, was on the sixth
level at the time Of the accident. He
called TO bis men to follow him quickly.
MI bur fOur men on this level reached
the laH'lrr way in safety. As they AS
cendca. however. they were nearly suirp- |
Gated, SO great was the air pressure
caused by the water pouring down the
air shaft. They were able to breath only
at each landing place and came L. the
surface more dead than alive.
Mine Inspector Roberts saws his den
uty has been employed in the mine AID
given the work daily attention. He says
he visited the mine personally at the
required intervals and the prorer
amount f timber had been placed in
position by the company.
"lt is "A clear pmpnGtrutinp &c c.,I -
that the timbering system of mining
cannot be employed in that kind of
ground. The company had taken all
necessary precautions In the conduct of
the work"
The lost miners are: S. Peters. mar
ried: j. Strong, married; ". II. Pierce.
married; +. Booker, S. Johnson, Sam
Johnson, Mike Harrington, Al Tarrcsani.
Johnson. SheltimO Xodra, po.e
FURY, Ncrolo Fontani. &. Poll. married:
John ilolstrom. l|ax Torurali, John kir-
ruppa, John l;audala, John Warner, Os-
EAR Lundquist, Chiric Arcanzclo, Ant
S%tifano, August Cologne, Cd CONSTANT.
Nigils Iodra, Celisti Nezri.
Mansfield was developed about six
ago and has been worked continu-
,usly since, 1t is estimated that 2OO,OQ
ons Of ore were in sight when the acct
lent occurred. Today it is a worthless !
,lt, only marked by a small bay caused
" the sinking from its natural bed of
he Michigamme by the cave. I
The death Of the IS men marked the I
Of the Mansfield mine. for unless the
lver can be forced to seek another chan 4
this rich deposit of iron ore can |
ever he worked again. Eight of the I
ictims leave families of children father I
and about half the remaining 70
ere supporters of their parents. What '
if any, can be taken To rescue II
ne bodies Of the dead is yet unde- s
'rmincd. a
Mlll fNll At q sacriicN lois and hnnsns \