The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-10-02
NO HOPE OF LIFE
Twenty.eight of the Mansfield I'm
fortunates Still Ent0mbed I'm the
Nine.
Eighteen Manage TO Escape the Awful
Death OF Their Fellow Work.
men.
Channel OF the River Must be
Changed Before Work Can BE
Resumed.

MARQUETTE, Mich, Oct. a.-None
OF the bodies of the unfortunate victims
of Fridays disaster in the Mansfield
mine at Crystal Falls have been recov-
cred yet and not particle of hope is
entertained that any Of the 2S miners
caught by the caving earth are yet
alive.
The Mansfield mine is situated on
the banks OF the Michigamme river,
about six miles east cf Crystal Falls,
the county seat of Iron county.
1t has been working between three
and four years and has shipped
about $4,000 tons of Bessemer ore.
There has been much trouble with
water and predictions have not been
wanting that the river would some day
break through the roof of the mine.
The night shift had gone down, and
though some one noticed that more
4 water than usual was coming into the
mine, no special alarm was felt as the
pumps seemed to be able to keep the
drifts free. Habituated to danger, the
miners went to their work as usual, in
tent only upon the accomplishment of
the daily task that brought food and
shelter for themselves and families.
So the work went on in its usual
course until after y o'clock. Then
there was
A Roar and Rush or Water.
So fast came the food that it is doubt
full il the men in the upper levels were
able to reach the shaft all. The scenes
of horror and death in the upper levels
can only be imagined, for no one es-
capped to tell the tale. Had the men
been able to reach the shaft death
would still be certain, for the No.
shaft, the only direct means of reach
ing the upper levels, collapsed and
caved in. cutting off all escape that
way. Had there been time the men
might have descended by some means
to the lower levels and crossed over to
No. shaft, but the in-rushing food
came too fast. There was heartrending
scenes about the mine and wild cry
of alarm through the little hamlet
children gathered with horror-drawn
faces to see 18 men come forth from
the hideous depths and TO behold the
Michigamme river plunging with a
sullen roar into the chasm in its bed.
The men who escaped were almost all
from the two lowest levels. Warned
by the roar of tine waters they fed
wildly toward the shaft and managed
to escape from the pit of danger. There
was no lack of volunteers to descend
the only available shaft, but the self
sacrificing courage Of the hardy miners
was all in vain.
The Dark Angry Waters
rapidly rushed into the shaft and
proved even to the courage of despair
that human aid was without avail
there. The 20 men in the pit were
strangled corpses now. Not until after
daylight did the river complete Its
work and resume its normal course.
The mine workings had been filled to
the river level and the fatal stream be-
gan to crawl down it's dry bed once
more. The death of 28 men marked
the end of the Mansfield mine, for un-
less the river can be forced to seek an
other channel this rich deposit of iron
ore can never be worked again. Eight
OF the victims leave families OF children
fatherless. and about half Of the re-
naming 20 were the support Of par
ents. The news was slow in reach
ing the outside world. The near
est telegraph Office is at Crystal
Falls, six miles away, and though q
railroad hack runs into the mine il
was only nsed to haul out ore and haul
In supplies. In the number of lives
lost this is believed to have been the
worst disaster that ever occurred in
the Lake Superior iron region. What
measures, II any, can be taken to res
cue the bodies OF the dead are yet unde-
termined. A careful survey Of the
ground by competent engineers will
have to be made, for the frst step
towards getting into the flooded work
ings must be to divert temporarily or
permanently the course Of the Michi-
CANINE river and pump out the mines.
The money loss will be $500, ,000
To IDfinens Catholic Congressman.