The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-30
A Cave In Let's tho Torrents OF
a River Into the Mans
field.
Twenty Eight Hapless Miners
Drowned In the Levels of
the Mine.
No Chance 0f Escape for tho Poor Eel
i"ws-Ths Mine Il Now = Wsrth-
less Fat.

Crystal FALLS. Mioh.. Sept. A-Ths
Mansfield, the only producer Of Besssmss
orc In the Crystal Falls district. located elk
miles from here. oaved In At nine O'clock
last night, burytnR twenty eight workmsn
aud destroying $500. In property. The
Mansnsld working levels ran directly under
the Miehiaamms river and parallel with II
for several hundred fest, the frat level
ahirty-Ave feet below the bottom OF the
river. Five lower levels TAN parallel 10 the
first, the bottom being 428 feet below the
water. The i've upper levels had been
stopped in tho ,. oat esa of ths work. leaving
only the timbsrs and pillars Of ore 10 bear
the weiahs of the floors OF ore above. The
accident IL supposed to have besn caused
By ths giving way Of timbsts on The Anh
level. allowing those above 10 follow and
at last the river 10 pour In upon the fatsd
men.
After tbs cave The river bed below ahe
mine WAS dry an hour and forty minutes.
Forty eieht men descended the shaft last
night. Twenty escaped and twenty eight
psrished. Their bodies will never b. re-
covered.
Most Of the su vivoN we're Al work on the
bottom level, which had NOT been stopped
out, and consequently did not cave when
the lsvsls above fell. The men heard the
crash Of tho cave and started Tor The ladder.
way. All but four on this lsysl reached tho
laddsr-way before a torrent Of water down
the shaft out OIL that avenue of escape.
Tony Buletto. skip tender. WAS standing
with Frank Rooko. night boss. at the shaft
on the fourth level. They hea the crash
aud realized what WAS coming. Rookie
went into the drift TO inform his men Of
the danger and did not return. Buletso
came to ths surface In the skip alone.
Andrew Sullivan. another night boss, wAs
on the sixth level At tho time of the ACCT
dent. He called his men to follow him
quio ky. Al! bu. four men on this level
reached the ladder way in safety. Al they
sscsndsd. however, they were nearly suf'o-
Gated, 90 great was the air pressure caused
by water curing down ths shaft. They
were able to breathe only At each landing
place and came to the surface moro dead
than alive.
Mine Insr reotor Roberts SAYS his deputy
had bsen employed In the mine and pivsn
The work daily attention. He also says he
visited The mine personally at required in
tervals. aud the proper Smount Of timber
had been placed In position by the oom.
pany. ~ 10 IA clear demonstration" said
ucs kIat sue tWUekluk 6y0tcku lu Mlulu&
cannot bs employed in that sort of ground.
The company had taken all necessary pre-
cautions In the conduct uf the work."
The lost miners a'e: Samuel Peters,
James 81, ons, W. II. Pierce, Frank Booker,
swan johnson. am johnson. Mike Har.
,inRtod, Al 1sr,esAni. Frank johnson,
Sheltimo Xodra, Pete Tury, Nocolo Fon-
tani, Charles Pohl. ma risd; John Hol.
strom, Bax Torurali. John kirrupR. John
Randall, John Warner. Oscar LundQsist,
Chi 10 Aroanzelo, Ant Stifano. August
ColoRna. 0. d. Constant, Viails Zodra.
Celisti Nszri.
The Mansfield was dsveloysd about six
years ago and worked continu nuously since.
1t is estimated that 2OO. 600 tons OF ore were
In sight when the accidont occurred. To-
day II Ia n worthless pit. only marked by =
small bay caused by the sinking from ito
natural bed Of ths Michignmme bv the cave.
The death OF tho twenty eight men
marked an end Of MRnsheld, for unless the
river be forced 10 seek another channel
this rich deposit Of iron ore oan never BE-
worked again. Eight OF the victims leave
families. children fatherless, and about
half Of the remaining twenty were su,-
porte,s of parents. What measures, II any,
eau be taken to escue the bodies Of ths
dead. have not yet been dess mined.