River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-10-05
FLOODED 4 LINE.
In Awful Disaster Near Crystal
Falls, Mich.
Weak supports Give Way and the Miohi-
CANINE River Pours Into the Mars-
field shaft Twenty-EishI
Miners Perish.
nRowNEp Like rArs.


Miners Perish.
DROWNED LIKE FATS.
CRYSTAL FALLS. Mich. Oct. . =
With roar and rush the waters of tic
Michigammc river broke through the
Mansfield mine shortly afteI . o'clock
Thursday night, drowning twenty
eight of the employees at work directly
under the stream. The eighteen men
who escaped were employed in the
lower levels. The accident occurred
between Q aud 10 o'clock but did not
become known until later None of
the bodies have been recovered and il
is believed il will be necessary TO divert
the channel of the river before they
can be secured.
Following is correct list of the dead:
sam Peters, married; James Strong
man, married.; w H. Pierce. married;
Swan johnson, Mike Harrington Frank
Rookie. Nj Torresani. Frank Johnson,
sam Johnson, Sheiiimo Zadra, Peter furry,
Nieelo Fontani, Charles Pohl, married: John
Regula Ole Carlson married: Joe koa. mar.
ried: John Homstrom, Rose. Fortunate, John
kirshe. John Randall John Warner, oscar
Lundquist, Chris Arcangelo Anto Stefano,
August Cologne. o. CONSTANT, Nigilis Zadra,
celesti Negri.
The Mansfield mine is situated on the
banks of the Michigamme river, about
miles east of Crystal Falls, the county
seat of Iron county. II has been work
ing between three and four years and
has shipped about 10000 tons of Bes-
semer ore. The ore lenses dipped rap
idly beneath the stream and for more
than two years the chief work.
ings have been directly under the
bed of the river. There has been
much trouble with water and predic-
tions have not been wanting that the
river would some day break through
the roof of the mine.
The first level was IS feet below tho
bed of the river The lower levels. five
in number, ran parallel with the first,
the sixth, or bottom level, being 42s
feet below the surface of the water.
In the process of mining all the levels
save the sixth have been stopped out,
leaving only timbers and pillars of ore
to bear the weight of the floors of ore
above. The generally accepted theory
as To the cause of the disaster is that
the timbcrs on the fifth level gave way
and allowed the levels above and at
/ last the river to crash down upon the
/ fated men.
The night shift had gone down, and
though some one noticed that more
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 So the work went on in
| its usual course until the roar of water
made the first announcement of
danger. So fast came the flood that it
is doubtful IL the men in the upper
levels were able to reach the shaft at
all.
Most of the survivors We're at work
on the bottom level, which was not
stopped out and therefore did not cave.
Andrew Sullivan, night boss, was
on this level and heard the crash
above. He OWNED what had hap
pened and called to his men tc
/ follow him up the Underway.
| The draft caused by the cave
extinguished their lights and the men
were compelled TO feel their way
/ through the darkness. All but four
men on tn IS level reached the ladder.
way in safety and the ascent was be.
gun. When the men reached the
/ fourth level torrent of water poured
I down the shaft. The men could
proceed. but could breathe only at
the landings as the several levels were
reached. so great was the pressure
caused by the influx of water They
were nearly dead when they reached
the surface. Their four comrades re-
manned ON the sixth level, their avenue
- L.. L..
water.
Tony Buletto. the slsip-tender at the
( fourth level, was standing near the
shaft with Frank Rocco, a night boss,
or foreman, when the first crash came
They knew what had happened and
anticipated the result, but Rocco hero
ically refused to go up in the skip until
he had warned his men of the danger
imminent lie went back into the drift
and persisted with his comrades. Bullet
to came to the surface in the skip and
is the only man who went TO work on
the fourth level last night left to tell
the story.
The scene at the mine location has
been heartrending. Weeping women
and crying children have crowded up
to the gaping pit to view the last rest
ing place of husband and father. Tho
I spot has been visited by thousands of
curious people throughout the day, and
/ the tragic event is the one topic OF dis
/ cussion in the Lake Superior country.
/ No specific censure of the mining COM
pany is being manifested.
MARQUETTE, Mich. Sept 8O.-John
NJ. Longyear, of this city, is one Of the
/ chief owners Of the Mansfield mine
property. He said that the land had
been leased TO Calhoun e. Tenney, of
1 Chicago, and that they had formed the
Mansfield Mining company. Mr.. Long
/ years belief is that The disaster was
caused by ''robbing' the mine; that is,
by working in reckless manner and
tearing down pillars of ore in the upper
levels that should have been left TO sup.
port the roof.
The mine inspector of Iron county
will conduct a most rigid investigation
to ascertain the cause OF the disaster at