The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-08
THE HORN SILVER FIRE.
WORK Of REBUILDING WILL BE
COMMENCED AT ONCE.
Nothing Has Yet Been Developed Re-
garding the Origin of the Con-
hasration-A Talk with Superin-
tendent Farnsworth.

''The burned concentration, hosting
works and ore house of the Horn Sill
yer at Frisco will be Immediately re-
built and the timbering in the mine,
where damaged by the fire, will be
replaced at once" said General Mana
ger Farnsworth, who had just returned
from the south, to a Herald reporter
last night. The only delay there can
possibly be will be due to our probable
inability to secure timbers Immediately
The work of repairing and rebuilding
began almost before the fire in the
upper workings had been extnguished
A force of men is now at work in the
mine and an increased number will
be put on by Monday or Tuesday. The
company will resume the shipment OF
high grade ore the latter part of the
week"
All of this will be extremely good
news to the people Of this territory and
especially those of the southern CEN
trail portion where the amount of mon
ey distributed monthly by the company
is the salvation of the business men.
Mr.. Farnsworth returned last night
in his special car and was seen by a
Herald reporter at his residence on
South Temple street. From the gentle
man. the newspaper man learned that
the report of the disaster as published
in The Herald on Friday morning and
the subsequent reports of the develop
mentS at the mine were substantially
correct The fire is still burning in the
main shaft above the seventh level,
below which it has never penetrated
1t has been thus far impossible to ex-
plore the levels in which there has
been any fire and the extent of the
damage underground is therefore I'M
known. 1t is anticipated, however,
that the last of the fire will be extin-
guished within the next day or two
and the mine will then be allowed to
clear itself of the smoke before any in
vestigation as to the damage is inaug-
urated. Mr.. FarnsWorth does not an
ticipate that any serious injury has
been done to the mine, other than the
destruction of the timbers. Of course,
there may be a few minor caves on
some of the upper levels but they can
be easily repaired. The miners are
using the old hosting works to reach
the ore bodies and the ore will be
hoisted in those shafts pending repairs
in the new.
The concentration, hosting works and
ore houses, with much of their con-
tents, were destroyed. Out of the
wreck, however, Mr.. Farnsworth saved
the compressor, engines, boilers, crush
err and some of the concentrating ia
bles. 1t will be necessary, however, to
make some repairs upon all of the ma
chinery before it will be in condition
for work again. The fire burned over
and around all of the valuable machin-
cry which was saved, but its heavy
character prevented any great dam
age
1.-THE statement that the water gave
out was a mistake" said Mr.. Farms
worth I'VE had a full supply of water
on hand, the tanks being all full with
the exception of one. The supply was
in the neighborhood of 100000 gallons.
II was impossible to make use of the
contents of the tanks, however, on ac-
count of the rapidity with which the
fire burned and the inability of the men
I to get to the fire plugs scattered
throughout the mill.
Nothing has been developed regard
ing the origin of the fire, which is as
much a mystery as ever. The local
officers of the company incline to the
belief however, that it was ltindled by
some person who Thought that if the
works were burned they would have to
be replaced and thereby create more
work There was absolutely nothing in
the concentration to cause a fire. The
machinery of the mill, including the
electric light plant. was all idle. Every
thing around the mill was clean and
new and on the floor where the fire
started there was nothing but some
heavy steel extras for the machinery
Twenty minutes before the blaze burst
out from the roof of the building three
of the employees Of the company. in
GLIDING the night Waterman, had made
an entire inspection of the works and
there was not the least sign of trouble
They passed directly over the spot
where the confagration subsequently
7 had its birthplace and there is no doubt
but that it had its origin from human
assistance 1t is we'll for that creature
that the men of the camp have been
unable to locate the responsibility OF
the fire. for he would certainly have
I been lynched. Feeling among the min
ers is running high and they feel the
blow more, in fact, than the company
! for it means their bread and butter
and the bread and butter of their wives
and babies.
The company carried no insurance
feeling perfectly safe in the surround
ings, of the works. 1t had been the
| intention, however, of Mr.. Farnsworth
to have placed some insurance upon
| the concentration, but the matter was
allowed to lapse.