Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-08-30
ACCIDENT AT CREEDE
MINERS CRUSHED TO DEATH.
A Fire in tho Shaft House of the Ano-
u. thyst Causes the skip to Fall to tho
Bottom Of the Shaft, killing Four
Men.

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Denver, AUG. GA special from
Creedc to the Denver Tirnes-Sun says:
-Four miners met horrible fate In
the Amethyst mine this morning. They
were literally mashed, burned and boii-
ed to death. They were:
Tom Eversole, 2S years; married; for
mer home Monte Vista.
Archie Dowell, %; single; Halifax,
N. S.
Hugh Fay, 27; single; Lower sa-
guache.
Charles Proctor, %; single; Pottawa-
tonic, Kan.
Between 4 and D o'clock this morning
Engineer Parks of the Amethyst mine
noticed flames issuing from underneath
the door of the dry room in the shaft
house and about so feet from his post.
He gave the alarm to Shift Boss May
the only other man on top at the time,
and who Just then was preparing bano-
ages for an injury sustained by Tram
mer Oleson few moments before. AS
the trammer was helpless, May ana
Sparks set to work putting out the nre
in the dry room. 1t soon was shown
that their efforts would be futile, as
everything was about as dry US finder
and was soaked with oil. The flames
were also strengthened by strong
draft coming up the shaft right oppo-
site the room. In Il few minutes tne
entire shaft house was in flames, and
1t was not long before the galioWs
frame was wrapt in them.
nv bn fI.aI mo Stn
lust been hoisted. This structure, be-
ing heavily soaked in oil, soon produced
heat sufficient to melt the thick steel
cable and then the skip dropped to the
bottom of the shaft. The horrible con-
sequences of this fire then followed
and are told by Pumpman McAsk1ll,
who was at the seventh Level. lie
says:
it was about 4 o'clock, as near as
can judge, when Worthen, the SKIP
man, came to me and said there must
be something wrong above as the bell
rope had come down to him. AT the
same moment the pumps stopped.
went down 100 feet to tie suction nose
of the sinlier, which l succeeded In do
ing. On my way back l notified Tom
Eversole, Archie Dowell, Jack welsh,
Jack Mulholland, Frank Pierce, Hugh
Fay and Charlie Proctor that there
must be something wrong above ana
they had better get out.
"The men above started up the step
way and l up the ladder. Just as
started burning timbers and heavy
weight flew by me like shot, blowing
Off my hat and eXtinguishing my can
die. / called for my comrades, but re-
ceived no answer. l climbed TO tne
chamber, got a fresh candle and re-
turned. Then l found the bottom OF
the shaft filled with timbers, on the
top of wlih lay the skip, still redhot
and causing almost binding steam to
rise. / again returned to the seventh
level, made my way to the No. smart
and got out, followed by Pierce, Null
holland and Welch.
"On the top the fire burned to tho
ground in from 10 to 20 minutes, the
boiler room, engine room, shaft mouse,
blacksmith shop, supply room, assay
office, shedding, all covering about 5oO
feet. The loss aggresating, with the
machinery, 100000. No. shaft mouse
was saved by cutting off the flames In
tearing down the shedding between
No. 2 and and guided the men out.
Assayer Lemke had a narrow escape
from death. He was asleep in room
adjoining the assay office when ad-
yised by the cries to him and when ne
uwoke he found the only means Of ex-
It by the shaft house was cut on.
Throwing his trunk out of the win
dow he followed 1t and both landed
and both slid down the steep dump In
to West Willow gulch. He lost every
thing but little wearing apparel in
the trunk.