The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-08-25
CANNOT SAVE NEPHEW JOHN. JAIL COULD HAVE Escaped
Timely Warning Was Given Of the
Fire in the Franklin Nine.
Tho Thirty-seven Vino Perished
Tried to Extlnguish the Flames.
(By Associated Prsxs)


sEA1TLE. Wash, Aug. @.-Prepsra-
tons are being made to bury the thirty
seven miners killed In the Franklin
mines Yesterday The town Of Franklin
is In mourning. and the disaster has hor-
riied the community.
There were sixty-two men In the mine
when FIRE broke out. Twenty-Five men
made their escape in safety. but the re-
mainder. who Tried to help their COM
panions to smother the flames. persisted.
The fire started at lis o'clock. Smoke
was seen by some Of the drivers on the
sixth north level and notice was given
to the men inside. who were working
the different places.
Many OF the men in the ganEways
rushed back to notify the, miners fur.
tner in. while others rushed out and
reached the main shaft.
and before the miners knew II the fire
had communicated to breasts go and 81.
| Several OF those who fingered at breast
| 90 took warning and fed, but all who
remained were overcome and asphyx-
lated.
| 1t is evident that all the men had time
| to come out, for those who. worked In
| the further breast reached the shaft In
safety. while those who were nearest
the shaft and consequently were removed
| from the danger persisted.
Several men were badly bruised, and
one colored man was taken out with a
broken neck, their wounds indicating
that they had thrown themselves against
posts and timbers Of the gangway in a
But the majority Of the bodies bear no
marks at all, not even a scratch, and
their features were in quiet repose, in
dicsting that their death had been q
speedy and painless one.
AS soon as the alarm whistle sounded
crowd, around the mouth Of the slope,
quickly spread throughout the town.
| Among the first to reach the scene was
Supt. Ramsey. The first to volunteer
two others was lowered r de down the LOO
foot slope to the sixth level. There he
met men from the sixth level south. who
were doing all they could to rescue mer
Others went down from the surfac,
and found the body Of the first mar
In the gangway about 1000 feet in from
o: Anderson. and was pulled to the tor
was the tirst intmation that any on'
The fan keeping air In the mine hat
been stopped at the first indication @
fire, but when the rescuers went to worl
the fan was started again.
went in from the surface. proceeded
f srsN body. Then the frst of the miner
were found scattered along in row
gether, and In another one man wa
found under q mule, five mules II
all being dead. Storey says that n,
gangway with their hair in the mud a
If they had tried to bury their head
completely and thus escape the smok'
He gould not believe they were dead
and turned them over so they coult
breathe. He was soon satisfied, how
ever, that they were really. dead;
rey. was at work in the sixth level
south, when boy named Chapman CAV
the alarm that breast G. was on hre
s. River ne or .r sa. IL son
finding this impossible. he returned
out via the May. slope.
from the sixth level south who wer
going on to the north level to do wha
they could to rescue their imprisone,
steadily FOR two and a half hours befor
every man in line with the deadl'
smoke was killed In two minutes.
surface of the mine slope, the excite
ment OF the wives and mothers and. 70
that matter, the whole populace, becam
At3P. M. the last Of the thirty-seye,
bodies was brought out, and then the.
began to quiet down. Many OF then
were completely Frustrated with thei
violent grief.
The origin OF the fire Is supposed to b
due to spontaneous combustion, cause
by refuse and screenings at the bottom
J OF the breast stacking and catching nre
1t is suggested that possibly the fire ha
been burning for some time. and from
smouldering blaze II all at once becam
a burning fire.
The breast is about 800 feet high, an
Is now all on fire. The fire has ais
communica ted to breasts 80 and 81 OF tn
ened. 1t Is believed, with the activ
measures which will at once b
taken that in three months the fire VII
have become completely extinguished.