The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-25
Thirty-seven Miners Killed in a
Seattle, Wash, Mine.
Out of Sixty-two Men Only
Twenty-Five Escaped.
FIRE BROKE OUT
The Men Were SmOthered to
Death by Smoke.

SO on the sixth level Of the Franklin
mine, near this city yesterday after
noon The cause was a fire in breast
No. 50. Sixty-two miners were inn
prisoned and thirty-seven were killed
The fire was soon e.<tinguished and
che work Of taking out the bodies
began. All were recovered.
About half of the miners were col
cred men, having been brought from
the East four years ago to replace the
strikers. The mine is owned by the
Oregon Improvement company and
produces the best coal in the state Of
Washington
At 12:45 o'clock a fire was noticed
By some Of the drivers on the sixth
north level, and notice was given to
the men on the inside, who were
working IN different places, some in
the breast about the level and others
along the ganRway.
Many Of the men in the gangways
rushed back tc notify the miners
further in, while others rushed out
and reached the main shaft. 1t is
cartain that all the men in the shaft
reached the Rangway in safety In
all about seventy men were at work
in the sixth level north and of that
number about forty fingered at breast
No. 6. where the fire originated, and
made an attempt to put out the fire.
The breast was burning 6ercely and
before the miners knew it the fire had
communicated to breasts Nos. so and
81 and flames began to issue from
breast No. 81 in that immediate
vicinity.
Several Of those who fingered at
the burning breast 60 took
warning and fed, but all who re-
NAMED were overcome and asphyx-
lated 1t is evident that all the men
had time to come out, for those at
work in the further breast reached
the shaft in safety, while those who
were nearest the shaft. and conse-
nuently more removed from danger,
persisted They evidently believed
that they were in perfect safety at
the fire, brit while they fingered the
smoke oozed out from some outs ide
place further south, and the bodies
were all found south of brea,5t 90.
They were all found along within a
space OF 500 feet.
Several men were badly bruised
and one colored man was taken out
with broken neck, their wounds in
dicating that they had thrown them
selves against pOsts and timbers of
the rangWav in a desperate endeavOr
to escape But the majority of the
bodies bear no marks at all, not even
a scratch, and their features were in
quiet repose. indicating that their
death had been a speedy and painless
n
sounded from the engine house peO-
PIE began to crowd around the mouth
Of the slope, and cry, 1.-The mine is
on fire." quickly spread throughout
the town. Among the first to reach
the scene was superintendent W. Il.
Ramsey
He tried to appear unconcerned and
ms though he really did not believe
any lives would be lost. but crowds Of
men, women and children who lived
81
the careless and Rood-natured manner
OF the superintendent, began to
treat the affair as a huge joke, laugh
ing and joking each other. In a short
time, however, word came for help.
aud when the superintendent call ed
for volunteers to 60 into the mine
there was great excitement The
first man to volunteer was George w
Sma1ley, a cOlored man, who, with
two others. was lowered down the
100 foot slope 20 the sixth level
There he met men from the sixth
level, south, who were doing all they
could to rescue men on the north side
Of the level
surface, and G. c. Todd, John Adams
and John Morgan found the body of
the first man in the gangway about
1000 feet in from the slope. The
body proved 10 be that of John @.
Anderson, and was pulled to the top
of the slope The arrival Of Ander-
sons body on the surface was the
first intimation to the men, women
and children on the surface that any
one had met death. CONSEQUENTLY,
when the body was carried away,
there was wild scramble to discover
its identity. When it was found, the
rescuers were besieged with Ques-
tions from mothers. fathers and chill
dren concerning loved ones who were
I'M prlsOned- But their questions were
only answered by an ominous shake
of the head.
Meanwhile the miners from the
levels were carrying on the work of
rescue in the bowels of the earth.
The fan keeping the air current in
the mine had been stopped at the first
indica tiOn of fire from the return air
course. but when the rescuers went
to work the fan was started up and
then the air in that part of the gang
way south Of breast So, on the sixth
level, was kept pure
n d. Story, one Of the rescuers
who went in from the surface. upon
reaching the sixth level north. ram
along the gangway. At LOCO feet in
ne found the first body. and then the
rest of the miners were found scat
tered along in a row. In one place
eight men were lying together, and
in another one man was lying under
a mule, five mules in all being dead.
Story says that the men were all
lying in the middle OF the gangvay
with their faces in the mud as if they
had tried to bury their heads com
pletely and thus escape the deadly
and Obn oxious coal smoke.
A. tia bndlsA began to arrive at the