The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-08-25
ALL COULD HAVE ESCAPED.
Timely Warning Was Given of the
Fire in the Franklin Mine.
The Thirty-seven Who Perished
Tried to Extinguish the Flames.
lBy Associated Pressl

| SEATTLE. Wash, Aug. 25.-Prepara-
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 a 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, perished
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 gangways
rushed back to notify the miners fur
ther in. while others rushed out and
reached the main shaft.
Breast 81 was soon burning Hereby,
and before the miners knew 1t the fire
had communicated to breasts 80 and g.
Several of those who fingered at breast
50 took warning and fed but all who
lated.
1t Is evident that all the men had time
to come out, for those who worked In
the further breast reacled the shaft In
safety. while those who were nearest
the shaft and consequently were removed
from the danger persisted.
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
wild and desperate endeayor to escape.
But the majority of the bodies bear no
marks at all, not even a scratch. and
their features were in quiet repose, in
dicating that their death had been a
speedy and painless one,
As soon az the alarm whistle sounded
from the engine-house, people began to
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 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 men
Others went down from the surface
and found the body Of the first man
II the gangway about 1000 feet in from
o: Anderson, and was pulled to the top
was the first intimation that any one
The fan keeping air in the mine had
fire, but when the rescuers went to work
the fan was started again.
NJ. ID. Storey, one of the rescuers who
went In from the surface, proceeded
along the gangway after finding the
hrst body. Then the first Of the miners
At one place eight men were lying to-
gether, and in another one man was
round under mule, five mules In
all being dead. Storey, says, that. the
men were all lying in the. middle of the
gangway with their hair in the mud as
II they had tried to bury their heads
completely and thus escape the smoke
He could not believe they were dead,
and turned them over so they could
breathe. He was soon satisfied, how
ever, that they were really dead
rey, was at work in the sixth level,
south. when a boy named Chapman gave
the alarm that breast 62 was on fire.
Green River ne or .r' auxiliary Slope a but but
finding this impossible. he returned
making up his mind that he would go
out via the May slope.
from the sixth level south who were
going on to the north level to do what
they could to rescue their imprisoned
steadily for two and half hours before
coming to the surface. He thinks that
every man in line with the deadly
smoke was killed in two minutes.
surface of the mine slope, the excite
ment of the wives and mothers and, for
that matter, the whole populace. became
almost uncomfortable.
At 3 p. NJ. the last of the thirty-seven
bodies was brought out, and then they
began to quiet down. Many of them
were completely Frustrated with their
violent grief.
The origin OF the fire is supposed to be
due to spontaneous combustion, caused
by refuse and screenings at the bottom
of the breast Stacking and catching fire.
1t Is suggested that possibly the fire had
been burning for some time. and from
smoulderlng blaze II all at once became
a burning fire.
The breast is about 300 feet high, and
Ia now all on fire. The fire has also
communicated to breasts so and 81 OF the
same level, and the fifth level is threat
ened. 1t Is believed. with the active
measures which will at once be
taken that In three months the fire will
have become completely extinguished.