Connecticut western news., 1894-08-30
MINE DISASTERS.
THIRTY SEVEN MEN KILLED NEAR
 FRANKLIN, WASH.
An Expiesios ef oss Fiilsd th. Lover Lev els of the Min. W ish Flames. sna Msa Died IAk. sheep Ia sa Iass..t-rwo Hnl- ed In Penn.yiv~ni@ Nsns.

Died IAks sheep Ia an Isss~.t-rwo Hnl-
 ed In . Pennsyiv@aia Nasns. saa.
 SEATTLE, Wash, Aug, 26.--A terrific gas explosion occurred in breast oa on the sixth level Of the Franklin mine at Frank lin, near this city, in the afternoon. Sixty. two miners wsrc imprisoned, and s7 wers Killed The fire was soon extinsuiahed. and the work of taking out the bodies be- gan. All wore recovered.
 Fire was first noticed by some of the drivers on the sixth north level, and no tico was given to the mon inside who were working the different places, ~ 10 wns known there was Ire. Many Of the mon rushed back to notify the miners farther In, while others rushed out and reached the main shaft 10 is certain that all the men In the broast reached the gang way in safety. z...
 In all about 70 men wors at work In the sixth level north, and of that number about 70 fingered at breast ea, where the fire originated. and made an attempt to put out the ire. The breast was burning fercely, and before the miners knewst the fro had communicated to breasts GO and 6i, and smoke began to issue from breast oi in that immediate vicinity.
 Several of those who had fingered d the
  but all who remained were overcome and asphyxiated. It Is evident that ali the men had time to come out for those who worked in the farther breast reached ths sbsft~ in safety, while those who were nearest the shaft and consequently were removed from the danger perished. They evidently believed they were In perfect safety from the fire, but while they lin- gered smoke oozcd out from outside places farther south, and the bodies were all found south of breast oa. They were all found within space of 300 fcct
 Al ths rtt's Mesth.
 AS soon as tho alarm whistle soundsd from the engine house people began to crowd around the mouth of the slope and the cry, The mine Is on frel" quickly spread throughout tho town. Among the first to reach tho scene was Supsrintend- ent Ramsey. The first to volunteer was George Smalley, . negro. who. with two others, was lowered down the l, 100 foot slope to the sixth level. There they met men from the sixth level south, who were doing all they could to rcsous men from the north end. otherx went down from the surface and found the body of she first man in the eangway about l, 0oo feet in from the slope.
 The body was that of John q. Andsr- son and was pulled to the top of the slope. | Its arrival on the surface was she first i'm | timation to the men, women and children there that any ono had boon killed. Con- sequently when the body came up thers was a wild scramble to discover lts iden. tity. Meanwhile the miners from the other levels woro carrying on the work of resoue In tho mine. The fan keeping air in the mino had beon stopped at the nrst indication of fire, but whom the reacucrs went to work the fan was started again. As the bodies began to arrive at the sur face of the mine slope the excitement of the wives and mothers. and, for that mat ter, the whole popuiaco, became almost uncomfortable. When the last of the ST bodies was brought out, they began to quiet down. Many of them were com pletely prostrated by their violent grief.
 Tho origin of the fro is supposed to be due to spontaneous combustion, caused by refuse and screenings in the bottom of tho brcast catching fro. It is sug- aestcd that possibly the fro had hcan burning for some time, and from . smol- derinp blaze it all at onoc became a burn ing fire. The breast is about BOO feet high and is now all on nre The nre has also communicated to breasts 00 and CT of the same level ana the fifth level Is threaten. cd. It is believed with the active measures which will at onoe be taken that in thres months the fro will havc become conn | pletely extinguished-