The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-18
BURNED OR SUFFOCATED.

IDUnNEU Ull OUrrUUdluU,
FORTY MEN AND BOYS IMPRISONED
IN A BURNING MINE.
Nothing Could be Done for the Unfortun-
ate People, and No Effort is Being Made
to ExtInguish the Flames Left to Their
Horrible Fate.
CALUMET, Mich, Sept. About 8
o'clock this afternoon fire broke out
in the shaft of the Osceola mine, and
at this time it is more than probable
that forty men and boys have been
burned to death or sufocated.
The names of the men known to be
in the mine are as follows: T. Rem
bath, mine boss; Richard Bicket,
Michael johnson, Richard Grenfel,
Richard Sufelt, John Matzen, Jacob :
Matzen, Jacob Bryant, Francis Lander,
Alex. D. Allen, John Cudlipp, Thomas
Curtis, Robert Johns, Peter Martini
Joseph Saghte, James Harrington, Will
liam Donald, Barney Elgore, Antoine
Scezweak, all miners, and Peter Stag
ard and Walter Dohle, drill boys.
The fire started in shaft No. 8, which
is used to carry the miners to the
surface from the mine, and when the
fire broke out all of the men and boys
employed in the mine, about 200 in
number, made rush for the shaft, in
the hope of being taken to the surface.
The fire was too rapid for them, how
ever, and the chance of escaping by
the shaft was entirely cutoff by flames
and smoke. The majority of the i'm {
prisoned miners made break for a
cross cut and in that way managed to
reach another shaft, from which they
were taken to the top. Forty were
missing when the roll was called.
Within short time after they had
reached the surface, smoke began
pouring from all the shafts, and the
escape of the men below was entirely
cut off. The men in charge say now
| that there is not the slightest chance
for any of the men now in the mine to =
escape with their lives. II they are
not burned they must have been
choked by the dense smoke within
short time after the fired started.
Fortunately, the mine is not as
heavily timbered as some of the mines
in this locality, and it will not take it
great while to burn out As matters
now stand, there is not the slightest
thing that can be done for the men,
and no effort is being made to ex-
| tinguish the flames.
There is nothing known of how the
fire originated.
The fire broke out in the Twenty !,
seventh level. The Osceolais a cop
per mine, located two miles from
Calumet. The scene at the opening
of the shaft, where many of the men
came up, was deeply heart-rending,
thousands having gathered around the
mouth of the shaft, many women and
children clinging around, looking for
their husbands and fathers. Besides
the men named, many moreare known !,
to be entombed, but as yet it is Inn
possible to obtain their names. They
are mostly Austrian trimmers. Search
ing parties were sent down in Nos.
and 2 shafts, to try to reach them
from the drifts leading to Nos shaft
above the twenty-seventh level, but
were unsuccessful. The mouths OF the
shafts have been all battened up to
stop all drafts, and all hope is now
given up of ever reScuing the men
alive. This is the greatest loss of life
that has ever occurred in the copper
pw1EUk INDEED.
HoUaHToN, Mich, Sept. .9.-Twenty
women are widows and fifty children
fatherless by the disaster in the Ok J
ceola mine. Most pitiful scenes are be-
| ing hourly witnessed in the vicinity OF
the shafts that have not yet been seal
ed, bereaved women and children
clinging to the spot in the desperate
hope that some loved form may yet
emerge from the opening. There
were many today who censured Super
lintendent Parnell who has general
control of the Clark-Bigelow mines,
because he ordered No. 8 shaft in
which the fire started to be hermeti-
cally sealed. Finally he felt COM
pelled to make statement and he ac-
cordingly addressed large gathering
and explained that leaving the shaft
open would only give the fire more
headway without in any way benefit.
ting the imprisoned men. Michael
johnson lost his life by going down
into the mine after Capt. Edwards,
whom he supposed to be in the vicini-
ty of the fire. In fact the fire was dis
covered by Edwards, and he wentto
get hose to extinguish the flames.
ECapt. Edwards is almost heartbroken
on Johnson's account. The actual
damage to the mine cannot be heavy if
the freis smothered before it reaches
| othar oh offs