The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-09-09
MINERS i'm A FIERY TOMB
Flames Spread with Awful Rapid
ity in a Michigan Mine.
THIRTY BURNED OR sUFFooATED.
The Mine oficiais Say That There Is Not
the Slightest Chance That Any of Those
Below VIII be saved-The Cause of the
Fire q Mystery.

the Slightest Chance That Any of Those
Below win be saved-The Cause OF the
Fire q Mystery.
CALUMET, Mich, Sept 9.--At about 8
O'Clock Saturday afternoon fire broke out
In the shaft of the Osceola mine and II Is
more than probable that thirty men and
boys have been burned to death or suf-
located.
The names Of the men known to be In
the mine are as follows: - Trembath,
mine boss; Richard Bickel Michael john
son, Richard Grenfel, Richard Sufellt,
John Matsen, Jacob Bryant, Francis
Lander, Alexander Danfell, John Cudlip,
Thomas Curtis, Robert Johns, Peter Mar
tin, Joseph Saghte, James Harrigan, Will
lam Donald, Barney Elgore and Antoine
Scezweak. All are miners. In addition
are Peter Stangard 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. When the fire broke out
all Of tho men and boys employed In the
mine, about 800 in number, made a rush
for the shaft In the hope Of being taken to
the surface. The fire was too. rapid for
Them, however, and the chance of escap-
Ing by the shaft was entirely cut off by
che flames and smoke. The majority of
the miners made a break for q cross cut,
and In that way managed TO reach another
shaft from which they were taken to the
top. Thirty 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
mon below was entirely cut off. The men
In charge say 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 with
the dense smoke within,a short time after
the fire started
Fortunately the mine is not as heavily
timbered as some of the mines in this lo-
cality, and it will not take 1t great while
to burn out. As the thing now stands
there is not the slightest thing that can be
done for the men and no effort is being
made TO extingI1sh the flames. Nothing
Is known of how the fire started.
Captain p. Richards, with gang of
seven men, went down No. shaft last
evening and went about 700 feet toward
No shaft, when they had to turn and flee
for their lives on account Of the smoke and
gas. Some Of these men were very nearly
overcome, only reaching the surface In
time to save their lives. 1t is learned that
the place whore the fire caught was the
worst place in the whole mine, and tha
only place in the mine where fire Of any
extent could have caught.
Several Of the men who escaped claim to
have passed others on the ladders that
were unable to proceed further on account
Of being overcome with smoke and gas.
At the time the alarm was sounded over
POO were underground, and all could have
escaped had they used proper preoaution.
Several miners In their flight passed
group of seven or eight who had stopped
to rest and were smoking their pipes. They
seemed to be in no hurry or think Of dan
ger. When told to hurry to the surface
they remarked that they had plenty Of
time, but not one Of them reached the sur
face.
An attempt will be made to reach the
men today. There is no danger of the
bodies being burned, and 1t is generally
thought that tho men escaped to some Of
the drifts leading to other shafts and were
overcome by gas and smoke before they
could reach a place of safety. This being
the case, the bodies will be recovered as
soon as the fire is gotten under control
and the gases leave tho mine.