The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-08
FORTY MEN MISSING.
When the Roll Was Called at
the 0scola Mine.
A TERRIBLE RACE FOR LIFE.
Two Hundred Men and Boys Rush TO
an Exft-Those Who Did Sot
Peach II Are Dead.

Calumet. Mich. Sept At about 3
o'clock today Ere broke out in the smart
OF the oscola mine. and 81 flis tine % p
more than probable that forty men -"
been burned 70 death Or sunocatsd- ~.
fire started IL shaft 40. 5. Vnlch ~ 49,
TO carry the miners - the surface iloi ~,
,he nina. and when the FIRE broke out al
OF the men and bovs In the mine 49,.
30 irt number made s. rush Tor the atiaLI
"a the hone Of being taken 20 the surface.
,rhe fire vas roo rapid for them. however
and the chance q escaping py ahe STA
was entirely cut or b. flames ana sfloAe-
The ma fority % the imprisoned NINE
made a break for a crosscut, ard III thI8
way managed 70 reach another s''3i''
from which they could escape.
Forty were missing when the ron Y a.
esited Within q short time after they
had reached the surface smoke began is-
suing from ali the shafts and the escape
OF men below wag entirely cut on ne
men in charge say now that there y NOV
the sIlghtest chance for any or the men
,,ovy fn the mine tn escape with their hEes-
II they were not burned they must nave
been choked by the dense smoke WltHIl =
short time after the FIRE started. + Or
ff,uafeiy the mine is not az heavily tlih-
bered as some Of the mines IN this iocality
and II win not take IL q great whie 10
barn out As the thing now STANDS the'
a. not the slightest thing mat can pe
done for the men. and no effort Is being
made 10 extinzuish the flames. There IS
nothing known Of how the iire oriEihaleu-
Charles Weare, a drill boy. went 10 the
,r.tor, Of the burning shaft and told the
miners Of their danger. ihey oid ho1
think II was 20 bad and some OF them
came isp the ladders 20 the seventh level
where they thought they would nave tiis
TO eat lunch They were only there 'hfes
lie, hoo sFyEa -
" dense. Michael Harrington took ouL
soype matches 10 reiight the candles, which
bad gone out but the oxygen had been
consumed. ard the candles would not
burn. Gronlug their way In the dark, they
went up 2na feet more. when they lost
hope. but one Of the miners. craving on
hands and knees. reached the bell wire
and signaled n lower the cage by the
sound they knew Il was near and signaled
,or II 10 stop. Then they climbed Into IL
and rang for the engineer 20 hoist. They
reached the surface almost suffocated.
Thirtv-tyxo men and boys are believed
10 be stu underground II IS Impossible
90 give the number exactly as some or
them supposed 10 be missing may not
have been at work. but II Is certain tHat
ever twenty-five persons who were In he
mine have not come 20 the surface. ~
was judged impossible 10 quench the IRE
by ordinary means. and at 7 o'clock work
was begun on tho demolition OF The smart
house The house was practically torn
down in a few hours and heavy timbers
placed across tho mouth. over which dirt
was thrown and closely packed, The work
was difficult. because the great volume
OF smoke nourinR out OF the shaft con-
stantly increased as the flames licked their
way upward from the point where the flre
began As natural ventilation was
stopped the smoke and hot air forced their
way along the connecting drifts 10 the
three shafts In the main mine. and 50 be
gan 10 emerge from the other openings in
great clouds Owing 20 the sealing OF the
mouth of No shaft. access to the mine
through the other shafts was shut of, the
entire workings above the twenty-seventh
level being niled with dirty mixture.