The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-21

gushing out of the mouths of the shaft
grew denser and more deadly, but the
striving miners chung stubbornly 10 the
forlorn hope CT rescuing their
comrades. Again and again the cages
were sent down through the shafts now
reeking with tunnels and held at the
lower stations to offer relief 10 possiple
survivors, but wait as they might
with eyes and ears strained TO eaten
the faintest response, no answering sig
nal was given. In the strain of horror
the crowd scarcely stirred or spoke
Here and there was convulsing sob
bling but no frantic cries or movements.
Strong hearts break silently and the
/ weaker ones were stupefied by the
shock.
I So many women stood, staring va
cantly, with clenched hands and sway
ing bodies while they waited untiring-
~ hour after hour for news of their
loved ones.
Every possible effort was made to
rescue the doomed men. and the chief
director of the struggle was John P.
Jones. superintendent of the Crown
Point mine He had come to the big
lode from California, little more than
a year before. Then ne had hardly
dollar in his pockets, but his work
/ ing capital of brains and energy was
unsurpassed by anybody. He went to
the front at once, first in charge of
] the Kentuck mine and next of the
: Crown Point, where he was seeking
the bonanza which he finally un-
earthed. So he took the lead in the
fight with the fire, as a matter of
course, and unhesitatingly.
Risking Life to Save Life.
AS soon as the smoke cleared away
somewhat from the Yellow Jacket
shaft, owing to the strong draft set
4 ting downward and up the Crown
Point shaft, small parties of miners
and firemen went down repeatedly into
! the burning mines, and finally sue
/ ceeded in bringing up six bodies from
the lower levels of the Kentuck and
I Yellow Jacket. No one could live for
moment in the reeking chimney of
the Crown Point shaft, but as a blower
was kept at work constantly putting
| fresh air into the lower levels, it was
family hoped that some in the depths
of the mine, beneath the smoke cur
rent, might yet be living.
So a cage was sent down to the
1000 foot level about noon, with a
lighted lantern upon it, and a sheet
of paSteboard, on which was written:
I'VE are fast subduing the fire. 1t
is death to attempt to come up from
where you are. We shall get you out
soon. The gas in the shaft is terrible
and produces sure and speedy death
on the cage, and let US know where
you are
When the cage reached its destined
station, there was a pause for a few
moments, while all waited breathlessly
for some signal in return. When the
cage was drawn up to the surface, it
was seen that the light was extin-
guished. but even if the writing had
been illuminated by the beams of a
cloudlesS sun instead of the dim rays
of a glimmering lantern, no eye within
that dreadful tomb could have read
the message
The roll of the three mines was then
called. Twenty-three were missing in
the Crown Point, one in the Yellow
Jacket and four in the Kentuck. Eight
bodies had been recovered; thus thirty
six miners in all probability were
dead.
A Tragic Spectacle on the Lower
Levels.
About midnight it was decided to
attempt to descend through the 900
foot level of the Yellow Jacket mine
into the lower levels of the Crown
Point. Three Gold Hill firemen, Put
nam, Lee and Mercer. went down,
with Virginia City fireman, Henry
Ane. No men that ever risked their
lives for a forlorn hope were Drawer
They reached the 1000 foot level of the
Crown Point alive, cropping with dimly
burning lanterns through the utter
darkness and choking atmosphere of
the drifts. On the floor of this level
dead men were lying as they fell In
the agony of SuffOcation, with their
mouths glued to cracks in the planks.
seeking everywhere for one last breath
of fresh air. Their faces were flushed
and swollen, but the features of we'll
known friends We're not past recogni-
ton. Farther on, however, in the well
at the bottom of the shaft, frightfully
mangled bodies were found of
wretched men who had met an instant
death in their wild desire to escape
from torture. One poor sufferer had
climbed up the shaft to point be-
tween the 800 and 900 foot levels. where
he was found hanging to the ladder
with one leg fast inside and still
clasping the rounds with so firm a
death grip, that he could only be
plucked away by force. The bodies
We're tied securely to planks, and
hoisted one after another to the sur
face, where they were taken up in
the stout arms of miners and firemen
and borne away.
A Long Battle With the Flames.
Meanwhile miners and firemen were
battling with the unsubdued fire As
the firemen made their way farther
and farther into the burning drifts.
the danger grew more deadly. AS
fast as the flames were extinguished
by the firemen, the miners cleared
away the charred wood and fallen
rock, and set new timbers in place.
Streams of water were kept playing
constantly on the heated rock of the
walls, to cool the smoky ovens which
had been mine galleries. Hot water
stood ankle deep on the floor Of the
levels, and it's rising steam mingled
with the sulphurous vapors of the de-
composed ores and the smoke of the
burning wood. A cave might occur at
any time, which would block the ven
turesome fighters up in a sitting
prison, or expel a blast of foul air
which would smother them in a mo-
ment.
In placing hose pipes in the drifts Of
the Kentuck mines, the miners ofTen
fell on the floor insensble, and were
carried fainting TO the surface, where
some lay gasping like diving men. and