The Springfield herald., 1897-11-19
MINE FIRE AT ASPEN.
MAY HAVE SERIOUS RESULTS.
Timbers In the smuEgler Burning-Doubt-
full II the Fire Can BE Extinguished
without Flooding all the Other Big
Mines.

Denver, Nov. IA special dispatch
10 the Republican from Aspen last
right said:
A fire that gives fair promise of clos
ing down every big mine in the camp
is raging in the eighth level of the
Smuggler mine. The cause of the ca
tastrophe that has set all Aspen agoS
is supposed to he spontaneous combus-
ton, although there are few who are
inclined to the theory that careless
miner and candle are responsible.
So far the fire is confined to large
crib and is burning at n point about
500 feet below the surface. This crib
is eighty feet wide. 16I feet long and
300 feet high. 1t contains many thou
sands of cords of dry timber. AT the
point of the fire and for eighty fee,
above it is filed with waste, but the
timber is dry and punky and will
smouldcr for many months unless
quenched. SO far as known these tim
bers have not broken into blaze, but
the supposition is that the entire base
of the crib is burning.
All efforts to reach the fire have
proven unsuccessful and an attempt
to place bulkheads in the connection
came near losing the lives of some
fifty men. over forty of these Were
so overcome by the deadly gas that for
a time their lives We're despaired of.
The burning crib is located about
thirty feet from the Mollie Gibson and
the Smuggler- Mollie connection fur
nished a draught for the fire. Owing
to this the miners in the Mollie We're
the first to discover that something
wis wrong. Thinking the trouble was
We're consumed in making search for
the blaze. This was most valuable
time lost, as shortly after the seat of
the fire was discovered the gas had
become so heavy that all the men We're
driven from the mine. The Mollie Glib
son people attempted to bulkhead their
connections, but came near losing a
number of men. At one time twelve
unconscious miners We're hoisted from
the mine and stretched out on the
shaft house floor. Shortly thereaf fter
six more We're hoiSted out in an only
slightly less serious condition. AL
though physicians We're on the ground,
it took the energetic and vigorous eff
forts of all the hyStanders to bring
these men around within three quar-
ters of an hour. miner named Ed
HodgeSon, while in n daZed condition.
fell down an ore chute and sustained
serious. although it is believed not IA
tai, injuries.
The Mollie people became panic
stricken about the time the unconscious
miners We're being brought to the sur
face, and were ready to abandon the
mine to its fate. The pumpmen as
well as the miners deserted their posts
and the pumps stopped. Hearing of
this. Master Mechanic Alex. Carsons
of the Smuggler crawled through the
connection and started the MOllie
pumps before they We're drowned out.
This heroic act probably saved the
mine, as shortly thereafter another at
tempt WAS made to put in the bulk
head with success. This confined the
gas to the Smugglcr and tonight the
Mollie is working as usual.
At the Smugger Manager Hallett
was ON the ground all day. He reached
the mine at $3.50 this morning and did
not leave it until ) o'clock Tonight.
He made several trips into the mine
and was once hoisted to the surface
unconscious. He endeavored to bulk
head the workings above the fire and
allow it to shoulder. This was unsuc
cessful. although some twenty-five
men We're overcome by gas in the at
tempt.
Manager Hallett was seen by Re
publican representative shortly after
his last trip and asked as to the prob
ability of saving the mine. He replied:
"There are two possible chances.
One is that the fire can be eXtinguiShed
by steam, which we will force in from
below; the other that the fire will soon
consume the crib and cause Il cave-iu
sufficiently large to smother the fire.
No. there is no danger of the gas calls-
ing an explosion. Flooding the prop
erty will not Intentionally be resor,ed
TO, although conditions may arise thar
will make ii unavoidable. For in
stance, in case the gas should become
heavier than the air and sink down 10
the ninth level, the pumps would then
have to be abandoned"
Tonight force of men are at work
putting in steam line in the eighth
level Mr.. Hallett states that he eX-
poets to have this in operation by >
O'Clock tomorrow morning. Some
eighty-five men have been laid off and
il is expected the NIollie will curtuil
their force to absolute necessity until
the trouble is over.
Should the disaster prove as far
reaching as ii is generally supposed to-
night, Aspen ns a mining camp will be
seldom heard from until silver reaches
a figure beyond its present value.