The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-20

, ceed:ngiy rich and fabulous stories have
been told Of the amouna of money takes,
from the property. II has been worked
by the present owners for several years,
and a large number Of the operators are
old Colorado miners well known in Lead
vile, Central City and other mining camps
Of the state. most of them having gone
down there for the purpose OF working II
the Mammoth, the owners OF which are well
known in all the mining camps Of Colo
RADIO.
John Stevens. the unfortunate victim of
one OF the worst mining disasters of re-
cent years. though it has not yet caused
any loss Of ffe. SO far as heard from. was
miner in Central City for many years.
and few months ago went 20 Arizona TO
take the position of shaft boss in the Man,
moth. leaving his wife and FIVE children
in their little home in the mountains Of
Colorado. At the time of the accident he
was working as miner, engaged or the
night shift in running a new drift in new
ground that was beng developed an the
alone in the drift on the extension Of the
second level, running from a prospect shaft
operated with a whim, the prospect shaft
being at one end of the ground tina: has
been worked out. the main working shaft
being at the other end Of the worked-out
/
from the prospect shaft.
Stevens went 10 work On his shift at
o'clock on the night of July 4, and at 1879
the miners who were off duty were arous-
ed by a terrific crash. accompanied by
clouds of dust. As the dust cleared away
II was found the entire territory embraced
between the two shafts had sunk down.
crushing the heavy timbers in the old work
ings like so many matches, the sides of
the excavations coming together and max
ing solid ground where but few minutes
before had been a toneyconb OF drifts and
| wines. The assembled miners were al
first Supplied by the extent OF the cave,
! though as they knew that the ground had
been stopped out, they did not think thSA
human life had been endangered by the
disaster. 1t was but moment. however,
before one Of the men called out, Stevens
IS in No. o. and the men with one accord
ran to the mouth of the prospect shaft. 20
find that it had INDUCED in the general
ruin, the sides Of the shaft having been
crushed In and the shaft itself completely
filled with the debris. Instantly q start
was made at sinking a rescue shaft as near
| as possible to the drift in which IL was
| known that Stevens was at work. Volun-
| teers worked with vehement energy. threw
out the masses Of rocks and churshed tim
ters and to,led as only miners toll when
| their fellowmen are buried in the treacher-
| Gus earth from which they wrest their
livelihood. while others wrought with equal
| vigon in bringing and framing tim5ers to
l secure the sides of the shaft. In very
| short time a fair start had been made.
| and though the loose ground in which they
were working was known TO be danger
| Gus, they hoped to be able to secure 1t in
| such q manner as to enable them 10 reach
their comrade quicker than they possibly
could in solid ground. This hope was cts-
PEELED by a serious cave, which warned the
| men that they could not persist in sinking
a shaft In that material and the first shaft
was abandoned. A second shaft was start
ed in the same ground. with like results,
and reluctantly the broken ground was a
bandoned and start made to sink a shaft
| 1T feet through solid ground 10 the drift
| in which Stevens was imprisoned. All
| other work on the mine was abandoned,
| and early on July the new rescue shaft
was fairly commenced. From that time
! to the present work on this shaft has NOT
| ceased for an instant.
| The miners were told off into a number
of rehefs, and the work has progressed
with the steadiness of fate and with a
rsp:dity seldom equaled. To sink III feet
/ in such ground IL the work of month, but
| stimulated by the desire TO rescue fel-
| low-beiug from horrible fate, more than
| 100 feet have been sunk in ten days. The
| tools of one relief are scarcely dropped be-
| fore they are picked up by the next, and
there is hardly an interval in the change
of shifts. the blows of the sledges swung
by stalwart arms having been continuous
| for more than ten days.
ha- hAay ovid y-s frn~ no Grc4 ~Has
Stevens is not the man to sit down under
disaster Through the loose ground in the
cave the sounds of his work have been con-
stantly heard, while he occasionally re-
spends TO the shouts of the rescuersHe is
said TO be a man of remarkable physique
and wonderful endurance. and It Is more
than likely that # they succeed in getting
a drill hole through to his prison and are
thus enabled to lower food TO him. ne Will
live to tell his grandchildren of his mar
vicious escape.
The management OF the mine has spared
no effort in his behalf. AS soons as the
rescue shaft had reached sufficient depth
a steam hoist was erected over It's mouth
in order TO drive the work as rapidly as
possible, and everything has been prepared
TO draw him to the surface as soon as the
drift is reached. There are a number of
miners in Denver who know Stevens well,
and with scarcely an exception the poin-
ion Is expressed that he will be rescued
alive. as the mine is sufficiently wet TO
supply him with water.
c. L. Hall, one of the owners OF the
Mammoth. is in Denver. having been here
several days 81 left there Oh Monday.
June o. said he. land the accident oc-
CURED at 1870 on the following Sunday
night, July T. ! received letter from
my son, dated on the sth. IL which he says
that Stevens was then alive. AT that time
the shaft was in full swing, and my son
said THAI he did not think that IL would |
be possible 20 reach him under two weeks. |
and I'D not have much hopes of reaching |
him in time 20 save his life. II is a long |
time for a man TO do without food, but !
there are some cases on record IN which |
men have lived as long as that without Il. |
and Stevens may get through. II the re-
port received by telegraph is true. the work |
done by the men IS wonderful The rock |
is very hard. and II Is difficult 10 under 1
stand how it is possible Cor them TO work !
so fast. Only a few men can work al
time in shaft. and they must have an /
admirable system arranged.
The assertion that the ground was IL l
sufficiently tsnbere5 Is not true. The mine
was well tirnbered throughout. and while
the drifts were being rua IN the territory |
thai has caved In was the poizion Of the 4
miners that & was unnecessary 20 timber
so closely az the rock Is very solld- We
had worked out the ground 20 considsra-
bic distance below the point TneTe Ste
vents is confined. ard everything ras bull;
I'd sols5ly. I can only account for he ac
eden; By the heavy weight &C the ground
for I an certain tina; thsre was no point IN
-ts mine where the ti-nber.rg was lnsut- 1