Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-03
SHUT IN BY FLAME
NAY POSSIBLY BE RESCUED ALIVE

nat the Chaaoss Are That Death Has
Clai1sa TAeA-scerss Of M,,.r. nav,
- nee ssr sassty-seass Capitol Of Psa.-
VivantA B1rnsa-Rire Creates . Panic
Among the Legislators - Loss 20 the
seats o1,Soo. 900 session Records Saved.
Houghton. Mich. Feb. a-Shortly aft.
er o'clock yesterday morning the an
nouncement was made that there was
another fire underground. this time at
North Tamarack. situated about a mile
north of the famous Calumet and Hecia.
An alarm was Immediately sent to the
100 men employed In this shaft, and all
but four escaped. The men had been
at work but a short time when those
at the ninth level Of No. shaft came
out to the mouth Of the shafc to dump
their car into the skip and saw a blaze
in a pile Of tagging" on the plat. and
instead of trying to extinguish 1t ran
away. going to the surface. and giving
the alarm. These men had passed this
spot only q short time before and saw
no signs Of fire then, and how the fire
caught is a great mystery. When an
alarm was first given those working on
the ninth level and above it made their
way to the skips, while those below that
level escaped to No. shaft and came to
the surface that way.
Went Back for Their Dinner Pals.
When the fire broke out four men
were working in the sixth level. and all but
two escaped, Peter Limpea and his 20
year-old son William. At the eighth
level eight men were working, all es-
Gaping but william Tomaczhoski and
his 16-year-old son Antonio, and they
could easily have escaped with the 9TH
ers, but instead of taking the skip when
1t was stopping at the eighth level they
went back to a place in the level, where
they had been working for their din
ner pals. This was the last seen OF
them. The other two unfortunates had
received warning of the danger, but
failed to reach the surface. When it
was found that four men were missing
a rescuing party descended in the cage,
but owing to gases could get no fur
Their down than the fourth level, and
was forced to come back to the surface.
The cage, however, was kept running
past the levels where the men were
supposed to be, very slowly, SO as to
give them Q chance of getting on and
escaping.
Men May He Rescued Alive.
As they did not do SO. 1t is more than
probable that all are dead. although
the men are above the fire and can get
away from the mouth Of shaft q dis
lance of 700 feet into the level. The
shaft is 1850 feet deep. and all the
timber In the levels is $50 feet away
from 1t. Another rescuing party went
down again in the afternoon, but after
getting within 900 feet Of the fire had
to return. The damage to the shaft
cannot be great, as 1t il wet, and there
not being much material to burn the
fire cannot last long. Captain Parnall
thinks 1t Is out now, but says that
while water is being run down the shaft
no more attempts to reach the men will
be made. He says 1t is possible that the
men may be rescued alive, as COM
pressed air II being constantly sent
down. and IL those entombed open the
valve and let the air into the level they
can live without doubt until today. Full
ly 1000 people visited the shaft yester-
day afternoon, among them relatives
OF the men entombed, whose grief was
appalling to see.