The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-09
IAN EXPLOSIVE DUST.

The asphaltum deposits of Utah show
a product OF absolutely homogeneous
texture with a ccarsely conchidal frac-
ture In mining it gives off a fine
chocolate colored dust, which is not
only very penetrating TO the skin and
lungs, but also when mixed with GER
tain proportions OF air highly explo-
sive. The explosion which took place
in the mines OF the ellison Asphaltum
company in Utah in November last
was due to the ignition of this explo-
sive mixture OF air and dust from
fire carelessly started by some of the
Worlmen underground. This fire oc-
Cured so late in the year that it did
not materially effect the output for the
year. Moreover, before the fire was
fairly extinguished a new opening had
been made, and within ten days after
the fire started ore was being shipped
ASPHALTUM LITIGATION.
Early in 1879 a new company was
formed at Provo for the purpose of
mining giIsonite on property claimed
to be outside Of the Uintah Indian res
ervation and not within previously
pre-empted claims. The new undertake
ing has DEVELOPED litigation, to which
the ellison Asphaltum company and
the Indian agent of the reservation,
Colonel j. T. Randlett, are made par
ties. The outcome of the litigation will
be the settlement OF the boundary line
of the reservation, the ellison company
claiming that Us claims extend 10 the
reservation line and mining within the
reservation beng prohibited.
FORT DuCHEsNE FIRE.
In Novembe szslast, says the report,
fire broke out in the gilsonite mines of
the Asphalturn company at Fort
a n 70 no
strenuous efforts made TO extinguish
it, burned fiercely for six days. Five
days after the fire started one of the
shafts cayed in, cutting off a portion
of the draft which fed the flames, and
by noon the next day the fire was ex-
tinguished. While it lasted the fire
burned out a gasoline vein 700 feet in
length and leo 1eet in depth. The old
workings were entirely ruined and it
is not probable she company will ever
be, able to repair&hem. The disaster is
supposed to have been caused by a
small fire startedtby some of the miners
in the worl1ings4 The heat from this
fire caused an explosion of asphaitic
dust in the shaft and this in turn
started the confiagration. Several lives
were lost in the explosion and sub
sequent fire and a, large number of men
were injured. Before the fire was fairly
extinguished, Superintendent Seaboldt,
with a gang of men, was at work on
new shaft, and within week gilsonite
was being shipped from the new open
ing.
ECKELS COMING TO SALT LAKE.
Comptroller of fhe Currency James
H. Eckles, says that he is soon going
out into ''the enemy's country" and
that he viii take Mrs. Eckles with him,
with a view to giving his family, as
we'll as himself, O good idea of the land
of the free silver hostiles. Mr.. Eckels
is enc of t1e4 bic schiefs of the gold
Democracy. Ee Spoke and wrote and
worked for the single gold standard
with all his ability and energy. Then
when election day came around he paid
no attention whatever to the Palmer
and Buckner sideshow, but went right
over and presented his ticket at the
big, yellow main Mckinley tent. Comp
troller Eckels admits that he is glad TO
go out to the silver country; thinks II
not unlikely that he. may learn some
thing while there. and is sure that he
viii have an exceedingly good time
Mr. and Mrs. Eckals will leave Wash
ington the last week in August. They
go first to Helena. Thence they pro-
coed to the Yellowstone park. After
visiting the park they will visit Salt
Lake City, Denver and Glenwoed
Springs.
CARSON MINT CANDIDATES.
The candidates for melter and refner
at the Car son City mint who have ap-
plications on file are A. B .Stoddard,
Jerry Coughlin and Willis G. Clarke
George w. Likens and ]. S. Mccullough
are on record as candidates for super
intendent of the mint, and w. j. Gray,
of Genoa, has intimated to the secre-
tary of the treasury that he will take
any place he can get in the mint, and
agree to like it too.
IDAHO OFFICESEEKERS.
Idaho candidates who have applica-
tions on file for places under the trea-
sury department are j. w. Cunning
ham and Charles f. Baxter, both of
Boise, who want to be assayer; Thomas
J. Matthews of Blackfoot, who is quite
willing to be a special agent of the
treasury; and H. S. Woolley, of Paris,
who would like the same job.