The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-05
Two Lives Lost in the Never
Sweat Mine.
ORIGIN OF FIRE UNKNOWN
In an Effort to Find the Source of the
Gas That Permeated the Workings
j. F. Sullivan and NJ c. Flah-
erty Are Overcome.

SAL ibNth, tHoSt VI bbItfl SulIlNdi
and Michael e. Flaherty. who were
working on the pipes, and detecting tn,
smell of gas started to search for the
cause of II. They approached too CLOSE
| to the fire and We're overcome by the
poisonous gases. dying from asphyxia
before assistance could reach them
/ The fire was under control last even
! ing. and ii is not believed the DANA &c
will be great The mine was shut dowr
| yesterday. but il was expected last
evening that work would be resumed
! to-day
The fire started about $50 feet east OF
| the Never Sweat shaft on the 700 foot
level in the third croscut but from
what cause is a profound mystery. II
was discovered about 10 o'clock, but
| there We're indications that something
was wrong much earlier in the day and
| from the circumstances it is evident
| the fire had been burning for some
hours before that time. evidently since
8 or o'clock in the morning, and possi-
bly, longer.
The first intimation anyone appears
to have had that anything was amiss
was when miner named Leary re-
marked during the morning hours that
It seemed as though he smelled gas.
but no one else appeared to agree with
him. and nothing more was thought
OF the remark until some hours later
Then the fumes began to permeate the
level, but still no on paid any attention
until Shift Boss John ID. Sullivan, in
making his rounds. started to go in
the east drift of the 700. He was over
come by the gas and barely escaped
suffocation. He crawled out to the
station and gave the alarm. Superin-
tendent John =. O'Neill was at once
notified and hurried to the scene
The mine was Immediately shut
down and all the men taken out except
a crew to work on the lire. O'Neill
headed a searching party and went be-
low to look for F'laherty and Sullivan.
Shift Boss Sullivan having reported
seeing the body of Flaherty lying in he
drift where he had himself been over
come. 1t was dangerous work search
ing for the unfortunates. but the
searching party perseyered and finding
the bodies dragged them out to the
station. from where they We're sent 20
the surface and Dr. McNevin hastily
summoned. Then Mr.. O'Neill turned
his attention to the mine.
The hose from the carts of the COM
pany's fire department was coupled up
and let down the shaft. being fastened
to the cable of the skip, and in a short
time stream of water was playing on
the fire. 1t was desperate work, but
the men stayed by Superintendent
O'Neill and worked faithfully to pre-
vent the fire from spreading. Early in
the afternoon the steam pipes leading
to the 700 were connected to a water
main and another stream turned on the
fire through these pipes While the
work was going on the air compressors
We're kept running furiously, and by
evening so much Roadway had been
made in carrying away the gas and
toward checking the fire that 1t was
possible to determine the extent of the
burning section. 1t was found that
only one set was afire, and that the
81.
ore chute with no great damage haV-
ing been done to the mine thus far
Superintendent O'Neill stated last even
ing that the fire was under control and
that he hoped to resume operations this
morning.
How the fire could have originated is
a deep mystery to every one connected
with the mine. 1t was at first supposed
when the fire was reported about town
that the old fire in st. Lawrence No. .,
which has been smouldering nearly
eight years, had eaten its way around
into the Never Sweat, but such is not
the case. as there has never been any
fire within more than a quarter of a
mile of the place where yesterdays fire
occurred. and besides. at least one man
worked the day before where the fire
broke out yesterday.
There We're exciting times around the
mine from the time the fire was discov-
'itt hiltll itS FAlfllt Was hHoNH anu
the flames were under control, for it
was feared that another great calamity
was impending. but by the middle of
the afternoon the excitement died out,
when the men became assured that the
worst was over. Through the city a rip
pie Of excitement ran also when the
news was spread and people talked of
the big fire eight years ago and whether
the present misfortune would prove as
disastrous.
Superintendent O'Nefl telegraphed
Marcus DAILY. who is in New York as
soon as the fire was reported and wired
again last evening. 1t is not now sup
posed il will be necessary for him to
return Immediately The occasion for
down the mine was due to the
gas making its way down 10 the lower
levels, and as the extent Of the fire could
not be at once determined. it was de-
cided to close down temporarily for fear
more men might succumb
The body of Sullivan, one of the killed.
was brought up the Anaconda shaft.
and that of Flaherty up the Never
Sweat As soon as Or. McNeyin ar
rived they We're brought together and
he applied an electric battery and did
everything possible TO restore them, but
il was soon evident they had been dead
for some time and there was no hope
Coroner Trembay was notified and or
dered the bodies sent To Sherman's UNI
dertaking rooms. When they We're laid
out they looked very lifelike and seemed
more as though asleep than dead Ex-
cept for red mark on the right side of
Sulivans face. evidently indicating
where he had struck in falling there
vas not mark on either Both were
popular among their acquaintance aud /
hundreds of people visited the morgue
during the day and viewed the bodies.
sullivan had lived I'm Butte a long time
and was very we'll known among the
miners Of the camp. He had been in
the employ of the company for years
and had been given the position he held
because Of his reliability He WAS about
> years old and leaves a wife and three /
children, who live in Dublin gulch tie |
also leaves a brother. Peter. and a
aumber # other relatives in the city
Flaheriy had only lived in Butte /
J bout a year His home was in Irwin. \
Pa. about 20 miles from Pittsburg. and I
had mother aud two brothers living (
here. He came here from Rossiand I
1bgut a year ago and went To work Tor I