The Lamar register., 1899-03-15
MINERS ENTOMBED.
COLLAPSE OF A LEApvILLE
SHAFT.
oh@riss heuss an Bert Frey Imprisoned
In the Bon Air-Heroin Efforts Being
Made to Reseue Them.

Charles Reuss and Bert Frey. miners.
are entombed NJ a depth of 100 feet in
the Bon Air mine. The men are alive
ANA uninjured. but ii is doubtful II they
can be reached in time TO save their
lives.
No eifort or expense Is being spared
ia the attempt to reach the Imprisoned
miners. but 1t Is thought that 1t will
take Mt least four days, and probably
longer before the men can be released.
Inc accident has caused great excite
ment here, for the reason that both men
are well known IN Leadville.
Some 100 tons Of dirt caved In this
morning, about forty feet from the sur
face In the Bon Air shaft on the prop
erty Of that name, being one OF the COM
bination now being drained by the
LeadVille Pumping Association.
The Bon Air mine was started up
with the other properties last October
and the big pumps Were handling
thousand gallons of water per minute.
Only few men were necessary to OPP
crate the pumps and when the mid
night shift went on last night only three
men were sent down to the lower sta
ton, where they were at work at
depth of 400 feet. These men were
Charles Reuss. Bert +. Frey and II. NJ.
Shepherd. During the entire night
there Were occasional punches OF dirt
and rock falling down the shaft, but not
much was thought OF IL until about 5
o'clock this morning. shortly before the
men were relieved from their shift,
when II seemed 10 grow In quantity and
fell more often. Word was signaled
down 10 the men 10 come up at once.
but even by that time the dirt and rock
were falling faster.
Mr.. Shepherd. who wns the head
pumpmau In charge. crawled into the
bucket and told the two other men to
follow. II was 100 feet from this sta
tiou 10 the top. and Reuss and Frey de
clared that they would rather take their
chances at the bottom than TO 90 up the
shaft and be struck by falling rock.
Shepherd pulled the bell. and the next
instant be was going up the shaft. and
despite the fact that seath stared him
IN the fact. he stuck brayely to the
bucket until he reached the top. As he
shot up the shaft, falling dirt and rock
hailed about him. but he reached the
top comparatively safe. He had been
struck about the head and shoulders.
but he was only slightly injured.
Barely had Shepard touched the
ground on top, when. with an awful
crush. the cave-in occurred t,iow him.
and from 400 TO 800 tons OF dirt plunged
into the shaft.
As quickly as possible sleds bearing
bales OF hay and straw We're In opera
ton between the mine and the big feed
stores The hay was put into the cavi-
ties from which the dirt had fallen in
order TO prevent further caving. II pos
sible. The immensity OF the cave-in
can he Judged from the fact that II took
$50 large bales TO nil up the holes.
The caye-ln occurred about forty feet
from the top Of the shaft. and shows n
cavity on each side Of the shaft from
SIX TO eight feet wide. How much dirt
fell to the bottom OF the shaft Is not
known. hut II is believed that not more
than TWENTY-FIVE or thirty tons OF dirt
went down. The remainder OF the
huge mass stuck in the shaft. where IL
is held by falling timber and rock,
which has made barrier hard TO pene-
trate. There is hardly any danger OF
this ground going further down,
The imprisoned men were communi-
Gated with during the afternoon. but
they could barely be heard. and II Is
supposed that they are still at the 400
foot level The men succeeded In com
munlcating by talking up along the wat
selves understood. They wanted lights.
aud an effort was made 10 send down
an electric wire through the water-pipe.
but IL was impossible to get the light
down any distance. The men do not
know how much dirt Il above them, or
In what way they are 10 be released,
although an effort was made to explain
II TO them.
Several times during the late part of
the afternoon and this evening the
pounding on the pipes from below was
heard and goes TO show that the men
are all right SIS yet.
Ii Is q question as to how long II will
be before the men can be reached.
Work was started at once this morning
through the Star drift. which connects
with the Bon Air mt 430 feet. The Star
drift Is 1.S0O feet long, and a great
quantity Of dirt has caved in AT differ
ent places 50 there Is little hope of
heachiug the men iu this way within
three or four days. II that early.
Ii was also decided to sink a new
shaft. which was started from the sur
face distance of about fifteen feet
west of the old shaft. Taking the sup
position that the caved dirt has only
gone down a distance of about thirty
feet. and knowing that the cave oc-
rurred a distance OF forty feet from the
top OF the shaft, the management be-
lieyes flat II will have to sink the new