The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1899-05-06
BUNKER HILL MILL BLOWN UP
At Wardner, Idaho, Union Miners Came
Used Two Tons of Dynamite-Mill q
Total Wreck-Several Persons Injured
Governor Asks Aid Of the President.

Wardner, Idaho, April 30. - Armed,
masked and desperate, 1000 miners from
Canyon creek poured into the town at
noon yesterday on stolen Northern Pa
cific train. Three hours later they had
left with their mission accomplished. The
great Bunker Hill mill, costing 500, 900,
had been blown into million pieces by the
aid of a ton and half of dynamite, which
the rioters brought with them. Although
the mob from Canyon Creek met with not
the slightest resistance, yet they left here
with two of the Bunker Hill men shot
from behind, while with them they took
the dead body of fellow rioter, whom
they themselves had accidentally shot.
The dead comprises:
Jack Smith, miner at the Tiger
at Burke, shot with a rifle ball through
the chest.
The injured are:
James Cheyne, vanner man at the
Bunker Hill mine; shot through the hip.
r. r.. Rogers, stenographer at the
Bunker Hill mine Office; shot through the
lip, slight.
The Bunker Hill mine is closed. When
it will be re-opened is thing that no liv-
ing man can say. With the mill wrecked
it is impossible to handle the ore produced
at the mine workings. The Last Chance
is likewise closed down. 1t has been get
ting power from the Bunker Hill mill, and
the destruction of those works will abso-
lutely prevent the Last Chance from work
ing for the next three months, or until
10 Go ~
while the total working force of the town
is laid off.
| The wrecking of the mill plant involves
the livelihood of 600 men. The Bunker
Hill mine up to the strike had been work
ing 36O men and the mill 80, while the
Last Chance altogether employed l50
people.
Demand for Troops.
AT $3.50 last evening the governor sent
to President Mckinley formal demand
for 500 regular soldiers, asking that they
be dispatched at once to the scene. Mar.
tial law has not been declared, the ordi.
nary legal formalities not having beer
gone through with, and it seems doubtful
if any such procedure can be had, owing
to the affiliations of 80 many of the off
cials in Shoshone county who must CO.
operate.
Valuable Papers Destroyed.
It has been learned that quantity
of valuable documents in the suit now
pending between the Bunker Hill & Sui
livan and the Last Chance had been placed
in the Bunker Hill Office, and were com
pletely destroyed when that building wal
fired. Among these documents were
maps, drawings of the mines and data
of the greatest importance to the Bunker
Hill people. It is not known what effecl
on the suit the destruction of these pa
pers will have. The more valuable of thu
Office papers, togther with what cash wa.
on hand, were placed in the safe some tim'
before the building was fired, and probably
will be found to be uninjured when thu
safe is recovered from the ruins.
The Bunker Hill & Sullivan Mining
Company, now at war with the unioI
miners of the Coeur d'Alenes, has its of
fees in San Francisco. 1t is owned by ,
syndicate of California and Standard Oi
capitalists. 1t is capitalized for $4,000,
600, in 100000 shares, of the par valu'
of $40 each, and has paid to date $6S4,OO'
in dividends.