The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-04
MICHIGAN'S Big Mine FIRE
Extent of Damage at the Calumet
and Hecla Unknown.
Impossible to Predict How Long the
Blaze Will Burn-The Fourth Con-
Migration Since 1854, All of Them
Breaking Ont ON Sunday-The Eff
feet on the Company's Stock.

| HOUGHTON, Mich, June 3-The SEN
sation of the past week in the Lake Supe-
rior copper district and the mining circles
| generally was the fire which broke out
| Sunday in the Calument and Hecla mine
1t was discovered by the underground
Waterman in No. Hecla shaft at the
twentieth level, 1000 feet below surface,
shortly before p. m. A crew of twelve
men was Immediately sent underground
to close the fire doors. which ar. provided
between each of the shafts on the various
connecting drifts, but the men were over
come by the large volume of gas from tnc
burning wood before this work was fin
ished and one pipeman in the party. Will
| liam McRae, died shortly after being
brought to the surface and five others were
| badly overcome and taken to the COM
pany's hospital.
specially devised oxygen apparatus for
| resuscitating workmen overcome by gas or
| powder smoke was used with great sue
cess, being brought by the physicians to
| the mouth of the shaft and applied as soon
as the rescued miners reached surface
again. This probably saved the lives of
two Of the five men totally overcome.
| AS result of the failure to close all the
fire doors connecting No. 2 Hecla with ad
joining shafts the gas began filling the en-
tire mine within few hours and the shafts
| were sealed by placing heavy timbers
| across the shaft ten feet below surface
| and tamping dirt in the crevices, the mass
being given top dressing of wet clay.
Soon afterward gas begun pouring from
innumerable crevices adjoining the burn
ing shaft which was already on fire from
the seventeenth down to the twenty -shird
level, a distance of 600 feet, but each vent
was stopped with clay as soon as located.
The South Hecla or Black Hills portion
of the mine being unconnected with the
| Calumet and Hecla branches is unaffected
| and working as usual, but all work under
| ground is suspended in the two branches
| first named including the famous Red
| Jacket vertical shaft which required ten
years to construct at cost of several
| million dollars and was begun in 1889 i'm
| mediately after the last big fire was put
out, for the special purpose of opening the
lode at another point in such manner that
work there could be carried on even
though other portions of the mine were on
fire.
1t was deemed expedient, however, sew
Jacket vertical with the older workings IN
order to secure adequate ventilation, the
rock temperature at the bottom of the
shaft, only $50 feet less than full mile
below surface, being 81 clio degrees Fab
renheit. This heat, in connection with the
accidulated water, rendered work In the
lower levels of the deep shaft SO difficult
and painful that a voluntary bonus of one
third was paid the miners who sunk the
last 900 feet in depth.
This is the fourth big fire In the Calumet
and Hecla. the preceding fires having &C.
CURED in 1884, 1887, and 1883. Like tie
three fires preceding, 1t was discovered on
Sunday evening, shortly after q timber
gang had left the mine. The company has
watchmen patrolling the entire NINE and
complete underground system of fire
alarms. water pipe and fire hose, chemical
eXtinguishers, and fire doors.
Were 1t desired by an enemy to set the
mine on fire, few moments after o'clock
on Sunday evening would give the best
chance Of the fire gaining strong Roadway
before discovery. and it has been at this
particular hour OF the day and day of the
week that all four fires have broken out.
1t is also rather remarkable that all of
these four fires have occurred at critical
period in the copper market, when prices
were falling, and the Gripping of the
worlds richest producer Of copper would
necessarily accrue to the advantage OF
every other copper mine.
1t is impossible to predict how long the
fire will last or the damage it will do. 1t
takes but small fire in a shaft TO either
ruin or greatly damage that shaft, espe-
cially when SO deep as in this district. In
the light Of the history Of the past three
experiences it seems probable the present
fire will last several weeks, If not longer.
II may become necessary to drown out
the flames with carbonic acid gas as was
done twelve years ago, when all the gas
generated from a monster lime kiln was
gathered in 500 horse power boilers and
forced under ground through a four-inch
pipe under heavy pressure, the boilers
serving exactly the same purpose as the
steel tanks. containing the same gas, from
which soda fountains are charged
The extent of damage done can only be
guessed at-none of-the officers of the
company can do more than guess until the
fire is out, the shafts unsealcd. and care
full examination made. The conglomerate
reef on which the mine is opened requires
extra heavy timbering and the shafts are
easily injured by the coming together of
the foot and hanging walls through any
weakening OF the supporting timber which
is not promptly detected and remedied
The mine is still producing from the South
Hecla and could get out perhaps 1900 tons
of rock daily from the shafts opened on
the Osceola amygdaloid within few days
after stoppings were begun, so that the |
property will not cease being producer, |
no matter how long the Ere may last al |
though production will necessarily be |
largely curtailed until the main portions of |
the mine can be worked again. |
The company has large stores of surplus |
mineral, which is the crude c pper with |
gargue of worthless lock as 1t |
comes from the stamps to keep its smell |
tiers running at South Lake, Linden and |
Black Rock Buffalo. SO that all contracts |
for deliveries can be met promptly for |
many months TO come, even should the fire |
rage much longer than seems probable. |
The Calumet and Hecla has about fifty-two |
hundred employees in all departments, and |
a fire of long continuation would prove a |
very serious matter to the labor, though |
as In former fires, the policy of the COM
pany will be undoubtedly to keep thei-
men, even if jobs have to be made out of ]
the whole cloth, to give them at least pa !
tial employment.
The effect of several weeks of fire will |
be disastrous on the stock |
Calumet and Hecla shares shrunk s., Geo 0OO |
In value on Monday and Tuesday of this |
week. and few weeks continuance of the !
trouble would undoubtedly force the shares
TO $500 or even lower, as against an aver
age price of $3.50 maintained for year
past The dividend announced on Tuesday |
last was hut $40 per share or an even
million against the quarterly disbursement
OF $40 which shareholders have grown to
expect within the past two years Pre-
ceding fires have caused similar cutting in |
half Of the regular quarterly dividend and
in at least one case. the passing of the div
dend entirely.