The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-11-22
TWENTY-FIVE DEAD IN
TELLURIDE MINE FIRE
No More Additional Victims Have Yet Been Brought
to the Surface.
Dense Smoke flinders the Work of Rsscue-Seyers Are Re,
ported Missing

phur gas should be encountered in the
workings, as the search for the dead
progressed.
Many Of the victims We're married
men and several left families. There
is already talk Of raising a relief fund
for the widows and orphans, and it is
quite likely that the state at large viii
be asked to assist the people of Tellu
ride in caring for those VINO have so
suddenly been beTefst of their support.
The mouth of Bullion tunnel, through
which the SmUggIer- Union mines are
worked, is located not over fifty or
sixty feet from the the burned build
ings. The smoke from the start seemed
TO be drawn to the mouth of the tun-
mel and it encircled that point as if
there were no other place of escape.
This was due to the suction as the air
in the mine was warmer than that out
side.
Were No Safeguards.
On account Of this suction movement
the majority Of mine and tunnel en-
frances have iron doors ready to lower
IN place at a minutes notice to stop
smoke or fire. Unfortunately, the Bull
lion tunnel did not possess one of these
sa eguaEds.
n oRF ears tiiul llutn OF the SIuDeLE-
ing effect of the fire was due 10 the
flames in the converter house, which
was saturated with oil and which
emitted the darkest smoke imaginable.
The tunnel is situated about midway
between the top or apex Of the mine
and the ninth level 1t Is an interme-
date working tunnel The seventh
level is 1850 feet below the surface, and
the ninth level, where between seventy
five and ninety miners were working
when the fire occurred, IS 1000 feet be
low The surface.
Seventeen of the twenty-five bodies
recovered We're found iii the seventh
level. The fire did not penetrate the
mine workings and the frightful loss
OF life was due entirely TO smoke.
History of the Mine.
The mine was originally owned by a
company, of which John Porter of Den
yer was president and A H Fowler
secretary and treasurer. About TWO
years - the mine, with a number of
others IN the same locality, was alb
sorbed by the New England Explora-
ton company of which J. b. Lawrence
is now the head and one Of the princi-
pal stockholders. The New England
company is controlled by Boston capt.
LaIStS.
The executive board of the Western
Federation of Miners. now in session in
this city, discussed the disaster at their
needing today. They averred that a-i-
tati0n would commence in labor circles
To procure legislation which woJid
remedy the evils which caused the fire
a. the Smuggl5r-U Union mine.
Speaking of the causes of the Tellu-
ride catastrophe today, Secretary Wiz
liam D. Haywood of the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners said:
All those lives might have been
saved if there had been brains enough
on the surface to appreciate the dan
ger below and barriCade the Bullion
tunnel, OF even blow up the intervening
buildings when it first became evident
that the fire was spreading
IL 1873 a snowslid e occurred Just
above Bullion tunnel. in which twenty
seven people lost their lives. and if u IS
here on July 3 last that the fighting.
consequent upon the miners strike oc- /
CURED.