Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1902-07-30
WAS KILLED IN Il RO| Mine
LOUIS A. DUNKLE CRUSHED.
The Superintendent Was Caught In
a Cave-in on 8OO-Foot LeveI-TvO
Timberman Had Miraculous Els
capes-Event Has Cast a Gloom
Over Northumberland Rushed

noSSianu, b. o., July 2S.-LOuiS A. |
Dunkle, superintendent of the LIE Roi
mine, was instantly killed by a cave
in on the 600-foot level of the mine.
Two timbermen, William L. Mcdonald
and Daniel Gum. were buried in the
same mass of rock, but were extri.
Gated alive and practically unhurt.
Their escape was miraculous.
The incidents attending the fatality
are OF the most sensational nature.
and the terrible event has caused a
gloom throughout the city that Is al
most unprecedented. At the LIE Roi
connection was being made between
the 700 and the 600 foot levels, and tn a
men were removing the sill floor of the
TOO level. The work had been under
way for several days, but the results
were unsatisfactory. The slopes on
the 600 foot level were filled with
thousands Of tons of loose waste rock,
left after the ore had been extracted,
and this was bearing down upon the
timbering of the floors beneath in an
ominous manner, causing the timbers
to slew and shift.
Instructions were issued to bulkhead
at close intervals, but even this did
not appear to have the desired effect.
1t was essential in order to save the
ore yet unstoped on the 700 foot level,
that the sill floor should be maintained
intact, and Superintendent Dunkle had
been underground for many hours per-
sonally looking after the placing in
position OF timbers. At an early hour
this morning he was on the sill floor
OF the 700 foot level with three men,
while a gang of Is men were doing
similar work on the twelfth floor,
about 20 feet below. Despite the tim.
bering, it. became evident that the floor
would not hold, and as last resort an
effort was made to blast an opening
that would permit the vast to escape
through the waste shoot into lower
levels, thus relieving the weight above
and Strengthening the supports be.
meath. The shoot became choked, and
a shot was placed to dislodge the boul.
ders and timbers forming the obtsurc.
ton. The shot failed to explode, and
Mr.. Dunkle went back with his two
men to relight the fuse, stating that If
1t failed to relieve the situation he
would abandon the effort to save the
level.
| While the trio were within the dan
ger zone the floor gave way and a cata.
clysm of rock, timbers and debris
poured in upon them with a roar and
a crash that resounded through the
miles Of mine workings. The mass
was not less than 100 feet long and
contained thousands of tons of ma.
terial, the aggregation of years of
work in the upper levels.
| The men we're at the center of the
slide, and Mr.. Dunkle was caught In
the avalanche and crushed to death.
Mcdonald and Gum escaped practical.
ly unhurt.
The men in the floors beneath heard
the crash, and the thrush of air al.
most blew them out to the station.
They Immediately left the workings,
fearing that the straining and cracking
timbers above augured a further cave.
in. When it was seen that the timbers
would stand the weight, they returned
and plans for a rescue were immedi.
ately formed. Manager Mackenzie
was summoned, and Shift Bosses Joe
Thorne and Fred Whitman headed the
relief party. They set to work amidst
the grinding mass, not knowing what
instant another and even more disas.
trous avalanche would occur.
| Manager Mackenzie discovered a
small aperture near the footwall Of the
stope, and wormed his way in until he
heard a shout from the center Of the
| great mass. Stimulated by the knowl-
edge that at least two of the men were
alive, the rescuers labored like mad
men, and three and half hours after
the slide they took out Mcdonald and
Gum. The men were pinned down by
great timbers, several 10inch bolts re-
curing to be sawn through at the i'm.
minent risk Of the rescuers' lives. Mel
Their man was seriously injured.
Half an hour later Mr.. Dunkle's
body was discovered, but 10 hours
elapsed before it could be reached and
released. Death must have been in.
Simultaneous, from the nature Of his
wounds.