Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1902-12-30
A MINE
:. ON FIRE
GOULD & CURRY MINE HAS
TIMBER FIRE.
Efforts Being Made to Confine
the Blaze

'e-, -.
The alarm Of fire between and Z
o'clock yesterday morning was caused
by a column of smoke issuing from
from one of the openings of the Chol
lar mine groupings above A street,
caused by burning timbers in the un-
der ground workings, which, as near
as could be ascertained. originated in
the north lateral drift from the surface
tunnel main drift. iiiii-:' fiii~
Streams of water were kept pouring
down the opening used as an airway
from where the smoke issued through
out yesterday and q bulkhead placed
in the tunnel as near to the scene of
the fire as it was safe to approach
and another in the lower tunnel con-
Meeting with the 1O0-foot level of the
main shaft for the purpose of confin-
ing the fire to the place where it ORR
ginated, which could not be definite
ly ascertained on account of the dense
| smoke and gas in the tunnel.
Last evening it was decided to make
another attempt to extinguish the
flames by leading two strings of hose
in the tunnel, tearing out the bulk
head and attacking the fire from that
! side, but after an advance had been
made a few sets beyond the point
from where the bulkhead had been re-
moved, the tagging began caving and
that plan was abandoned as impracti-
cable. and further attempt to locate
and extinguish the fire was suspend
ed until Superintendent Gorham ar
rived here tomorrow from Santa Mo
nica
The origin of the fire is involved
in mystery. The only lights used in
the tunnel and connecting drifts are
incandescent electric globes and only
, one man, James Comerford, has been
: employed in the underground workings
for some time in repairing the north
lateral drift on the tunnel level, and
when his shift was up at o'clock o.
r Saturday afternoon there was no sig1
! iof fire there The only tenable theor
). les advanced as to it's origin rae thai
? it was due either to fire being dropped
t down the air shaft by some malicious
. person or through an un1nsulated par
Y of the electric light wires coming il
e contact with the drift timbering, bu
this is said to have been impossible
n for the reason that the electric ligh
e current is invariably turned of a
soon as Comeford quits work in tn
tunnel.
The theory of spontaneous combus
ition causing the fire is untenable, fo
It the reason that that process is yer
slow and invariably gives warning {
s it's presence by the smell of matte
W in combustion long before it bursts ii
It to flames. The timbering in the stope
IS of the Chollar groupings, from wher
e several hundred thousand tons of OF
e have been extracted, represents th
y product of mighty forest, but thel
N is no immediate danger of the fiji
n reaching them, and even should it q
IT so, it would not extend downward
ss a greater depth than 200 feet as tn,
to is the limit attained in ore stopin
er Neither is there any danger of tt
1t flames spreading to any other pa
p in the underground workings in Che
le liar, or to any other mines contiguo,
I'd Ito it, for the reason that there are 4
" underground connections.
IL . The men with the hose streams p
e netrated the north lateral drift abo'
Is so feet from its junction with the su
re face tunnel whenca second cave occu
lg red, and as it was impossible to 81
b. the condition of the roof of the drii
IT. it was considered unsafe to advan'
is any farther. The point where the la
m cave occurred is thought to have be,
only a few feet from the vicinity
the fire.