The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-11
MURDEROUS FIRE DAMP
Continued From First Page.
was slow and tedious because of the
poisonous gases.
Fire Damp Closes Round. Them.


The stories of the men who escaped
are miraculous in their nature. Tom
Foster, an assistant foreman in the
"Klondike" mine, was among the first
to emerge from the Mill creek shaft.
Shortly after Powell Griffith, a fire
boss, came up. Foster was in his Of
flee when the explosion occurred. His
first thought was for the safety Of
the men under his charge. With the
help of a foreman, Roberts, an effort
was made to replace a few of the shat
tered doors. All the while the fire
damp was closing around them.
They did not falter for an instant
but straight into the midst of danger
they went. The thought, save the
men, was paramount. Through gal
leries, into headings, warning and help
Ing, the two men went. Roberts fell,
but Foster staggered on, whittier he
hardly knew. In the midst of the dan
ger he met Powell Griffith, a fire boss.
He had faced what seemed certain
death in an effort to save his men.
Forward they went, dragging COM
rade into possible place of safety
here, giving a word of warning there,
until human endurance could stand
the strain no longer. Exhausted, they
staggered into a heading where the
fire damp had not entered. There they
rested for moment, and then plunged
forward-where they did not know
until finally they wandered into a wa
ter level and through it reached a
place of safety.
Like Nightmare.
Said Tom Foster: "How I ESCAPED
I do not know. 1t seems like a terri
bic nightmare. Hundreds of times I
gave UP hope, but from sheer instinct
stumbled forward until I finally
reached a place of safety"
John Whitney, who was beyond the
dip where the explosion took place,
said: II was at the heading, one-half
mile from the explosion. Several dozen
were overcome by the damp or gas,
and had all l could do to escape. Aft
er the explosion we went back to res
cue the less fortunate, and nearly lost
saved his life. l did not see my ia
ther, who was struggling to get out.
don't think many outside of the driv-
ers escaped
William Malcolm was in the upper
part of the mine when the explosion
came.
Run for Their Lives.
"The first 1 knew of the trouble"
said he, was when men came running
from what is known as the dip, or
lower section. They came running,
clothes, and in a terrible state of ex-
element. AS near as l can remember
not more than ten came that way, and
they escaped, leaving at least 200 in
the Dip"
Richard, Bennett and John Meyers
were in the mine when the explosion
took place, but managed to escape.
About o'clock they concluded to go
back into the mine, and brought back
report as to the situation. They
went two miles inside, and on the
way saw the dead body of Eddie va
manski at the first side track, about
mile from the explosion point.
THE damp was fearful said Mr..
Bennett. "We had to turn back. We
could go no furN~er."
Brought to the Surface.
At 1920 the first four victims were
brought to the surface from the Klon-
dixie section.
They were Robinson, who was I'M
conscious when found; John Retallic,
alive and conscious, and two unknown
Slavs, both alive but unconscious.
Dr. John B. Lowman, who came up
with the men, said he passed twenty
five dead bodies, some of them in a sit
ting posture.
John Martin, George Wallace, Pat
rick Muldoon and Joseph Cohegchaski
came out of the Mill Creek opening
some time after the explosion.
1--WE were all working at what is
called Goody's three miles back" said
Martin. I'VE were beyond the point of