The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-11-11
SEVEN DEAD ALREADY TAX
EN- OUT.
From Fifty to Seventy-ive Men Are
Still 10 the Mine, and Ali May
Be Lost-Disaster at Kear-
sarge Mine, Near Vir-
ginia City.

patch to the lnter-MOuntaln rom
Virginia City, Mont, says: Seven
are dead, number more burned
and perhaps scores lost in the un-
dergronnd workings of the mine in
a FIRE which started in the Kear-
sarge mine, situated at Summit,
eight miles from here, this morning.
The known dead are, Superintend-
ent R. 'B.Turner, of the mine, a
miner named TobiD, and five other
miners, too badly burned to be iden-
tilted 7 Tnese seven bodies have
b-en recovered. From 80 to IS
men are still down in the mine and
may have perished. i7
The plant employed 200 men. It
isths property of United States
Senator Millard, ef Nebraska, and
was valued at about $l,000.O00
THERE'S no way to estimate the
loss.
The fire, which started at z o.
clock this morning, as the shifts
were beiag changed, still RACES
l6ercsly aud the rescuers. hundreds
of whom have gone, from Virginia
City, will be hampered, as there is
no apparatus at the mine. y is not
known how the fire started. ..s,..s.
| s Sup't. Turner. gave. bis. life
for. bis men,. He was at break fast
and par ally dre -sed when the alarm
cvme. DAsbing into the shaFthouse
10 his shirt. sleeves: With another
miner, whose name has not been
learned Turner made his way into
4 the main tunnel Here they found
Everything, abIaze. They CROPPED
their way down and il and dragged
out five bodies, including TobIns,
In q second attempt they did not
come. out and were later pulled
forth dead by the rescuere, the man
| who SO beroicalIy aid ed Turner per-
fishing With him. ss....ss J, ~. f,s..=
Turner was acknowledged, as the
leading authority on, coanidipg in
America. He, was q member Of the
American society..of Mining Engin:-
eers.. His father was, formerly state
auditor Of Colorado, Turner had
fore bodings that Ie you'd die before
helwas 36. as = brother Frank Tur-
ner, met a violent death in Arizona
some years. ago., when Just s35,t, and
o,her members of the family had
been KiIltd At that age. Tufner
was within three months of Sc, and
his foreboding lie realized. A wild.
ow and one child, living in Virgin
ia City survive him..
/ The total list of dead may not be
known until tie bodies have been
recovered. All but those of Tobin
and Turnersare too badly burned to
be identified. Physicians from
Virginia City, Ennis and other
towns are on the way. If the min
ers known to be in the mine are
| dead, tha list will foot up to go or
|75. Some Of the rescuers are badly
burned.
The shafthouse, cyaniding plant
and tunnel are total loss. 1t is
not known how badly the workings
| of the mines have been damaged.
The workings of the Kearsarge
are such as to afford little ventila-
tion and heavy smoke from, the
burning timbers is hanging like a
blanket in the mine. Should TIE
fire reach the underground maga-
2 ne terrific explosion is inevita-
BILE, which would effectively choke
i the workings with debris and en-
tomb the miners almost beyond
hope of rescue, even should they
escape the flames and smoke. The
amount of dynamite stored under
i ground is considered sufficient to
| dislodge several hundred tons of
rock. The origin of the fire is un.
known.
i Later reports indicate that all of
the men in, the mine, with the ex-
ception Of the seven burned, escap-
ed through other workings. It is
possible, however, that eeveral 9TH
Eers have persisted. The fire was ex-
/ tingnished at two o'clock, and for
ces of several hundred workers are
searching the ruins Of the shalt
house, boiler house, blacksmith
plant and the tunnel for dead and
wounded. It will not be known
for some time, until roll is called,
how many perished. A list Of those
burned in the effort to rescue the
miners cannot be procured, as eve