The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-07
NINE MINERS
PERISH IN FIRE
Lives of Scores of Others in
Grave Danger.
VICTIMS ARE ALL BUTTE MEN
SUPERINTENDENT TURNER
DIES LIKE A HERO.

D
ID special says fire ia. the Kearsarge
mine, six miles from Virginia
City, early this morning, killed nine
men, The damage to surface buildings
is slight Among the dead is super.
intendent r. B. Turner Of Butte. one Of
the best known mining men in the
northwest. Four bodies have been re-
covered up TO tonight.
The Dead.
r.. 3. Turner. superintendent Of Kear-
sarge.
George Allen, stationary engineer.
John TObin a miner.
James Powers, a miner.
Edward Lahrdy, a miner
William Fleming, q miner
Robert DonneUy, a miner.
Two unknown men, miners.
All the dead miners are from Butte
and were single men. The Kearsarge
is one of the principal gold mines OF
the state, and is considered very valu-
able. Tt is operated by me Alder Min
ing company.
Origin Unknown.
About o'clock this morning fire was
discovered issuing from the tunnel
house on tunnel No. i. AT the time
the flames were discovered the timbers
i'm the tunnel were ablaze How the
fire originated IS not known, but at the
first alarm all the miners, carpenters
and laborers, some 40 in all, FASTENED
across the gulch to aid in subduing
the flames. superintendent r. b.
Turner, whose temporary quarters
We're high on the hill across the right
fork of Alder gulch, and but a short
distance from the burning tunnel
house. at once went to the scene and
assumed the directing of affairs and Of
giving orders in regard to the work Of
extingUishing the flames. With two
others he entered the tunnel through
the fire and smoke to give warning to
the entOmbed miners and to aid in their
! escape. Near the mouth of the tunnel
they stumbled over the dead body Of
John Tobin, who evidently had made
an effort to escape but was driven back
| by the flames and smoke.
Gave Up His Life.
They carried the body to the sur
face and once more re-entered the
workings to. rescue their comrades if
possible. According to the story Of .
miner. Hurley by name. he, with Turn
er and another man, entered the mine
behind him by descending through the
air shaft. Hurley was the last of the
three to descend. After going down
| some distance through the air shaft,
thick with smoke, Hurley heard cry
and then thuds as Of bodies striking
timbers. which were followed by a
smothered splash in water.
Hurley tried 20 go farther down the
shaft, but was compelled to retrace
his steps. Up to a late hour this aft
ernOon the bodies Of Tobin, Powers,
Fleming and Donnelly were all that
had been recovered
Mr. Turner had been connected with
the company for several years as SUI
perintendent Of the Kennel mine, and
then of the Kearsarge, and it was due
TO HIS management that the latter mine
has become one Of the best known
mines in southern Montana. He is the
junior member Of the firm of Mitchell
&, Turner, Of Butte. Mr. Turner re-
Gently perfected a new process to treat
cyanide ores. and the papers making
application for a patent therefor left
Virginia City only this morning.
Hurried to the Scene.
AS soon as the news reached Vir-
ginia City everyone hurried 20 Summit.
County Attorney Duncan and Acting
Coroner n. y. Johnson, who started out
TO hold an inquest on John TObin and
remained to perform a like duty over
the bodies Of the others. Superinteud-
ent Turner had a wife and one child,
a boy. who were living at the mine.
Despite the fact that Superintendent
Turner has been reported killed from
the mine and the miners have given up
all hope of ever seeing him alive again,
w. b. Willard, the general manager,
seems confident that he viii be found
in some slope or winze where the smoke
and gas cannot penetrate, and bases
his confidence upon the thorough
knowledge the former superintendent
had Of the underground workings Of
the mine.
The Alder Mining company is now
constructing the most extensive mining
plant ia southern Montana, and with
an the new buildings. the piles Of loose
lumber and the dry wood and shavings
everywhere it is a wonder that the
whole plant was not consumed by the
flames.