Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1903-11-12

| AoH~o "CiS ulSNOSCl Gu Tic llHOCIS
the tunnel we're ablaze. How the fire
originated is not known, but at the first
alarm all the miners, carpenters, and
laborers some 40 in all, hastened
across the gulch to aid in subduing the
flames. Superintendent r. B. Turner,
whose temporary quarters are high on
the hill across the right fork of Alder
gulch, and but short distance from
the burning tunnel house, was at once
at the scene. He assumed the direct.
ing of the affairs and after giving or.
ders in regard to the work of exiting.
uishing the flames, with the others
entered the tunnel Though the fire and
smoke to give warning to the entofnbed
miners. and to aid in their escape.
"Before the party had reached the
platform at 146 feet, the men at the top
who had arrived in the meantime. heard
Laherty shout, Back for your liyesv
and then in the following moment of
suspense they heard the crashing fall
of Laherty through the platform and
into the sump below, and then, one by
one, they heard the other bodies fall,
all but Cullen and Hurley. Hurley
had grabbed the man below him and
was trying to tie a rope beneath his
arms, when the noxious gases put out
his light. Cullen on the ladder above
could do nothing to help. Hurley be-
came weak and could not hold the BODY,
which plunged after the others into the
depths below.
Had it not been for Cullen, Hurley
would have joined the mangled bodies
below, and without the aid of those on
top they would not have been enabled
to reach the surface. BY this time it
was certain death to remain near the
shaft and all thought of rescue was
out of the question. While the men
were at work in the shaft half way
down, the whole party heard the
trembling reverberations of round of
shots, and knew that those whom they
were seeking were firing the holes, all
unconcious of the danger which mem
aced them at the surface. In the mean
time, at the burning buildings lower
down on the hill the fire was raging so
fiercely that brass fittings melted into
shapeless masses. Almost the entire
force of us men was formed into a
bucket brigade, but the water made no
more impression upon the flames than
would drop of rain upon parched
desert.
''1n the morning, after the fire had
burned itself out, for want of more ma
terial to burn, and the workings had
partially freed themselves from the
gases, rescue party, headed by Andy
and Jack Guilty and Jack Pabst, en-
| tered the tunnel and stumbled over the
body of Tobin, near the Wine. They
could penatrate no further and all re-
turned to the open air utterly exhaust
ed Attempt after attempt was made
| by the miners to reach the men who
might still be alive, but all were driven
back. Over 20 men were brought out
by their companions perfectly uncon-
scious. but no sooner had they recover
ed than they made other attempts.
"Andy Guilty was under the ground
| almost continually directing the men
and aiding those who were overcome
A fan was erected forcing air into the
funnel and .lh n'C "a
noon another attempt was made to en-
ter the workings, and the bodies of
| Powers, Fleming and O'onnell were
| taken from the mine. While this was
| transpiring in the tunnel entrance and
the apex shaft, Intellectual attempts
were made to get the bodies with grap-
pling irons. A new hosting plant was
being installed, but the connections
had not been made so a whom was
rugged up and the work of de- w Altering
the sump went on in that manner for
hours.
"About O'Clock the water was low
enough to permit the men to work to
advantage with graphing irons.
Obie's was the first body brought to
the surface. Then Turner, Allen and
Laherty. When the latter was ex-
amined he still had fragments of wood
graspeo in his hands, as if he had
made frantic efforts to stay his fall by
grabbing at the timbers of the ladder
| rests All the men, and particularly