The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-03
STILL BATTLE
WITH FLAMES
SITUATION At HANNA COAL NINE
UNCHANGED.
NO MORE BODIES REMOVED
Present Work All in Direction Of Over
coming the Fire-Danger
Continues Great.
NO MORE BODIES REMOVED

Denver, Colo, July "A special to
the Republican from Hanna, Wyo.,
says:
There was no change in the situa-
ton here today. No bodies were re-
! covered and it was given out officially
! that no more of the victims would be
taken from the Inflated coal mine be.
fore tomorrow and probably not for
| several days, unless the bodies were
found in the main slope.
AS depth is attained a few Of the
handy men and drivers may be found
on the main slope, and if so these
bodies will be removed as rapidly as
they are found. The majority of the
dead men are in the entries below
No. Is, and cannot be reached at this
time.
Great progress was made today in
the work of bratticing the mouths OF
the entries and in extending the air
shaft to the lower workings. Upwards
of so experienced miners are work
that all entries along the one and one
half slope will be closed by the end OF
the week, when the work of opening
the entries one at a time will be com
menced.
The bratticing is done in a scientific
manner, and consists of constructing
a canvas door or barrier, over the
mouth of the entry, which prevents
the air from reaching that particular
entry. When it is desired to open the
entry a anva alleyway is constructed
from the mouth of the entry around to
the air shaft. The barrier is then re-
moved and the air turned on. In this
name the foul gases are sucked
into the entry and drawn around the
other entries and out through the air
shaft.
At 4 o'clock this morning smoke
burst from the air shaft above the
mouth of the slope, There was a gen.
eral alarm at first, for it was feared
there was another explosion and some
of the workmen had been caught be-
low.
1t developed, however, that the
workmen had penetrated the fire at
the seventeenth level and had directed
another circulation OF air through
the entry, causing the smoke to pour
out of the air shaft.
There was a battle royal for sew.
eral minutes by the men below, but
just as the smoke appeared above the
air shaft they sent word to the sur
face that the flames had been sue
cessfully pushed back and were then
confined to the stables just off the
seventeenth entry. When the situation
became known the feeling of appre-
hension subsidized.
The danger of another explosion is
not entirely passed, however, for it is
known there are large quantities OF
~afterdamp and gases in the numerous
entries and if a miner should enter
any of these rooms with a lighted
lamp an explosion would surely fol-
low. Every p%recaution possible has
been taken to prevent such a calamity,
however. The members of the relief
party are all tried and experienced
men, and before the shifts are per-
mitted to enter the mine, every man
is examined as to mis- knowledge of
the property and in using safety
lamps, etc.
The large force of workmen sue
ceeded today in clearing the debris
away from the mouth of the slope
sufficiently to permit OF running the
trips down into the mine to haul out
the debris.
During the first 10 hours after open
ing the slope tie workmen attained a
depth of about 800 feet.
Brutality Tortured.