Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-12-27
Mine CAGE Drops:
SIX MAY BE DEAD
HALF DOZEN MEN DASHED TO
BOTTOM OF COAL PIT NEAR
CARLYLE, ILL.
ONE OF THE VICTIMS
CUT SQUARELY IN TWO
Disaster Believed Due to Stickinu of
Cage, In Which Men Are Ridinq, in
Shaft Causing Hosting Engine to
Reverse.

st. Louis, Dec. 24.-One miner is
known to have been killed. five others
are believed to be dead and another
was seriously injured by the dropping
Of the cage early Saturday in the shaft
Of the Breese-Trenton Coal Mining
company, about ten miles west of
Carlyle, ILL., Carlyle is 4S miles east of
st. Louis.
The details were learned by long-dis-
lance telephone. The accident &C.
Cured as the second cage full of day.
shift miners were descending into the
mine. The cage containing six men
had descended 800 feet down the 400
foot shaft when it stuck momentarily
and crashed to the bottom with noise
like an explosion.
The known dead: August Foppey.
Buried under the debris and be-
ieved to be dead: Walter Schaffner,
Herman Flater, Henry Middeke, Her.
The injured man is William Fritz
man Hoffman, Frank Sarre.
William Fritz was at the bottom of
the shaft working almost under the de-
scending cage when he heard the
shout of the miners above him as the
cage stuck. AS he looked up the cage
dropped and he barely had time to
spring to the side when the crash
came and the debris was piled about
him. His leg was broken and he was
badly bruised.
Victim Cut in Two.
At the bottom Of the cage shaft is
another hole called stump and por-
ton of the debris plunged on down
into the stump. carrying five of the
miners with it. The sixth, August
Foppey, jumped as the crash came and
was cut squarely in two. His body
was taken out during the morning and
up to noon was the only body recov-
cred by the gang of over a hundred
rescuers. The debris was so tightly
wedged into the mouth of the stump
that it will likely be some hours be-
fore it can be removed. No sounds or
cries were heard coming from under
the debris and it was believed that the
five miners were instantly killed and
probably badly crushed.
The stump, or stump hole, in mine
is drain hole into which the water
that collects in the levels is drained.
1t was stated that the stump in this
mine contained Is feet of water and no
doubt is entertained but that the five
miners were drowned if they had
miraculously escaped death in the
crash before being plunged on down
into the stump.
Probable Cause Of Disaster.
The engineer stated that the cage
had descended smoothly and he pre-
sumed. it had safely reached the bot
tom. Suddenly the cable coil drum be-
gan revolving backward with terrific
velocity and he heard a crash. It is
believed that the cage stuck in the
shaft and the sudden relaxation on the
taut cable caused the hosting machin-
cry to reverse and: drop the cage or
else the cage became disengaged from
the cable and dropped.
The scenes about the mouth of the
shaft were heartrending as wives and
children Of miners congregated and
gave vent to their anguish. Those
miners who were already in the shaft
Immediately began rescue work and as
soon as others could be lowered every
effort was made to speedily remove
the debris.