The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-06-13
GREAT NINE FIRE OUT AT LAST
tomestake Mine Has Been Ablaze far
Two Months.

One or the greatest fires that vel
occurred in a gold mine in this coun
try has just been overcome by the
Homestake Mining company at Lead
For over two months the company
struggled with this fire, and it was no;
until it had burned for thirty days
that it was found necessary to turn
INTO the mine all the available water
and to flood the scores of miles of I'm
foreground workings. The most re
markable feature in connection with
this event is that although for days
men were carried out Of the mine VI
conscious from the effects of the q
ly gas, though cave-ins occurred ,
redhot rock was mined from tG>
slopes in the hope OF getting at TIE
fire, though the shafts are full oi
water and are hundreds of feet deep.
yet there has not been a single fatality
and the death Of two horses has beer
the only loss Of life.
On the evening OF March %. just AZ
Ter the night shift went on duty, the
people were startled by the ringing Of
the fire bell and in a few minutes the
word had been carried through Lead
Deadwood, and even into the outside
camps that the Homestake mine was
on fire. The blaze started on the
ninth floor of the 600-foot level, and
consequently was very near the 500
foot level. 1t was supposed to have
ignited from the blasting out OF soma
old timbers by the day shift just be-
fore they went off duty.
From the very beginning the fiame'
were beyond control. The great
ficulty was caused by the formins
the deadly carbon dioxide gas, whicn
made it impossible for the men to APP
proach near the fire and which over
came them by the dozens, so that they
were carried out either unconscious
or raving in delirium.
Fire helmets were secured and with
the help Of these the little army OF
workers pushed somewhat nearer the
blaze. Brattices were built and follow
ing along one side with compressed
air and water the fighters made an
other attack upon the blaze. StearI
was turned in, water was sent down
through the open cut with the hope
that it might reach the infected spot
tunnels were reopened and entrance
to the burning slopes sought in this
way. All was useless.
On the, morning of April 2, after o
night Of great danger, Supt. Grier or
dered all men out Of the mine and 80
fight was continued for a
through upper tunnels by means =.
small streams Of water through the
open cut, underneath which the fire
was supposed to be located, and by
repeated efforts on the part Of the fire
brigade to reach the blaze by the hep
of their helmets and the brattices.
On April % the order to flood went
forth, the last resort, and everything,
even the few mills which were stu
operating, were closed. The work
ings of the mine are 1850 feet deep
and there are over 100 miles of under
ground channels. The natural flow
of water into the mine filled it to the
1,100-foot level, and from there up. the
work of filling was accomplished in
an Unexpectedly short time.
The space to be filled amounted to
6S, 1895, 621 cubic feet and required So.
000, 900 gallons of water. In order to
effect this flooding, water was turned
in through the Ellison shaft, the open
cut, and even the old Lincoln shaft
was opened up for this purpose. BY
means of a fume water was brought
in through a tunnel at the north end,
and a great part Of the Whitewood
creek was turned in through the Saw.
age tunnel by a fiume 5000 feet long
20 inches wide and 30 inches deep.
This gave a volume of water equal
to about $500 gallons a minute, and
this, in addition to the water the mira
makes and the additional supply
caused by heavy rains and SHOWS,
brought the flood to the highest pos
sibIe point, about 80 feet on the 900
foot level by the Goth of May, only
thirty-seven days from the commence.
ment When this was accomplished
there was no question that the fire
was out.
1t Is impossible at this date to esti-
mate the actual loss to the company.
The greatest item. Of course. comes N
the loss Of product, which "a be
reckoned very fairly. From April 3 to
April %, only 600 out of the loco
stamps dropping and from April 22 to
May 80 there was no output whatever.
The average monthly bullion output Of
this company is about $440, 900, and
hence the bullion loss for this time ap-
proximates $943,160. There must be
taken into consideration also. the fact
that when the mills began work on
May 20, only 440 stamps were drop
ping out of the 1000. This means that
the monthly product will be dimin.
1shed by over one-half while this con.
tinues, and how long that will be it is
impossible to say. The loss in bull
ion may. however, be placed very con.
servatively at $1,000. 900.
Extensive Improvements are planned
for Vborg this season. Although