Albuquerque evening citizen., 1907-07-20
EARTH CAVES IN
At STRATTON
MINES
Damage Of $4,000 to Plant
and Water System at
Victor.

Cripple creek, July ga cave
In. one of the most disastrous in the
history OF the Cripple Creek district,
occurred du-inL the past three days.
at the Stratton's linda ependence mine,
on Battle mountain. Fortunately
no one was injured. The falling of
the earth occurred In that section of
the mine lying between the main
shaft and the Portland side line.
Over 600 Feet of earth along the
surface sunk. Shat house No. was
wrecked an1 ra'lc Dad tracks on the
main line of the Midland terminal
broken irtc small pieces tor a dis
tance of eighty ,srds
The Victor water main which fur
nishes a supply for that city, was
badly damaged, aid unless rel airs
are imme ediately made the city of
Victor will be without fire protection,
as some Of the joints of the pipe were
loosened and now leaking. The dam
age Is estimated at about $4,000.
At 420 o'clock Wednesday morn
ing rumbling of the earth was heard
and hundreds of thousands of tons
of rock went crashing through levels
and slopes of the Independence mine,
carrying down timbers and stulls and
settling into the bottom workings Of
the big mine.
ResembIed an Earthquake.
The noise from the falling rock
was so great that hundreds of people
were awakened. Those living in the
immediate vicinity, feeling the jar of
the earth, rushsd from their houses,
supposing 1t to be an earthquake.
Holes of a depth of 800 feet are
exposed on the Independence ground
and the surface for distance of 500
feet has settled from six to twelve
feet.
Shortly before the crumbling of
the earth miners employed in the
Portland. Independence and Strong
properties heard heavy blasts, and
the sound from the shot came from
that section of the Independence
mine where the cave-in occurred.
Just why shots should be fired in
that portion of the property is a mys-
terry, as operations are not being car
ried on in that part of the mine.
When the earth settled No shaft
house cracked squarely in two and
is now mass of ruins.
The damage was so great to the
railroad right of way that a force of
men was at once put to work in
changing the tracks on the main line
100 yards east of the mine to secure
safety. All trains coming into and
leaving the district are now being run
over the Short line.
A carload of pipe has been ordered
rushed to Victor, that the water sup
ply of that city may be protected by
immediate repairs. The course of the
water main will probably have to be
changed a quarter of a mile east of
the Independence at heavy expense
Cause of the Collapse.
Although shaft No. is not being
used at present, 1t Is impossible 10
state the exact loss the Strattons In
dependence, Limited, has sustained
The shaft was timbered at heavy ex-
pense and was used as an exit fol
miners in case of foul air or accident
underground when the men could no;
be raised through the main shaft
The damage to shaft No. cuts of
an escape for the hundreds of men
employed underground in this prop
erty in case the main shaft cannot be
used. This is the second cave-in on
the Independence property and one
of the most serious settings OF
ground in this district
1t is said that leasers operating in
the surface of the mine, while push
ing work with all possible speed, ir
taking out ore, failed to put in proper
timber. This is alleged to have beer
the cause of the cave-in.
OF the $4,000 damage caused by
the cave-in, the Stratton's Indepen-
dence will suffer a loss of about $780,
900. The damage to the pipe line
and the repairs will be $4,000. The
railroad company and the lower END
of the Portland property sustained
a loss of $4,000.