The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-04-04
SCORES OVERCOME
As They FIGHT FIRE!
Fifth Day OF Disastrous Blaze
In the Homestake
Mine.
A BATTLE WITH GASES
Fifteen Minutes Of Effort 10 All That
Men Can Endure and Many Col
lapse Before This--First Fire
In Fourteen Years.

Lead. s. D., April 1.-THE fire In
the Homestake mine Is the frst In four
teen years. and only the second In tho
history OF the mine. Considering the
amount OF powder constantly In use.
the quantity OF pine timbers. and the
thousands OF men who pass In and out
OF the workings day after day. the
wonder n that these occurrences have
not been more frequent.
This II the NTH day " the fire. and
the great pine timbers. many OF them
full of pitch and dry with age. arr
smoldering away, while the fire slowly
but surely is eating Its way farther
north. I'm the workings OF the Home
stake. underlying the city OF Lead.
there ~ enough timber TO build TIL
cities Of Lead and Dendwood twic"
over. and II was In blasting out come
OF these old timbers that the fire IL
supposed To- have originated. Fighting
FIRE In a mine liz very different from
lighting In the fresh air or even In a
building. In "A mine. there is not draf,
enough TO produce "A good blaze: con
~sequently quantities OF carbon dioxidc
gas are generated. The small passage
ways become Allied with a and
smoke: the lights Of the electric lamps
glimmer dimly. A man becomes over
come by the noNiouS atmosphere and
falls, and unless n friend " at hand
To- take him above or 10 some other
cafe place. he Il soon gone.
No Fatalities Vet.
Fortunately there have been no ia
talities In this fire In the greatest EolJ
mine In the world. although hunircis
OF men have been brought tn the sur
face limp and unconscious. The dry
room. where the men go TO change
clothes when coming up from work.
was made into an impromptu hospital.
and mt one time men were laid out on
the floor. occupying every available
inch. They would lie unconscious Tor
a few moments and then start up raw
ing. requiring two or three men To-
hold them down. Prompt measures.
including plenty OF hot coffee. soon
brought them To their senses. Tn
company is ordering hot coffee by the
gallon ard keeping IL now constantly
on hand for all the men coming on. o
Today conditions are better. although
the men are able to work only fifteen
minutes at n time. They then 20 to a
drift where the air II perfectly pure.
and where they rest for half an hour
before going back for fifteen minutes
more OF combat. At present the WORK
az iliiiN ~ phAihiiAk - hlaAAAFiAs
which II a long partition running the
length OF the drift.
Plan TO Reach Flames.
Down one side OF this fresh air will
be forced. which will. In turn. force the
smoke and gas ou the other side 81
the partition. The men Will follow in
the wake OF the fresh air. and hope In
this way To reach the flames. So far
no one has been within 100 feet of
them. Three streams OF water hav"
been pouring down the immense open
cut. $50 feet deep: this cut
directly with the 300-foot level. from
whence the water will find Its n Ia
the fire near the 600. An immense bulk
head just completed cuts OF the work
ings at h south end OF the mine. and
makes IL possible for men TO mine
there. free from danger OF the gus and
smoke, which completely I'LL the north
ern workings.
Some idea OF the magnitude OF the
workings may be obtained when one
realizes that though miles OF them are.
at present practically inaccessible and
not worked. yet the men are having ~
trouble In taking out sufficient ore to
keep the thousand stamps dropping.
And that means 1000 tons n day.