The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-08

Eight in Dangerous Condition
and Many Others Con-
fined TO Homes.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE
OF HEROIC SACRIFICE
HORROR AT GOLD KING MINE,
GLADSTONE, COLO.

Silverton, Colo, June six men ar,
dead, eight others in a dangerous con.
dition from breathing foul air, anC
twenty-five to thirty more temporarily
confined to their homes from weakness:
due to contact with poisoned air in the
Gold King mine. located at Gladstone
six miles from here.
The Dead.
Peter McMiny,
Roy Coburn,
Alex. johnson.
A. w. Burns,
Victor Erickson,
Gus Olsen.
Seriously Injured.
John sunstOn,
David Lewis.
Otto johnson,
Michael Anesi,
A. BincO,
H. MatsOn.
Frank Wurks
Anglo Anatha.
Fire in Engine Room.
On Thursday night fire was discov-
cred In the engine room OF the mine.
and before il could be brought under
control had destroyed that building.
as well as the shaft house The two
buildings were located near the por-
al doors of the main shaft. and To
prevent the spread of the flames and
accumulation of smoke in the work q.
lngs of the mine. these doors were
closed temporarily. Before taking this
precautionary move the men working
The night shift in the mine were hur-
rledIy notified of the conditions on the
surface and instructed 10 withdraw
When the flames had been extin-
guished, in order To make sure that
all was we'll with the men. the list
was checked over.
Three Men Missing.
The discovery was made then that
three men We're missing. Immediately
efforts TO rescue them We're started
but with little hope OF reaching them
alive, as the machinery operating the
fans had been put out of commission
by the destruction of the engine house,
and any pure air that might have
reached them from the surface had
been shut of by closing of the portal
doors. The first ones to enter the
mine returned in haste and informed
those waiting that the mine was filed
with foul air. and il was almost i'm
possible 10 breathe. The men all ex
pressed willingness 10 risk contact
with the foul air if the missing men
could be rescued. and accordingly two
rescue parties We're formed and the
men started into the mine in groups
of five by means of the electric ele-
vat0r. which, fortunately, was still
working.
Explicit instructions.
Instructions were given that as soon
as any one showed signs of faintness,
the rest were TO Immediately bring
him 10 the surface. The air generated
by the motion of the elevator had
cleared the atmosphere in the elevator
shaft so that but little discomfort was
there Soon after a score
or more Of rescuers had entered the
mine some OF those first in appeared
at the foot of the elevator shaft car
TVing the unconscious forms OF res
cuers who had succumbed 10 the nOX-
iOus air. Later a party reached the
surface. bringing the dead body of
Victor Erickson and the almost lifeless
bodies of John SunstOH and Otto John
son, and three men whose absence
caused the necessity for rescue work.
Ii seems that these three had found
a spot where the air was not so foul
as in the other portions of the mine.
and Sunston and Johnson had been
able to live through it. The rescuers /
who brought these men TO the surface
that many of their compan- /
ions had been overcome by the foul !
air and were lying in the drifts of the
mine.
Faced Almost Certain Death.
Instantly there was a clamOr among /
the men at the surface TO go TO the I
aid of their fellow workers, and it was
almost impossible 10 keep them from I
the elevator. which was I
kept in almost continuous motion /
carrying men in and out OF the mine .
Those coming To the surface carried 1
in their arms the bodies of half-suffO- I
-ated men, several of whom died after |
reaching the surface. II was many .
hours before a thorough search of the /
underground workings was completed \