Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-08
SIX ARE DEAD
FROM BREATHING
POISONED AIR
EIGHT MORE MAY SUCCUMB IN
MINE DISASTER
THREE MEN MISSING SINCE FIRE
THURSDAY NIGHT
Some Are Overcome Before First
Victims Are Brought to
the Surface

BY Associated Press.
SILVERTON, Col, June six men
are dead, eight others in q dangerous
condition from breathing foul air and
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 are:
PETER McNINY.
ROY COBURN.
ALEX JOHNSON.
A. w. BURNS.
VICTOR ERICKSON.
GUS OLSEN.
On Thursday night fire was discov-
cred in the engine room Of the mine,
and before it could be brought under
control that building had been de-
stroyed, as well as the shaft house.
The two buildings were located near
the portal door of the main shaft, and
| to prevent the spread of the flames and
accumulation of smoke in the workings
| of the mines, these doors were closed
| temporarily. Before taking this pre-
cautionary move the men working the
night shift in the mine were hurriedly
notified of the conditions on the sur
| face and instructed to 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 up. The discovery was made
then that three men were missing. I'm
mediately efforts to rescue them We're
started, but with little hope of reach
| ing them alive, as the machinery oper-
ating 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 sur
face had been shut off by the closing
| OF the portal doors.
Foul Air in Mine
The first ones to enter the mine re-
turned in haste and informed those
waiting that the mine was filled with
| foul air. and it was almost Impossible
| to breathe 1t.
The men all expressed q willingness
| to risk contact with the foul air If the
missing men could be rescued, and ac-
cordingly two rescue parties were
formed, and the men started into the
mine in groups of five by means of the
electric elevator, which fortunately was
still working. Instructions We're given
that as soon as any one showed signs
of faintness the rest were to immedi-
ateIy bring him to the surface. The
air generated by the motion of the ele-
vator cleared the atmosphere in the
elevator shaft so that but little discom-
fort was experienced there.
| Soon after a score or more of resell
ers had entered the mine, some of the
| first in appeared at the foot of the ele-
vator shaft carrying the unconscious
forms of rescuers who had succumbed
| to the noxious air. Later a party
reached the surface bringing the dead
| body of Victor Erickson and the almost
| lifeless bodies of John Funston and
Otto johnson, the three men whose abb
sence caused the necessity for rescue
work. 1t seems that these three had
found a spot where the air was not so
/ foII az i'm tha other DOrtiOnS of the
mine, and Funston and johnson had
been able to live through 1t.
Rescuers Overcome
The rescuers who brought these men
| to the surface reported that many of
their companions had been overcome
by the foul air and were lying in the
drifts of the mine.
Instantly there was a clamor among
| the men at the surface to go to the aid
of their fellow workers. and 1t was al
most impossible to keep them from
| overcrowding the elevator, which was
kept in almost continuous motion car
rying men in and from the mines.
Those coming to the surface carried
in their arms the bodies of half suffo-
| Gated men, several of whom died after
reaching the surface. It was many
hours before a thorough search of the
underground working was completed.
and report was made that everyone had
been accounted for. When the lists
were totalled it was found that five
men had heroically given up their lives
for their comrades. and that many
others were in a serious condition and
may never recover entirely from the
effects of breathing the poison.
1t was not until o'clock this morn
ing that work was abandoned. The
property loss to the mine was less than
| $4,000.