Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1909-01-28
SEVEN MEN ARE NOW
IN SERIOUS CONDI-
TON AND FLAMES
ARE STILL RAGING

VIRGINIA CITY, Jan. 2S 1880 p.
m-Nineteen men were removed
from the Sutro tunnel at 3 o'clock
today partially asphyxiated from
fighting fire that started in the tunnel
shortly before seven o'clock last
night.
Seven of these men are in pre-
carious condition. The fire is raging
IN the south lateral and the Ward
drift and no apprcciable headway
can be made against II, as the flames
are so intense and the gas and smoke
so thick the men cannot approach
rear enough to do effective work.
The fire started at the junction of
the Savage and the south lateral at
the end of the main tunnel.
II burned back to the Combination
shaft where the upcast carried 1t in
to that mine and burned hundreds of
feet of the shaft out.
Before the Con. Virginia could put
in bulkhead, the fire burned out
about 100 feet of the norm lateral
Bulkheads were attempted in the
main tunnel but were burned out be
fore they could do any good.
The gas is more deadly than the
fire, as it ignites hundreds of feet
from the main blaze. This feature is
h. nf
the Ward crew and almost cremated
them before help could reach them.
The tunnel was burned out from
the Combination east to the Ward
drift, and the Ward drift is a seethng
mass of flames up to the shaft itself
where bulkhead has been put in
that has so far resisted attack. All
the men in the Ward shaft were
brought up to the 1900 level to fight
the fire early last night
The men in the Hale and Norcross
the Choilar, Potosi and Best and
Belcher were taken out last night
II Is said that the old Union Con
has broken out again and 1t is be-
lieved by some that this was what
started the fire. as the Union has
been burning for years.
At noon today the situation as far
as the main tunnel is concerned was
little better. Men went in from
the tunnel mouth with suction pump
and drove the fire back past the
Combination lateral. but We're unable
to make much further headway with
Il. This leaves the zone of damage
extensive from the Combination west
TO the Ward. The savage was bulk
headed off as nave been the Crown
Point and Jacket drifts. The bulk
heads failed on account of gas leak
age against which 1t was impossible
to take measures owing to the neces-
sdry speed in constructing them.
At four O'Clock this afternoon the
water was five feet deep in the main
tranel opposite the Justice mine and
RISING slowly. as the tunnel continues
to cave.
The track has been pulled up east
of the Combination to prevent spread
OF the fire in that direction and all
the pumps in the mines connected
with the tunnel have been started.
AS the situation is now the fire is
Tagging between the junction and the
Ward shaft, the main tunnel east of
The junction is so hot and so full OF
gas that the men cannot get to it.
The fire jumped hundreds of feet
several times owing to the large am
cunt of gas, and it was this that
trapped the Ward shaft men when
rineteen were overcome by the neat.
gas and smoke.
Doctors are at the Ward shaft. the
Con. Virginia and at the other open
ings. and carriages are at hand to
convey the wounded men to the hos
Iital. Practically every man and boy
as we'll as many women. are at the
m'nes and Virginia City is fighting
for her life.
II the tunnel continues to cave bad