The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-16
SMALL HOPE FOR
ENT0MBED MEN
Ten Miners Imprisoned by Fire
in Colorado Mine Probably
Will Succumb.
FIRE is STILL RAGING
AND LIKELY SPREADING
Government Rescue Car Opera.
tives Unable to Render Uu-
fortunates Assistance.

DENVER, Dec. 15-littlc hope is
held out for the safety of ten miners
entombed in the Levdeu mine. sixteen
miles northeast of this city, as the re
suit of fire which spread to shaft
No . last night. cut off the escape
of the men and destroyed the shaft
and the tipple. as we'll as other surface
buildings. Throughout the day rumb-
lings from beneath the surface lndi-
Gated that the shaft was caving in,
and Judging from the length of time II
took the loosened earth TO fall, the
cave.iu has reached very near the sur
face. In this belief officials of the
mine roped off considerable area at
the mouth of the shaft to keep the
curious awav from danger.
The government rescue car. sent
from Trinidad. reached Denver this
evening. and was transferred to the
tracks Of the Denver g. Northwestern
Railroad company. part of the Den
yer City Tramway company. which
owns the Levden mine. Officials Of the
mine on the ground were uncertain
as to the advisability OF attempting to
enter the mine tonight, even though the
rescuers were protected by oxygen
helmets and other equipment such as
is carried on the rescue car, Tests
made by large live rabbits IN the
shaft showed that the burning por-
tions of the mine is unsafe. When
raised to the surface the rabbits were
dead, overcome by foul air.
1t is likely that no attempt will be
made to send rescuers into the mine
before tomorrow morning
Have One Chance.
The entombed men had one chance
OF saving their lives by escaping TO a
section Of the mine which is separated
bv heavy doors from that portion IN
which the fire is raging While there
is no air Shaft connected with this part
of the mine, the good air would last for
some time without fresh supplies, and
possibly until rescuers could reach the
mon.
The Leyden mine was worked on a
non union basis. a strike several years
miners. The ctrike never was settled
From Electric Spark.
The FIRE started from an electric
spark from a motor. This causeed an
explosion and the timberng of the
shaft was soon blazing fercely. There
has been a strike on at the mine for
some tirle. and the entombed men were
engaged in cleaning up the property.
Shaft No. | is separated from shaft
No. by narrow wall. A rescue
rarty under the direction of Samuel
Perry. president Of tho Leyden Coal
company has been trying 10 break
down the wall. and the twelve im
prisoned men could be heard working
mar,v- in their efforts 70 gain freedom
Efforts 10 force m entrance 10 shaft
No. , Ne1c later abandoned, as it was
found that daft would soon mi;
;hr Ere bcvcDd control. All energy is
being ren;ercd in an effort 10 extin
guisiI the FIRE in shaft No. =.
4 sco1;!nE party OF four helmetmen,
brought from Trinidad on the rescue car.
wen, down shaft No. |, in which fan
has hecn working all afternoon. and found
Tho air at .i,c 760-foot level, where the
mon are supposed To be entombed. vastly
improved. The party returned 10 the
surlacc and Immediately arrangements
were begun 10 send a rescue party into
the m!ne,