The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-11
SMALL HOPE
ENTOMbED MEN
Heroic Work Of Rescue Parties
at StarkyilIe Seems to
Be in Vain.
MINE is FILLED WITH
THE GASES THAT KILL
Wives and Children of the Vie
tins Are Breaking Under
Strain of Waiting.

STARKVILLE, Colo, Oct. l0-As
darkness settled tonight over the en-
trance to the Starliville mine. the hope
that had buoycd up the watchers ut the
pit mouth throughout the day that some
at least OF { If loved ones would be
found alive. grew faint and gloom and
discouragement settled again over tue
silent crowd.
This morning the expert miners aJ
the head of the rescue parties were con
hdent that 4 portion Of the men walled
in by the explosion were alive and
might be rescued. They believed the
portable fan forcing pure air into the
workings would keep the men in the
extreme southern portion Of the NINE
alive until they could be reached, but
as the day rescue party stumbled slow
" cut of the slope tonight, one glance
at their weary, dust gr,med faces told
the watchers that hope was almost ex-
tingulshed.
Mine Badly Wrecked,
After dav of arduouS work in the
face of constant peril, the rescue party
had penetrated the mine nearly 10000
feet or within 900 feet Of the men inn
prisoncd nearest tic main entrance, In
stead of finding the mine clear OF deb
ris and after damp at this point. the
workings were found TO be badly
wrecked aud poisonous air was present
in quantities. The leaders would not
consent to the rcscuers "oing farther
until sufficient fresh air was famed
into the mine 10 insure safety. 1t
was then decided to retreat to the open
and leave the portable fan going until
the interior of the mine was freed OF
deadly aftcr-damp.
Throughout the day the rescue party
pushed forward with extreme care. lest
it should suddenly be overwhelmed by
bad air.
After passing the principal crosscut.
which connects the old and the new
slopes and which was used at the main
haulaSe way. the party came upon
damaged spots. which plainly Indicated
the course of !he explosion.
Great Force OF Explosion.
Ten thousand feet from the entrance.
the spot where fan bad been operated
before the explosion, was badly dam
aged. The fan was found torn TO pieces
and scattered hundreds OF feet The
l200. pound motor had been thrown
fifty feet and bent and broken. Tho
party was compelled to stop and make
repairs. Considerable bratticing was
done. and in the meantime dog which
had accompanied the party. wandered
aimlessly ahead II was found later
lying stretched uon the floor overcome
by after damp.
When the rescue party renewed its
Journey inward. il brancbcd off for a
short distance and took soUtherly
course toward the spot where the pick
men were supposed to have been work"
ing Saturday night Tho dogs expert
cnce proved valuable and the recon
noitcrina parties Of two of three men,
selc ed from the sixteen forming the
main party, were sent ahead to test tho
air. These scouting parties reported
after. damp was noticed in moro or less
quantities in all Of the shortcuts and
also in the main slope.
Fighting Bad Air.
General Manager Wcitzel was then
communicated with by portable tclc-
phone and told tho conditions. lie
ordered the men out of the mine until
the air could be improved.
While the night shift was waiting
io be sent inside thc mine, gang was
also put to work installing II blower ut
the mouth Of the air shaft. which runs
parallel with the main slope This is
an emergency measure to prevent the
sudden stoppage OF air supply by tho
failure of the portable fan. Several
times today this fan stopped working.
Signal lights at the mouth OF the slope
flashed the danger aud men Scumperou
in all directions summoping clcctricians
In correct the trouble. This was one
of the dangers that threatened the
rescue men throughout tbe day. and the
failure of power operating the portable
fan could not be accounted for except
through the short circultiDG OF the cur
rcul by the motor cars running between
the mine and the tipplc.
Relatives Can Only Wait.
All day long the hills facing The mine
were dotted with proups nf women and
children. relatives and friends of the
cntombcd men. With the appearance OF
each dust -bcgrimed miner the women
would press forward anxiously 9ues-
tioniug him for news, though niue
could be given beyond the information
that The rescue party was progressing
toward its gonl Mothers, unwilling TO
leave their children AT home aud many
carving babies, stood stolidly vii hin
s,phi of (be portal fer hours. or sal be
meath the trees on the hillside, their
eyes trained upon the black hole
through which .ic rcsruerS would come
Those who had remained nearby prac
ticaIlv all day. moved closol 70 t"o
limit line set hv company officials, a5
the rescue party came out, All with
tenscly drawn features ard tiOhtened
lips, The silent mods of tho rescuers
spread the word that no bodies bad yet
been found and none were expected to
be found until late tonight,
silently The mothers gathered togeth-
or their little ones, moved back on to
the hjIlsideS in groups again. there to
wait and watch through the darkness
of the night,
State Mine Inspector John Jones WAS
Continued on Page Two