White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-10
INQUIRY OF FIRE IN THE
GIROUX IN PROGRESS
CONTINUED from Page One)

phone which summons apprised him
of the fire. With Arthur Whitley,
he aroused superintendent Collins
and others and ran to the mine.
When he reached the Giroux shaft
the cage was in the h~eadframe, and
Clarence Gates was the only man
who had been removed from the
structure. He stated hat the smoke
coming from the shaft was so dense
that it was regarded as dangerous to
lower the cage, and that he turned
on the valve of the sprinkler which
poured the water into the shaft.
Mr.. Arnold was asked if his pur-
pose in turning on the water was not
to save the shaft. unmindful of the
men below; and he responded that
the cage with the men on it vas
hanging in the h~eadframe, and could
not be lowered until the smoke was
cleared; and the only way to do this
was to turn the water into the shaft,
thereby diverting the direction of the
smoke and saving the men from suf-
location. A number of other wit
nesses were called on Friday after
noon but nothing of Importance was
developed.
Yesterday morning the first wit
ness called was William Ryan, a
miner who had been employed in the
Giroux since last February up to the
10th of last month. He said that
about July 4th he saw a fire started
on the 1900 level from a bug,
through which had dropped a can
die. The light from the candle burn
ed the grease on the tin part of the
bug, and the fire was communicated
to the timbers behind 1t. The blaze
was not serious. being extinguished
by one of the men throwing a few
cups of water on it.
With regard to the use of the bug,
Mr.. Ryan's testimony was in line
with that of Paddy McGuinn. He
said that il was a common thing for
the men to find lighted bits of can
dies lying on the timbers. These
had fallen through the holes in the
bugs when they were burned short.
Mr.. Ryan testified that he had made
Il a practice of looking after the
candles in the bugs, and If they were
short, to replace them by longer
candles. He had never reported the
finding of the candles to the manage
ment.
r. Il. Eckert. cashier for the Gil
roux company. testified with regard
to a statement which had been sign
ed by workmen on top to the effect
that he had instructed them as to
the locations of the valves of the
sprinkler at the collar of the shaft.
He said that he had had the state
ment signed to show that he carried
out the orders of the management in
this respect. The statement was
signed by the engineer. fireman and
topman of the three shifts who were
working at the time.
General Manager Mills was re-
called. He said that when he talk
ed over the telephone with Engineer
Bowman. who informed him of the
fire, he first spoke of the men in
peril and then about the water. He
was fearful, he said of giving any
instructions over the phone, and re-
paired Immediately to the shaft
He went first to the Giroux shaft, not
stopping at the Alpha. When he got
there the cage was suspended above
from the latter. His first care had
=. been for these men, and he said thai
If prompt action had not been taken
with them. the men in the hospital
would have been added to the
victims. 1t was his opinion that II
the smoke had not been diverted
: from them by the turning on of the
water into the shaft theat they would
have been s~uffocated.
In response to questioning b.
Foreman Fesler af the jury, he safe
that while he had spoken of thu
water over the telephone he forgo
1t when he reached the shaft. Wher
. he went to the Alpha shaft he recall
ed the sprinkler. He did not ther
. know whether 1t had been turned on
, but gave orders that II 1t were run
ming, TO have 1t Immediately turned