The Alaska daily empire., 1917-04-23

was deepened from the 2,3OO 1oot level to to a depth of 2.75O feet and was still being sunk deeper at the time of the accident. Side drifts had been driven from each of the levels to open the ore ready for stoping purposes.
 Surface Improvements.
 Besides the underground work, vast sums have been spent in the past two years in improvements above the surface looking towards the handling of the vast tonnage which was expected from the ad- ditional underground work. The TOO and Mexican mills were both new trackage constructed from the Mexican to the other mills, new coarse crushing plants installed at the Mexican shaft, together with change houses and dry rooms, and other necessary improvements.
 The actual loss in money cannot be estimated at this time. The mine itself is estimated to represnt an in- vestment of 15,000,000. Besides this buildings were swept away, machinery of vast amount was lost, horses and mules were drowned and hundreds of men thrown out of work, causing an immense economic loss to the Channel section. In ad- dition no one has any means of knowing how many millions of dol lars would have been recovered from the mine in the years to come.
 P. R. Bradley stated today that it was comman report that the Treadwell and TOO mines had been practically worked out, but he branded the statements as false. He stated that vast quantities of rich ore existed in the mines, much of which could have been ultimately recovered and which would have kept the mines producing for an un- estimated number of years to come boa News Spread Quickly
 The news that great disaster had occurred at Treadwell spread like wildfire, and early in the fore noon the ferries being operated to the island were carrying a large number. By noon the ferries were running on quick schedules and as the afternoon wore on hundreds were taking the trip from Juneau to the Treadwell mines. All sightseers were landed at Douglas as the dock was closed at Treadwell.
 At Treadwell the sight presented was disappointing from a spectacular point of view. None of the destruc- tion wrought by the cave-in could be discerned. Sightseers were every where. The old Glory Hole was one great mecca and opeople gazed down into it from the high banks, and when informed that the hole, 750 feet deep, was containing 150 feet of water from the flooded mines, the significance of the disaster be- gan to pail. Men, women and chil- dren thronged to the shaft of the Mexican mine, scrambled down the narrow gauge track to the beach be- yond the TOO mill and then about four o'clock, guards were doubled and positive instructions given to allow none above the mess house or on the hills. Precaution, the safety first principles of the Treadwell sys- tenn was again effectuallly brought into use. Cracks had occurred near the Glory Hole, and cracks had sud denly appeared at other places in the danger zone, giving mute warn ing of something that might result
 No Statement To Make.
 P. R. Bradley, consulting en- gineer of the Treadwell mines, this afternoon said that he had no state ment to make as to the future pol icy, pending advices from F. w.. Bradley, who is now in San Fran cisco. The Treadwell mines corpor- ations is known to have other prop critics on Douglas Island but no statement can be made regarding their being worked.
 Help Juneau Mines.
 J. II. Mackenzie, one of the prin- cipal stockholders and owners of the Alaska-Juneau mine, in dis cussing the accident at Treadwell stated, in reply to question, thai it will undoubtedly result in an in- creased output at the Alaska-Ju' neau.
 "Our overhead expense will bf slightly increased as we will have to pay large pro rata share of tho cost of upkeep of the machine shop and foundry at Treadwel where our work is done, but it vii release number of men who vii be absorbed by the Alaska-Juneau | force.
 "The shutting down of the larg' plant there will release greai deal of power from the big cen tral station, which will allow us t'
 work moro machinery, etc. W'
 have been short of men and hav'
 needed more power. all of whicl we will now secure, at least unti
 some arrangements are made te start work again on the other side
 The Alaska-Juneau will co-operat
 with the Treadwell people in ever.