The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-09
Trapped and SuffOcated i'm Butte
Mine Disaster.
OF AS Men i'm Mine Believe
Only 213 Have Escaped.
DEEP FIRE CUTS OFF ESCAPE
Rescue Squads Baffled by Dense
Clouds of Smoke.
Fire Breaks Out i'm Great Fury
on 2,4O0-FoOt Level.

Butte, June o. With 35 known
dead, and 1877 men missing as the re-
suit of a fire which broke out in the
Spectator copper mine early today.
Butte wrestled today with the worst
mining disaster in its history. Fire
broke out in the lower levels of the
mine late last night, starting from a
broken power cable that carried cleo
tricity to the underground pumps.
Lower levels quickly filled with
smoke There were AIS men on the
night shift. OF these 21S escaped thru
levels connecting with other mines.
The gas spread to the Diamond
mine and took a further toll of life
in that property.
Helmet men, mine rescue crews and
safety first squads from all the mines
in Butte undertook to penetrate the
gas filled workings of the Spectator.
the Diamond and High Ore mines in
the hope of finding the larger body of
miners for whom hope of rescue Is
practically given up today.
Officials said that If the 1877 miss
ing miners are not found to have
made their way to the High Ore mine
workings they are doomed.
Carbide Lamp Started Flames.
According to miners who escaped,
the fire started from flames of car
bide lamp. The men were ordered to
report to the timekeeper as they
emerged from the mine; I'll men had
so reported soon after the rescue
work started, out of the AIS who went
down in the night shift. Two men
who were working on the 70O-foot lev
ell reported that As had persisted on
the level where they worked, they
alone being saved.
All ambulances in Butte and all
physicians in the city were summoned
to the scene of the accident to
operate with national guardsmen and
rescue parties Every safety first ex-
pert in the district has also been sum-
moned and it is estimated that within
a few hours 220 safety first men.
trained to mine rescue work, were at
the Spectator and Granite mountain
shafts.
The Spectator is a tramway mine
and runs thru Granite mountain.
Men equipped with safety helmets
to withstand the effect of smoke and
first, but soon were compelled to re-
! tire
Soon Cut Off Those Below.
The fire which started on the 2,4oo
foot level, communicated quickly to
/ others, cutting off all escape from
men on lower levels. Dense smoke.
which poured from the shaft in great
clouds retarded rescue work. Miners
from adjoining properties ordered up
from under ground as precaution.
went to work as rescuing gangs, aid
/ ing national guardsmen who had been
called to the scene. Because OF the
smoke and the danger. they were able
to do little until the arrival of safety
! first cars from Red Lodge and Colo
| RADIO Springs.
Warning of their danger came in
time to permit men on the upper lev
1 els to escape They Immediately
/ nd aff tod
/ to go down the shaft to the men who,
4 it is thought, are entombed. The eff
/ forts wers frultless.
One hour after the outbreak Of the
fire L. D. Frink. superintendent: NJ.
D. Connors, foreman. and n. D. Braw-
ley, general manager of the Granite
shaft owned by the North Butte COM
psny, declared they could account for
| 213 out of 425 who were in the shaft
when the fire started.
John Coffemetten and John Boycc.
who were the first two men to be TAX
en- from the shaft alive. told of sus-
J tanning their lives by cutting the air
( hose and sucking the air by turns IN
/ til the rescue party arrived. They
were on the 700-foot level at the out
break of the fire.
Send Rescue Cars
! Pittsburgh, Pa, June 9.-Ofifcers of
! the bureau of mines stationed here to-
| day received word from the district
engineer at Butte tnat proDably one
4 hundred had persisted in the accident
/ at the Spectacular mine. Rescue car
| No. 5, which belongs in that district
/ has been at Billings. Mont, and has
been called to the scene as has car
/ No. 2 which is in Colorado. The
mining interests at Butte are credited
with having one of the best rescue
organizations in the country and IL,
Z with the assistance of trained crews
from. the federal cars. is relied on
Z to hurry the work of rescue at the
nibe.