Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-06-15
FLAMES SWEEP THROUGH GRAM
lTE MOUNTAIN AND sPEcULA.
TOR MINES, CARRY DEATH.
GREAT ACCIDENTAL HORROR
Rescuers Penetrate Far in Depths in
Heroic Attempts to Save-Water
Caves Shafts-Bodies Seen
Floating Around.

or mine here SATURDAY spread Tdpiu-
ly and has caused an appalling calam-
ity. Up to midnight 4S bodies had
been recovered from the workings Of
the North Butte Mining company, and
it was estimated that the loss of life
was 1913, all hope of any of the miss
ing men having escaped having been
abandoned. This is a conservative
estimate and it is regarded likely
that the death list will exceed 200.
The Cause.
The accidental touching of the in
sulation of a power cable by the flame
from a carbide lamp in the hands of
Ernest Sultan, assistant foreman Of
the Spectator mine, who was making
an investigation, started the fire, &C
cording to men who were with that
official Sultan lost his life.
Rescuers See Bodies.
All hope that any of the unaccount-
ed for miners had escaped was aban-
doned when the helmet men pene-
trated to the 2200-foot level of the
Spectator mine from adjoining mines,
waded through water up to their arm
pits encountered strong gas and saw
many bodies which they were unable
to recover.
1t had been planned to attempt to
hoist II bodies through the High Ore
mine of the Anaconda Mining com,
pany, but shifting in the air cur.
rents drove out the helmet men, and
to prevent the High Ore mine from
filling with gas bulkheading was start
ed early tonight, and the bodies will
! ed by early night, and the bodies vii
future day when the extinguishment
of the fire will permit their recovery
Shaft a Roaring Chimney.
5 Helmet men, when the 2200-foot
level was reached. rang the danger
signal to the surface, which caused
j, the widest excitement, it being be
lieved that the signal had come from
, entrapped men who were alive. Am
t bulences were called and every ply
: stefan in the city was hurriedly sum
moned to the North Butte. The re
3 turn of the helmet men to the sur
! face with the news that it was i'm
!, possible for any human to live in the
dense gas filling the lower working!
of the North Butte spread gloom.
The Granite Mountain shaft th1
l. deepest in Butte, was a roaring chin
n ney, and, with the destruction of it'
l. supporting timbers, the ground is ca
e wing, compelling all work to be di
n rected from the levels connecting
with adjoining mines, and to proven
these properties from filling up will
u gas and preventing further fire 1
l. will become necessary Immediately tt
wall in the tomb of miners until tn
fire can be brought under control
: Otherwise there is danger of the fir
spreading along the course of the al
" currents
See Men Cremated.
r. An appalling sight which caused tn
= strongest hearts to quail was the ere
t nation of two men, Mike Conway an
l. Pete Sheridan, station tenders, VIII
were trapped like rats in a doubl
IS decked cage, about 20 feet above tn
collar of the shaft, with the flame
!, flying from the shaft like gian
= torch around them. The cage hun
: up, in consequence of the fire disal
ranging the hosting machinery, an
within sight of the few spectators
who were powerless to help, the III
conscious men were burned to
crisp.
These men had Just been lowere
when the engineer received the hui
ried signals to hoist and the liftin
of the cage was speeded up. with tn
flames chasing It. The flames owe
took the cage and when 1t reache
the surface and sped past the cola
with the leaping tongues of flam
preventing recovery of the bodies.
Calls From Helpless.
With the shaft resembling SOM
what a geyser of flames the signs
from the depths below began RIM
: ing for the engineer to hoist men. an
, shudder passed through those a
, sembled. Signals were repeate
! then again and again. violentl
Finally they ceased, and sense {
terrible dread seized the helples
J spectators. The signalling was r
/, garded as the last act of the entom
! ed men in frantic effort to conve
0 word of their plight before they su
v cumbed to the fire and gas.
e Considerable time elapsed befol
e the hose lines pouring water into tt
Granite Mountain shaft forced bat
4 the fire and gas sufficiently to pc
+ NIT the lowering of the cage and Il
/ recovery of the bodies. They we
l. burned beyond all recognition. ar
+ but for the fact that 1t was know
,; who were in the cage 1t would ha'
y been impossible to have recognize
r the remains.
10 Water Caves Shaft.
xotn CHI hno