The diamond drill., 1918-02-23
AWFUL aCATAsTROPHE.
scontinued from Page one.)

er all OF the workingmen OF the shiit'
about 100 would have been caught
like rats In. trap and drowned.
Immediately after the alarm was
given the work of rescue started, and
Nat 9 o'clock only one man OF the mum
ber caught below had been taken out
and he escaped because he was but
partially submerged.
The work OF rescue continued
throughout the night and was resum-
ed with vigor the succeeding day
From Alfred Erickson, Crystal
Falls miner who was awaiting his
turn 10 60 below, we got the follow
ing story:
Dinner was over and the men start
ed 10 descend to work about 1890.
Two pumpmen were in the mine, one
on the lower level and one on the
third level where the top pump Is To-
Gated.
zone cage load of men descended.
The lander says that four men were
on the cage The cage came up and
was loaded the second time. The
lander says that there were nine men
on IL. I didn't count them, SO can't
say for sure Just how many men were
npon It, but II Is taken for granted
ahat there were nine men on the cage.
when the second cage got down as
far as the third level we who were
standing at the shaft noticed that there
was something wrong with the cage,
The brakeman noticed 1t also and
y tried to stop II by putting on the
brakes, but was unable to hold 1t and
the cage went right through to the
bottom before 1t stopped,
"One man ran over to the pit and
yelled back that the water was going
down. We then knew what was wrong.
think that the run OF sand and water
lasted about 10 minutes. Three men
came up the shaft, one the pumpman
from the third level. One OF the men
who came up had nothing left of his
clothing but a shirt thesand and wa
ter had ripped everything from him.
/ can remember but one OF the men,
Axel West, OF Balsam. lie came up
minus his shoes which had been strip
ped from his feet by the falling wa
ter.
rush OF water was too far down in
the shaft. We did hear the men who
got up as they neared the surface.
~ number OF us Immediately went
down the shaft. got as far down as
the third level From there down the
ladderway was blocked and had no
been cleared when | left the mint
about o'clock.
when we got down TO the thir,
level we found that all the water ha'
drained out and that everything wa
ouie I went into the drift wher
the bulkhead was and found tha
there was about two feet OF sand i
J the bottom. The water had al
4 drained out OF the sand and It wa
hard so that we could get in.
"The cage and one skip were fas
upon the bottom The rope of tn
other skip was cut and the skip low
cred as far down as possible, but
pot wedged and wouldn't 90 all I'll
way down.
"One man was stepping onto II
second cage when he thought OF tW
picks that he had taken up to hay
sharpened so he stepped off just
II was about to descend and his II
was thereby saved"
Many Crystal Falls Men.
"A number OF the men killed a
fri Crystal Falls and most OF the
are swede-Finns. We have been ab
10 get the names OF the followii
men who are said to be lost.
Crystal Falls--John Johnson, Q
car Johnson. Il. Erickson, l.. Isaac
aacson, c. Kivola, M. Isotalo and Jol
Ellis.
Amasa-Andrew Sand, Victor II
imacki, Charles Kenivevla, Jos. G'
man. Jacob Kari. Jim Rudis and Ste
Surimak.
Amasa-Portor location: John 81
tori
This makes fifteen men, and does
tally with the number Erickson So
was reported 20 him by the cage 4
der.
Among those who got out was a =
or Albert olexa Of the halfway FAR
ing section. lie was tending pun
on the third level.
From the mine Office we learn Z