The Washington times., 1922-08-29
s Ill
IN BOWELS
Of EARTH
Resouers Working With Gas
Masks to Release Men En-
tombed 36 Hours.
BY international News Service.

BY International News Service.
JACKSON, Cal, Aug. 29.-Aft-
er thirty-six hours of frenzied
work on the part of a heroic band
Of workers, the rescue of forty
eight miners entrapped nearly .
mile below the surface of the
earth in the depths of the famous
Argonapt gold mine seemed as
far off 81 when nssss first spread
Of their plight.
Fight With Gas Masks.
Despite all efforts. the fire which
cut off the escape of the miners
has spread. Early today prepara-
tions were made to battle 1t
by hand. Fire-fighting squads
equipped with gas masks plan to
carry their Sperate battles into
the burning -evels.
At the same time relays Of men,
refreshed by a few hours Of rest,
are driving forward from the Ken
nedy mine. adjoining the Argonaut.
in an effort to open up passage
way to the burning mine through
which the men, IL alive, may es-
cape.
1t was admitted 1t will be many
hours before this passage can be
opened-perhaps twelve or eighteen
hours. 1t is the theory Of mauy ex.
perienced miners that the trapped
men would, as soon as the alarm
spread. quickly hurry to this bulk.
head from the forty-third, forty.fifth
and forty-eighth levels on which they
were working. They consider 1t pos
sible that the little trapped company
may have sealed the opening Of the
lower level to prevent the smoke and
fumes from following them into their
retreat.
Fate Depends on Air Pipes.
Others, including Superintendent
Gabarini, hold to the belief that res
cue can only come through the con-
quering of the fire raging in the
mine shaft. Gabrini believes the
fate of the men depends almost en-
tirely on whether air pipes through
which a constant stream Of the life
giving ozone Is being pumped have
held out. II the fire raging from the
twenty-fourth to the thirtieth levels
has cut these pipes, hope is small OF
rescue alive.
Meanwhile no sign has come from
the depths of the earth to alleviate
the burden Of anxiety of loved ones
waiting at the pits mouth. The
women and children remained far
into the night awaiting word from
their men. Red Cross workers from
Jackson-some of them with rela-
L.. 49, 1a1 NJ
the women to 60 to their homes dur
ing the night hours, although SOME
refused to quit their death watch.
Are they dead or alive is the pitiful
query on every lip. A fresh rumor
Is born with every trip Of the big iron
skip down the shaft to the twenty
second level, from which point the
fight against the fire Is being d.
rected.
Rescuers Face Terrific Odds.
One rumor says a body has come
up. A woman faints-anotaer
screams. Another says a great cave.
in occurred. but It proved untrue.
And grimly the rescue workers con.
tinue against terrific odds.
There Is the faintest hope that
some Of the men may yet be alive.
| Two DlB bH COiHpEcbbOTb hDOVe tne
surface pumped fresh air through
great steel pipes down that shaft
night and day. The pumps are
still going. The air may reach
those lower levels or-if the pipes
have been fused through or de.
stroyed by a cave.in since the tim
bers burned--it may be merely
serving to add oxygen to the flames.
Rescuers Work All Night.
The process OF rescue work Is
very simple. All last night res.
cuers supplied by the State mining
bureau were experimenting with
canary birds to see how far down
the shaft It was possible to go. The
yellow flutterers were lowered al
| the end of the weighted strings
and the strings carefully measured
as they were pulled out from above.
Some of the canaries came up
weakly moving their wings but
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