Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-29
RES SCUERS WORKING VAlllLY TO
SAVE az MINERS TRAPPED in
PIT NEARLY MILE, UNDER GROUND

Two wines WIN l1ope
That Some OF Mel May Be
Taken Out Alive; Have
Been Held Prisoner Since
Sunday Night. "
jackson, Cn., Aug. 2e.-Hope
for tho rescue of the men now
said to number a.. trapped since
midnight Sunday BY fre In tho
Argonaut gold mire, was. revived
today when It was announced
that crews digging away tho tun-
mel obstruotions between the Ken.
nedy and Argouant mine shafts
were making better progress than
expected. II. M. Wolflin, superin-
tendent Of the bureau of safety
of the state industrial accident
commission, made the announce
ment. .e- ~, n.
The tunnel is six hundred feet
long and leads from tho 5000
foot level at the Kennedy shaft
to . point considerably below the
fire area In the Argonaut shaft,
/ 1t Is filed with soft dirt from q
cave-in and there are so feet of
solid dirt bank at tho Argonaut
. end. 1t should be cleared between
two and three days, according to
! experts dt the mine.
WOlhin expressed the hope
there may be pure air enough 1t
the bottom Of the mine to keep
the men alive until they can bo
! rescued. The tmbefing at tho
Argonaut is being torn out to
check the flames;
The work Is being directed by
( United States bureau OF mines
! rescue CROW. i According to
Wolfin, both the Argonnut and
the Kennedy crews are giving the
s government such efficient CO..
I operation that the, possibility of
rescuing the entombed men Is
becoming stronger hourly.
. Tracks are laid in tho tunnel
Y now being cleared and this is
facilitating the work there. The z
men men are. are WORKING r. fopE s.1- g : :
livery available man has been
1 rushed from the mines ut Grass
Valley and Nevada City for the
rescue work.
Jackson, Calf, Aug. 29.-volumel
Of nauseating gas issuing from thu
burning depths of the Argonnut mine
at jackson, through the Muldoon al,
shaft, led to the belief today that the
men; now said to number At, whit
were imprisoned in the bowels OF tn,
earth at midnight Sunday night by 1
fire which cut 'off their escape, hav,
all persisted.
Notwithstanding the seemingl!
of the task, however, thl
mine rescue crews are sticking des
perately to their task and every possi
BILE effort is being bent toward reach
Ing the entombed men. This morning
the fire was, reported raging in thi
depths. ny
Jackson, Cal, Aug. 2s.-Held in tn,
grip Of despair as hour follows houl
In their vigil, families and fellow
workers Of the 48 miners imprisoned
since midnight Sunday nearly mil,
below the earth's surface in the Ar
gonaut mine,y cling stubbornly to tn,
shred Of hope that their husbands
fathers and buddies still live.
= Dawn today found that tense grouI
still waiting at the base Of the Sierri
foothills. From the mouth Of the pi
from which these mon have helped t,
take fortunes In gold at an average O
q million year, came no token o
hope. From 1t came no sign Of tn
fire that ragged down between tho i'm
prisoned miners on the levels belov
1000 feet and the workers who vainl,
to reach them.
During the night men attempting
IN mine @''skips" to ride down through
the flaming levels were dragged bacl
to the surface. their faces blackened
air to tell OF the hopelessness Of tn
trip below. The tracks on which TIL
skips run were warped and distorte,
with heat, in some places even melt
cd away.
!. Making Channel.
Flames which started yesterda;
at the 8, 1000 foot level toda;
had worked up above the 2,400 foo
level. a half mile below the earth
surface, working frantically wit
drills and picks to break through
concrete barrier which long, ha
sealed the shaft OF the Argonaut fron
the shaft to the neiEhboring mine, tn
Kennedy, other miners sought I
make possible channel OF escape 70
their trapped comrades. It, was Y
slim hope. &: .ss. Is s
One miner at the. mouth Of the pit
III -y@4 la tSS.
with the pallor OF years under ground
spoke with the knowledge Of q work
,er from the miner drifts when h
said: THE boys can't get throug
that wall in q: month. ~ III a & d
Superintendent Virilio Gabarini sal
everything humanely possible was be
inE done toward the rescue OF the en-
ton1bed mon. He said that worker
espected to establish communicable
with the miners. II any still aliv.
within Is hours. Until their .bodie
sare brought out. tho hope that som
of the forty still live Will endure.
:ls Pumping Air IN.
Above the entohabed men. one rel
cue crew is trying to plumb tn
depths with air hose. Il 5S
1a A party Of seven rescue expert
from the state bureau OF mines 9
Berkeley equipped with gas mask
ana oxygen tanks have announces
their intention of enteFing the shai
ana attempting under this Drotectio
to night the hre. n " VI. 81
superintendent GAbarini 7. declare
snd q. 400 foot levels and he was cor
svinced the fire had not penetrated b.
iou, the 4. 900 foot level. sTIe said tbs
a rrYfa ~ eofm bat the blaze had bee