The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-09-18
SEARCH FOR MEN
ENT0MBED THREE
WEEKS UNDER WAY
Ar Draft Rushes Through as Digging
Crews Break Through Last
Strata: Proves No Cave.
ins Barring Progress.
$500 LEVEL CREW WINNER
OF $4,000 BONUS OFFERED
Fresh Air Helps Condition; Four
Rescue Teams Descend Imme-
diately: Mine Rescue Bureau
Men Now In Charge.


son, Calf. Sept. lS.-Rescue crews
broke through into the Argonaut
mine shortly before Z o. m. today.
Exploration parties Immediately
entered TO take up the search for
the q miners who have been i'm.
prisoned there for twenty-one days.
A strong air draft rushing through
the Argonaut mine proved that 1t
was clear OF cave.ins and gave
hopes of speedy progress of the
search.
The crew which has been work
ing on the 1900 foot level has been
called off duty. II was announced
the $4,000 bonus offered the first
crew breaking through had been
won by the 5000 foot level crew.
First reports coming to the sur.
face from the exploration crews
were encouraging. The canaries.
whose lives were to be offered to
tell whether poison gas filled the
mine, were only slightly affected.
Analysis of the air at 1880 a. m.
showed heavy decrease in the
amount of carbon monoxlde.
The volume of air coming out of
the Argonaut shaft had increased
four fold The water gauge showed
u decrease in four hours of nearly
lone inch.
When the flash came that the
Hast rock had been cleared, the work
lof the miners was finished.
J They were replaced at once by
byron r. Pickard of the government
mime rescue bureau.
The rescue men had been at the
surface ready to go. Four teams,
each containing four men headed
by a captain, entered the Argonaut.
Each man wore oxygen respirating
apparatus. The rescue workers
went forward into the Argonaut
carrying canary birds and lighted
candles. Tho birds acted as de-
tectors of carbon monoxide and the
candles tested the amount Of oxy
gen in the air.
70 light their way the men car
riod electric flashlights and torches
on their helmets.
Orders to the rescue crews called
for them to advance slowly close
together and look for living men.
Each company carried oxygen tanks
to use for resuscitation vial of
spirits of ammonia and stretcher.
The first levels to be explored
were the 1900 and 1900 in the Argo-
naut. Water is believed to have
risen in the 1900 foot level.
All drifts and crosscuts, slopes
and manways on each of these lev
els were to be thoroughly searched
The second duty of the rescue
crew was to establish ventilation
in the mine
These crews were to handle the
actual work OF removing the dead
if the men were dead and to adj
Just and inspect the ventilation
system. At the same time search
ing of the drifts was in progress
Work was started to build bulk
head across the Argonaut shaft be-
low the fire.
Also at the 5000 foot station were
DR.. c. Il. Kendall and Dr. G. E. En-
dicott, surgeons. Hospital equip
ment, sufficient to care for the en-
tire AZ men was there ready in case
of miraclethat they should be
alive.
An information service resemb-
ling that of any army was function
ing on the surface. Step by step,
progress underground was tele-
phoned to Fred l.. Lowell, engineer
of the state industrial accident COM
mission AS Lowell received the in
formation he dictated it to a stenog
rapher. A representative, chosen
by the press committee, heard all
that transpired.
As the stenographer finished hel
work she handed carbon copy OF
the official report to a courier
which he delivered at once to the
press.
Mine officials gave what was con
sidered as almost positive assuranc,