The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-09-19
BODIES Of BURIED
MINERS LOCATED
AF TER MANY DAYS
Note Shows AZ Men Had Perish
ed on Day of Entombment
VICTIMS DIED IN A HEAP
Argonaut Officials Believe Death
Relieved Agonies Inside
of Five Hours

Jackson, Cal. Sept 19--Al AZ OF
the miners entombed in the Argonaut
mine August q are dead, It was an.
nounced officially shortly before 8
o'clock last night
A note found on one OF the bodies
indicated that all the men had dies
within five hours OF the beginning Of
the first August q, officials said.
The note found read as follows:
"3 a. m, gas bad"
The same note bore a scrawed fig
ure "44", apparently indicating the
same man had attempted to leave
word for those who might come after
of the condition of the mine at that
hou:
Nine officials declared that the con
dition of the cross cut behind the
bulkhead was such that life could not
have been sustained there by the en-
tombed men for more than five hours
JdNhAuui Ndlp OcpA. IL VI tg-lMO
bodies were found last night IN the
Argonaut gold mine by the rescu1
party, which had been searching
since late afternoon. Forty-seven
miners were entombed August q.
A double bulkhead was found on
the 435O-foot level OF the mine, ac.
cording to an official statement tele-
phoned from the depths of the mine
TO the surface lat in the afternoon.
The discovery Of the bulkhead was
made at 5.l2 p. M The bulkhead was
in a crosscut This was broken jown
Behind the bulkhead the air was very
bad they said.
After waiting a short time, the res
cue crews proceeded through the
prosscut where they discovered a
second bulkhead, This bulkhead had
been built by the entombed miners
who stuffed their clothes into the
cracks to make It alright.
However, the air was so bad be
tween the two bulkheads that the
rescue crews fear breaking it down
before fresh air has been restored to
the part Of the drift in front of the
second bulkhead. A fresh-air stat on
was established on the 1900 foot level
Of the Argonaut mine about $50 p.
m. to be used in resuscitating any OF
the men who may be found in the
workings who need IT, Doctors and
nurses were rushed TO the Argonaut
mine. Roads from all over Jackson
were crowded with automobiles bear
ing the physicians and their aids.
Soon after 7 o'clock message
from the rescue workers in the Argo-
naut mine ordered rubber gloves, can
vas and other supplies for the hand
ling OF bodies.
Rescue men had been at the sur
face ready to 90 in as soon as the
word came Four teams, each OF four
men headed by captain, entered the
Argonaut. Each man wore oxygen
respirating apparatus.
Rodney Hecox, United States bu-
reau of mines. headed the first team
to crawl through the narrow opening
into the Argonaut mine.
r. j. johnson headed the second
team, which followed close behind,
The rescue workers went forward
into the Argonaut, carrying canary
birds and lighted candles.
The birds acted as deteCtors OF
carbon monoxide and the candles
tested the amount of oxygen IN the
ali.
To light their way, the men car
ried electric flashlights in addition to
the regular carbide lanterns on their
helmets,
While the first two teams, known
as group A, went into the burning
mine, group b waited at the 5000 foot
| level of the Kennedy, ready to relieve
the first men at the end of two hours,
when the oxygen tanks would be eX'
hausted
A third group waited at the collar
of the shaft to relieve group b
Orders to the rescue crews called
for them to advance slowly close to-
gether. Each company carried oXy
gen tanks to use for resuscitation, a
vial of spirits of ammonia and a
stTetche;
The first levels to be explored were
the 4200 and 1890 in the Argonaut
Water is believed to have risen ii
the 4900.foot level
Tho crew which has been workine
on the S9O0.foot level has been called
off duty It was announced the $50OO
bonus offered the first crew break
ing through had been won by the
opan "a Ia,.nI ,rnW