Imperial Valley press., 1922-08-28
FLAMES RAGE
1000 FEET
IN EARTH
Rescuers Bring Up Little
Hope of Finding Any
Left Alive
OLD ARGONAUT AGAIN
Great Gold Producer May
Record States Worst
Mine Disaster

JACKSON, Calf, Aug. 2s.-Jackson
went to grips with the spectre of death
today.
| Forty eight of her citizens, employees
in the Argonaut mine, were trapped b.
fire and Il cavein deep down in the
mine.
| ember 21.92, off 12; January 21.S6, Off
citizenrv was working desperately in
an effort to save them from what
seemed to be almost a certainty of
death.
| Reports at noon contained little ON
which to hang hopes. Reports that
good air had been reported from the g,
500 foot level were followed by word
| from the rescue parties III the mine thai
! the men apparently were several levets
below the $500 foot mark and that the
| fire was burning as far as 1000 feet
| below ground.
Rescuers Losing Hope
Rescue workers at noon admitted that
the chance is slight to rescue the 4s
trapped men.
1--WE may be able 10 get them in
time if they have gone down to the
4,S00 foot level one of the rescue
workers coming up for relief told the
United Press. ''They can never land
if they try to fight their own way our.
They'll drop. They ought to go as
far as they can from the fire.
Clarence Bradshaw, foreman, who,
with two other miners, escaped the fate
of the trapped men, told the story of
their fight through the fire to the
hoist
Two Miners Saved
Two men who had been caught on
one of the upper levcs of the mine
were reported at 2 p. m. today to have
dug their way out and were being
brought to the surface.
At that hour fire was still burning
uncontrolled.
Partial List of Men Below
\ partial list of the men trapped IN
the mine follows:
James Clayton, A. w. Oberg, William
Fossel, James Gerber, George Steumaul,
E. Brisglea, Charles Fitzgerald, Mike
Simich, r. Begovich, a. Delonga.
Thirty three of the men are married
and majority of them have families.
Families Wait for News
Anxious relatives of the entombed
timers and townspeople gathered arounl
the mine eager to grasp any bit of in
formation which would give them hope
for the safety of the men caught under.
ground.
The disaster occurred at IL o clock
last night. Clarence Bradshaw, fore.
man, with two men, was coming to the
surface from one of the lowest levels
of the mine. At the 5000 foot level
they encountered dense smoke. Investi-
cation. showed they could do nothing TO
locate its source without additional
equipment and they rushed to the sur
face, giving the alarm. Rescue crews
were immediately organized and sent
underground, equipped with oxygene
masks.
They found fire burning at the $500
foot level while cave in had cut off
all means of communication and exit
below that level.
A call for all available men was sent
,ut and shifts organized among rescue
crews, men working in the smoke until
near exhaustion.
Deadly Disaster Threatens
At 9 a. m. water had been piped in,
making it possible to fight with some
assurance of success against the fire.
A mine rescue car and crew was sum
noned from Grass Valley and second
from Berkeley. The Red Cross took
charge of first aid preparations and be-
gan caring for the families of entombed
miners.
Superintendent Downing, of the mine,
refused to give out any statement, sun
til such time as we have accurate infor-
nation.
He went into the mine with Red Gross
and other workers shortly after ) a. m.
to take personal charge.
The disaster Threatened to be tbs
most serious in the mining history os
the state. Unless the entombed miners
can be reached soon, it was feared they
would suffocate from lack of air aui
from the gases generated by tho firo