The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-01-25
MORNING MINE FIRE
TAKES THREE LIVES
FIRE ORIGIN UNKNOWN
Two Meet Heroic Death--Fine
Conduct of All in Efforts to
Save Lives of Associates

Reports from the Morning mine thi:
morning state that the ground above
the 400 level in which the fire is To-
Gated is being deluged with water and
it is believed that it is gradually be
ing extinguished. Progress is necss-
sariIy slow, and no prediction is made
by the management as to when the
mine will be in shape for resumption.
It is believed, however, that conditions
will be safe within a few days.
TIME ORIGIN of the fire in the
Morning mine last Tuesday
morning which caused the death
of three employees and exposed
many more to extreme danger is still
an unsolved mystery and will prob
ably always remain such. The gloom
caused by the loss of life is brighten
ed to some extent by the heroic at
tempt of two of the victims to save
the life of the third, and the prompt
and self-sacrificing efforts of the ex
ecutives and employees of the mine to
save their associates from the i'm
pending danger. The first informa-
ton that there was a fire and the ac-
companying deadly gas in the mine
came about 1880 Tuesday morning
when the day shift was being lower
ed About half the shift had been
lowered when smoke was discovered
on the 400 level on the west side of
the shaft. The alarm was immedi-
ately given and the men were quickly
hoisted from the mine. When this
was completed and the men were safe
in the station on the 500 tunnel level,
which is almost two miles under
ground, a careful check was made by
the foreman and shift bosses which
disclosed that one man was missing,
H. l. Tibbets. It was then that Wal
ter L. Lynch and Edward Zich volun
teered to go to the rescue. They en-
tered the cage with the understand
ing that if they did not hear from
them in fifteen minutes, men should
come to their relief. J. L. Anderson,
eager. went down with them. The
fateful time expired and no signal
came.
Go to the Rescue.
without delay William Harmon, !
another eager, Carl Durant, topman
and Alex Anten We're lowered. They |
found AnCe rson lying overcome by /
gas near the telephone as if he had /
attempted to call for help. He was |
placed in the cage and he and his |
rescuers were raised. At the top An
derson was still unconscious and +
effects of gas. and the three were
hurries to the hospital at Wallace and
have since recovered.
Then Clarence Peterson, foreman,
Perry Ambell and Fred Kraus were
lowered to the 1000 level. and there
short distance from the station they
found the bodies of zich and Lynch,
the latter dead. Zich was alive, but
died while being conveyed from the [
mine Although almost overcome by (
gas. Peterson and his associates re-
turned and recovered the body of
Lynch.
In the meantime Superintendent
Mike Murray and Assistant Superin-
tendent A. c. Fay had been notified /
OF the disaster and were quickly on
the scene. Men provided with gas
helmets were lowered to continue the
search for Tibbets, and his body was
found about noon in the manway be-
low the 1000 level. where he succumb-
ed while going to his place of work.
General Manager Frederick Bur
bidge. Assistant Manager Thomas H.
Owens and d. C. Donahoe, safety en-
gineer. who reside in Wallace, were
promptly notified and were early on
the scene. where they remained d
throughout the day. Helmet men
from the Hecla and Hercules mine
were rushed to the Morning and as /
sisted in the search for Tibbets and
in locating and endeavoring to extin-
guish the fire. A call was made Tor
the bureau of mines rescue car at
Butte which arrived at the Morning
about 8 o'clock yesterday morning h
The car is in charge of K. 7. Sparks
director Of mines safety work. His
assistants are H. b. McDermott and
John Gavin.
Fire Located.
Yesterday it was announced that
the fire had been definitely located
above the 140O level and flood OF
water was being pumped into the l2Oo
level from which it seeped down
through the slopes TO the fire. That
the water finds the FIRE is indicated
by the fact that. the water coming
through on the 1000 is hot The wa
ter is obtained in the first place from
the stump. on the 1900, to which it is
elevated from the 1000. 1t was believ-
ed yesterday evening that this meth