Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 October 1893 — TWENTY-EIGHT HEAD [ARTICLE]

TWENTY-EIGHT HEAD

BURIED IN A MINE UNDER THE MICHIGAMME RIVER. Caught by a Cave-In and Overwhelmed by a Flood of Water Which Filled the Mine to the Blver Level—Only One Escaped of an Entire Crew. Death In Hashing Waters. With a roar and rush the waters of the Michigamme River broke through the Mansfield mine, at Qrystal Falls, Mich., shortly after nine o’clock on Thursday night, drowning twentyeight of the employes at work directly under the stream. The eighteen men who escaped were employed in the lower levels. None of the bodies have been recovered, and it is believed it will be necessary to divert the channel of the river before they can ba secured. Following is a correct list of the dead: Sam Peters, majriod. James Strongman, married. W. H. Pierce, married. Swan Johnson. Mike Harrington. Frank Bocko. An Torbesani. Frank Johnson. Aim Johnson. JraEnmMo Zadra. Peter Turry. Nicolo Fontani. Charles Pohl, married. John Segura. Ore Carrson, married. Joe Kora, married. John Hormstrom. Kosc. Fortimato. John Kirshe. John Bandala. John Warner. Oscar Lundquist. Chris Arcangero. Auto Stefano. August Corogna. O. Const anti. Vigiris Zadra. Ceresti Negri.

The Mansfield mine is one of the Schlesinger group and is operated by Corrigan, Ives & Co. cf Cleveland. The mine reaches out under the river, but the earth between the workings and the stream was supposed to be of such thickness as to make the flooding of the mine impossible and no extra precautions had been taken against a disaster of this kind. The night shift of men went into the mine athhe usual time and wero deep in the pit when the break occurred. The men had no warning of the impending calamity. The main shaft of the mine extends under tho Michigamme river and the subsiding of the ground turned the stream into the mine, flooding it almost instantly.

The accident occurred at 9 o’clock at night. The mine filled with water in two hours, and those that escaped were in the shaft, and were literally blown out by the rushing water and air, which made it impossible for a rescuing party to leave the cage for rescue of others. Nearly all are Italians and Swedes. The situation was awful and the scenes around the cave-in were heart-rending. Weeping women aud crying children crowded up to the gaping pit to view the last resting place of husband and father. The spot has been visited by thousands of curious people, and the tragic event is the one topic of discussion in the Lake Superior country. No specific censure of the mining company is being manifested.

The generally accepted theory as to the cause of tho disaster is that the timbers on the fifth level gave way and allowed the levels above and at last the river to crash down upon the fated men. In the precess of mining all the levels save the sixth have been stopped out, leaving only timbers and pillars of ore above. John M. Longyear, of Marquette, one of the chief owners of the Mansfield mine property, said that the land had teen leased to Calhoun & Tenney of Chicago and that they had formed tho Mansfield Mining Company. Mr. Longyear's belief is that the disaster was caused by “robbing” the mine; that is, by working in a reckless manner and tearing down pillars of ore in tho upper levels that should have been left to tupport the roof.

There has been much trouble with water recently, and predictions have not been wanting that the river would some day break thsough the roof of the mine. The depression in the iron trade has closed practically all the mines in the Crystal Falls district, and the Mansfield was almost the only one from which any ore was being raised, the fine quality of its product enabling it to keep on working. The night shift had gone down, and though some one noticed that more water than usual was coming into the mine no special alarm was felt, as the pumps seemed to be able to keep the drifts free. So the work went on in its usual course until the roar of water made the first announcement of danger. So fast came the flood that it is doubtful if the men in the upper levels were able to reach the shaft at all.

Tony Buletto. the skip-tender at the fourth level, wa- standing near the shaft with Frank Rocco. a night boss, or foreman, when the first crash came. They knew what had happened and anticipated the iemit, but Rocco heroically refused to go up in the skip until he had warned his men of the danger imminent. He went back into the drift and perished with his comrades. Buletto came to the suriace in the skip, and is the only man who went to work on the fourth level that fatal night left to tell the story. Louis Ashlemin. under whose direct supervision the mining was done, said the roof of the fifth level had been shifty for several days, but nothing that miners consider indicative of imminent danger appeared. “To secure the thing, however.” he continued, “we placed new timbers in the level and it appeared to I e perfectly safe. I believe the cave started on the fifth level.”