| Show DAtffiER IS INCREASING t I I Situation at the Smuggler Mine Causes Much Anxiety GAS PENETRATING VEIN DOWN FROZE THE EIGHTH TO NINTH LEVEL Announcement That the Pump Men Had Been Driven from Their Posts Would be no Surprise This Morning Morn-ing Inflammable Gas Beginning to Permeate the Mine Denver Nov 19A special to the Republican from Aspen Colo says The danger of losing the Smuggler pumps has greatly increased over last night In fact the situation in this particular is most serious and the announcement an-nouncement that the pump men had been driven from their posts would be no surprise were it received before morning This morning the heavy or dead gas was noticed penetrating I through the vein down from the eighth to the ninth level or pump station I Masons were immediately sent for and the work of constructing a solid masonry I ma-sonry bulkhead was commenced Before Be-fore this was completed the gas became I be-came so heavy that two men were I overcome and were restored to consciousness I con-sciousness with great difficulty The I mason and helper were also knocked out by the fumes but finally recovered recov-ered sufficiently to complete the work The bulkhead was constructed with a suction pipe through it the intention being to connect this directly with the I big pump and force the gas to the surface through the main water line It 5s hoped the bulkhead will hold it from penetrating into the pump station I sta-tion and that it can be handled by i means of the water It is reported tonight to-night that the gas is escaping through the pump and that some other means of keeping the station clear will have to be adopted DANGER TO PUMPS This report has not been verified but is generally believed The gas is carbonic car-bonic oxide and is most deadly Should the Smuggler management fail in their attempt to handle this gas and keep the ninth level clear the pumps are doomed in which case the Aspen district dis-trict would be flooded Another alarming feature developed today was the discovery that an inflammable in-flammable gas was being generated and was beginning to permeate I through the mine To what extent this i character of gas has accumulated is not known but it is supposed to be forming qui e rapidly above the eighth level and that candles will have to be thrown aside and nothing but safety lamps used A large number of safety j lamps have reached here from Newcastle New-castle and from this time on they will be used by the workmen working on the new drift on the seventh level which is being cut around the stope EXPERTS EXAMINATION A smoke and gas expert in the person per-son of the master mechanic for the Colorado Fuel Iron company at Newcastle New-castle reached here last night with I smoke protectors and expected to j make an examination of the burning I I stope this morning After visiting the mine he came to the conclusion that the undertaking was too dangerous to I tackle without the aid of experienced I men and two more experts were telegraphed II tele-graphed for at Newcastle These men will reach here tonight and they will undertake their hazardous task tomorrow I tomor-row morning A number of smoke protectors were ordered from the manufacturers at I Indianapolis today indicating that the Smuggler people anticipate a long siege of fire and are preparing for it 1n |
