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Show 10 HUNDRED MEN TRAPPEDJN MINES BLAZE IN BUTTE PROPERTY CAUSES GREATEST DISASTER IN HISTORY OF CAMP. Fire Started in 2400-foot Level and Shaft was Soon a Roaring Chimney, Chim-ney, Men Having No Chance of Escape from Flames. Butte, Mont. At least 200 miners met death in the Speculator and Granite Gran-ite Mountain mines of the North Butte Mining company, on June 9, as the result of a fire in the mines. When the fire was discovered 412 men were in the mines. Of this number, num-ber, 222 were rescued from one property prop-erty and CO from the other. Hope of finding any of the missing men alive has been abandoned. . The fire started on the 2400 level when a carbide lamp came in contact with insulation on an electric cable. The Granite Mountain shaft caved in for a considerable distance. Twenty-seven men, rescued alive from the 2400-foot level of the Speculator Specu-lator mine, owe their lives to the heroism and resourcefulness of Manns Duggan, a 20-year-old nipper, or tool boy. Young Duggan, displaying rare presence of mind, showed his older fellow workers how to bulkhead themselves them-selves from the dangerous gas and preserve their lives until their rescue. The Granite Mountain shaft, 3600 feet deep, was soon a roaring chimney, and with the destruction of its supporting sup-porting timber's the ground was caving, cav-ing, compelling all work to be directed from the' levels connected with ad-ioining ad-ioining mines. The Speculator, another shaft about S00 feet distant, connects with the Granite Mountain on the different levels. That shaft also was in danger, as water from the levels was running into it and had caved a portion. There was no tire in this shaft, however. Tons of water was poured iuto the Granite Mountain shaft and from points on connecting levels with adjoining ad-joining mines as near as it is possible to get to the scene of the accident. It is believed that the mine damage will exceed $1,000,000. The fire, which started on the 2400-foot 2400-foot level, communicated quickly to smoke, which poured from the shaft in great clouds, retarded rescue work. Miners from adjoining properties, or dered up from underground as a precaution, pre-caution, went .to work as rescuing gangs, aiding national guardsmen, who had been called to the scene. With hope rekindled by the finding of ten men alive on Monday in a crosscut 3000 feet from the station on the 2200 level of the Speculator mine of the North Butte Mining company, efforts of the army of rescue men exploring ex-ploring all accessilde workings for those who may have escaped deatli from the poisonous gases incident to Friday night's fire in the- .Granite Mountain shaft have been redoubled. |