Newspaper Article

More Bodies Recovered

MORE BODIES RECOVERED;
18 MISSING MINERS ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR

All levels of Speculator Down to 3,000 Searched and Cleared of Dead. Comparatively Few Men Employed in the Lower Levels and These Had No Chance for Escape. Casualty List Totals 162 to Date. Three More Victims Are Identified.

IDENTIFIED DEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
UNIDENTIFIED DEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
TOTAL DEAD RECOVERED . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
UNACCOUNTED FOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

         TOTAL CASUALTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

With 12 bodies brought to the surface during the night and 18 miners still unaccounted for the casualty list of the Granite Mountain disaster today remains at 162, according to Coroner Lane’s figures.

When the remaining bodies will be recovered is a matter of conjecture. It may take days, according to mine officials. All the levels to the 3,000 have been examined and cleared of all bodies. There may be more bodies in the stones and drifts. These are being carefully searched today by dozens of rescue parties.

There is also a possibility that some of the missing bodies will be found on the levels below the 3,000. If such is the case, it will take days before they are recovered for the smoke, gas and water in the lower levels make it impossible to penetrate them at present.

The fact that operations below the 2,800-foot level were in large part in pursuit of development and that men contracting on the 3,200 and 3,400- foot levels were sent home one hour and forty-five minutes before the fire

(Continue on Page Seven.)

MINERS STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR

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Levels of the Speculator Have Now Been Cleared Down To the 3,000.

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(Continued from Page One.)
started because water gave out, accounts in large measure for the fact that a few men were entrapped on the lower levels, which had neither avenues of escape to other shafts nor manways, other than the one in the Granite Mountain shaft itself, to levels in which drifts and cross-cuts led to the Speculator and High Ore shafts. Access to these lower levels, those beyond the 3,000, can be had only after a [???]ing engine on the 2,000-foot level connected up with an air line. Escape from gas in these is highly improbable.

Managing Director Here.

General Manager Norman B. Braly of the North Butte company is working day and night directing the work and rescue and will not cease his efforts until the last body is recovered. This morning Robert Linton, vice president and managing director of the North Butte company, joined Mr. Braly in directing the work of rescue.

In the meantime the work of burying the dead continues. Last night 35 were buried from the public morgue and this morning seven more bodies were taken from the morgue for burial.

Those Identified.

At noon Coroner Lane announced that there are still 23 bodies in the morgue. The following were identified this morning: [??lly] Roberts, Phil Rochevich, Alexander Borden, 801 High Ore terrace, a brother of Borden, and Victor Lun[??].

The usual pathetic scenes were en[???] at the public morgue this morning. Scores of relatives of dead miners visited the morgue, but in most cases identification was impossible because of badly decomposed state of the bodies. So ghastly has the sight and the morgue become that Coroner Lane has issued orders to keep women and children from the scene, unless they are absolutely needed in identifications.

Strain Telling on Rescuers.

The tremendous strain is beginning to tell on the rescuers and in more than one case the men sickened by the ghastly sights have been forced to [??] to others. To facilitate the handling of bodies the system of carrying [???] on ladders instead of stretchers has been inaugurated.

Efforts were again made this morning to recover the body of Manus Duggan, the hero to whom 25 men owe their lives. These again were unavailable, leading the officials in charge to [???] certainty that Duggan was probably one of those who are lying in an unnamed grave with scores of others in Mountain View cemetery.

Formaldehyde and other germicides [???] in the handling of bodies have greatly facilitated the work. As soon as the bodies are brought to the surface, they are sprinkled with germicides, which greatly relieve the odor [???] and the public morgue.

Pay Day at Mine.

Today was pay day at the Speculator mine. In order to relieve those in need of money the miners were paid. It is not likely that the mine will resume for some days yet—at least not until the work of rescue is completed.  The hope of finding any miners alive at the 2,800 level of the High Ore mine was abandoned yesterday. When sounds of tapping were heard by rescue crews on the 2,800 level of the Speculator yesterday a party of helmet men made a thorough exploration but were unable to find any survivors. Mine officials believe that the tapping sound was due to the clanking of machinery parts in the lower levels of the High Ore. Mine officials are now certain that the men unaccounted for have all perished.

Exploring the Mine.

Helmet men last night for the first time worked their way to the 700, 800, [???], 2,220, 2,400 and 2,800 stations of the Granite Mountain and found no [??]. They reported that the shaft had [???]ed a great deal between the 2,200 and 2,400 levels and is also badly damaged above the 2,200 level. No effort has been made to descend the Granite Mountain shaft, but an effort may be made today. There is no fire in the shaft above the 1,800 level, the flames being confined to the lower depths of [???] mine. Indications are that the fire is under control and will be extinguished by the end of the week.

It has been found that the draft [???]n the shaft is working large clouds of smoke from the 3,000 level and forcing it down into the lower levels. Water is being poured into the shaft. This morning the water was close to the 3,100 station. It probably will take a month to clear the water from the shaft and lower workings.

Too Hazardous.

Helmet men under the leadership of William Budelier wanted to go to the [??]00 level last night, but those directing the operations refused their consent [???] the ground that the work is too hazardous until the lower levels have been freed of gases.

A reward of $25 has been offered by [??]er Lodge friends for the identification of the body of Norman R. Mc[??]nald of 237 Colorado street. The [??]asing miner was a former Deer Lodge boy.

One body on the 2,800 level dropped into a hole and could only be raised after the rescuers tied ropes around [???]. The condition of the flesh was such that the rescuers were forced to [??]d
bandages all over the body to keep the flesh from falling away.

Hope for the identification of one body lay in the fact that when it was recovered one of the victim’s hands still clutched a dinner pail. It is through the pail that the mine officials believe the body may be identified.

Keep Up the Search.

The work of rescue continues uninterruptedly. In groups of five and six the helmet parties are lowered almost every hour to search the long drifts of the various levels.

Efforts are being directed toward reaching the body of Shift Boss Tregonning, who was at work on the 300 level. Friends of Tregonning still cling to the hope that he may be alive, but those in charge of operations hold a different view. Tregonning had the reputation of being a cool man in the face of danger and his friends are of the belief that he may have followed the example of Manus Duggan and erected a bulkhead in a drift.

Not Identified.

The body of one of the mine victims reposing at White’s undertaking parlors and which was thought to be the body of Charles Welsh has not been definitely identified. The wife of Charles Walsh visited the undertaking parlors but became hysterical at the sight of the body and was unable to state whether or not it was the remains of her husband. Certain identification marks, said to be on the body of Welsh, were not found on the body at White’s and it is now believed that the remains will be buried with the other unidentified victims, although efforts are still being made to learn the man’s name.

Duggan Wrote His Will.

That the body of Manus Duggan, hero of the rescue of 25 men on the 2,400-foot level of the Speculator, will be easily identified by a will, which Duggan wrote in the last hours of confinement in a drift that had been bulkheaded by the entombed men under his direction, is indicated by the story of Albert E. Cobb of 707 North Wyoming street, one of the survivors. According to Cobb, Duggan borrowed paper from him and wrote for nearly an hour, putting the paper in his pocket when he had concluded.

“Going to make your will?” Cobb says he asked Duggan and the latter replied, “Yes, Tussie; I don’t think we’re going to get out.”

Cobb’s story of Duggan’s heroism is like that of his companions. He believes that Duggan was lost making his way up a manway to the 2,200-foot level. He last saw him at the bulkhead.

When Postmaster L. V. Ledvina of Roberts, Ida., came to Butte in an effort to identify the body of Godfrey Galia, who up until his rescue Sunday afternoon was reported among the missing of the Speculator mine disaster, he met Galia at the door of the latter’s rooming house, 336 East Granite street, as he knocked for admission.

“We thought you were dead,” said Ledvina.

“I thought so myself for a time,” said Galia, “but thanks to Manus Duggan we got out alive.”

Galia farmed for a time near Roberts and was a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge at that place. Ledvina came to Butte to claim Galia’s body as a representative of the lodge.

From the Company.

The following telegram, signed “By the Management of the North Butte Company,” was received by the Post last evening. It is the first official statement on behalf of the company regarding the disaster at the Granite Mountain Shaft:

“New York, June 12, 1917.

“The Butte Daily Post, Butte, Mont.

“About midnight on Friday, June 8, 1917, a disastrous and distressing fire occurred with considerable loss of life in the Granite Mountain shaft of the North Butte Mining company, starting on the 2,400 foot level. From reliable information obtained from the Butte mine office of the company, the fire is attributed to the following cause:

“While lowering an electric cable on a messenger rope in the Granite Mountain shaft, the cable accidentally slipped and was carried down the shaft. In the fall the lead protective covering was torn from a considerable portion of the cable, exposing the oiled fabric insulation. In cutting away the cable to remove it from the shaft a light was placed by some employe [sic] too near the cable, setting fire to the oiled fabric and, running up the cable, set fire to the shaft. The air current at the Granite Mountain shaft is downcast and the gases, part of which are almost odorless and are colorless and tasteless, affected the lower workings of the mine, overcoming our workmen before they could be warned or themselves realize the presence of carbon dioxide gas.

“The fans of the Speculator, Gem and Rainbow shafts, which are upcast, were immediately reversed in order to carry fresh air into the mine and change to upcast the current of air in the Granite Mountain shaft.

“The alarm was spread throughout the mine and a large number of the men were taken to the surface in safety through the Speculator, High Ore, Diamond and Badger State shafts. Rescue work was immediately commenced by helmet crews from every available source and every effort was made to get the survivors out of the mine and to extend relieve and succor to the suffering.

“The loss of life undoubtedly was due in large part to the deadly action of the insidious carbon dioxide gas, and many of the employes [sic] probably were overcome at work without noticing or appreciating the fact that they were being affected. At this time we cannot determine the exact number of dead, but from latest reports it probably will be upwards of 150.

“The property loss and the time it will take to repair the shaft cannot be determined just now, as the Speculator shaft has been recently retimbered. Mining operations will be resumed through it as soon as possible. “The effective aid rendered by the management and men of the Anaconda mines, the Butte and Superior mine, the Tuolumne mine and by the officials and citizens of Butte is acknowledged and most fully appreciated.

“By the management North Butte Mining Company.”

Henry Bennetts Leaves Wife and Six Children

Henry Bennetts Leaves Wife and Six Children

From The Butte Daily Post, June 13, 1917 . . .

Bennetts Leaves Wife and 6 Children_screenshotNo Trace is Yet Found of Body of the Man Whose Wife and Little Ones Are Waiting Patiently for Some Word.

The hand of death that reached out from the North Butte mine disaster, casting the city into grief, struck an exceedingly cruel blow at the home of Henry Bennetts, 141 Missoula avenue, Centerville, where a wife and six children are waiting the long hours for word that the body of the husband and father has been taken from the mine.
the scholastic circles and were both given special promotions in their grades this year. Henry started to school but his delicate health precluded his attendance when the cold weather came. Cecil and John are Post newsboys and sell the papers on the streets after school each evening. The children of the missing man, all boys, are: Cecil, 13; John, 12; Raymond, 9; David, 8; Henry, 6, and Paul, 3. The four older boys of the family attend the Blaine school in Centerville and are held in the highest esteem by their teachers and playmates, not only because of industriousness and adaptability to their studies, but because of their manliness among the children who are their playmates. Cecil and John are especially prominent in the scholastic circles and were both given special promotions in their grades this year. Henry started to school but his delicate health precluded his attendance when the cold weather came. Cecil and John are Post newsboys and sell the papers on the streets after school each evening.

The Bennetts family came to Butte in 1913 from Smokerun, Penn., where the father worked in the coal mines. The youngest boy, Paul, was born in this city.

Click here for more information on Henry Bennetts and his family.
Source: The Butte daily post. (Butte, Mont.), 13 June 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85053058/1917-06-13/ed-1/seq-9/>
Twenty Three Funerals of Mine Fire Victims

Twenty Three Funerals of Mine Fire Victims

Burial of Disaster’s Dead Again Brings Home Extent of Sorrow

and Bereavement in City.  Five Masses of Requiem Said

During Morning at Single Church.  Undertakers, Liverymen

and Cab Companies Taxed to Utmost to Furnish Equipment.

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Funerals of 23 victims of the Speculator mine fire again brought home to Butte today the awfulness of the disaster which has brought sorrow and bereavement to hundreds of homes and cast a pall over the city. Thirty-five unidentified victims of the fire were buried last night in the special lot set aside in Mountain View cemetery for that purpose and seven more of the unidentified were interred this morning.  Every livery rig, every hack and every automobile in rent service was engaged today. Local undertakers were taxed to their utmost capacity to furnish equipment for the many funerals.

Five masses of requiem for as many victims of the disaster were said at Sacred Heart church this morning; three at St. Lawrence church; two at St. Joseph’s; one at St. Mary’s and one at Holy Savior. Services for 10 of the victims were held at local Protestant churches, homes of victims and undertakers’ establishments.

Martin Funeral

The funeral of Dan Martin, 27 Anaconda road, was held this afternoon from Duggan’s funeral chapel. Martin was one of the most prominent victims of the North Butte mine disaster and an athlete of extraordinary ability. He was manager and captain of the Thistle soccer team for a number of years. He is survived by his wife, six children, the youngest of whom are twins, his father and mother and five brothers in Scotland. Hundreds of friends attended the funeral and beautiful floral offerings exemplified the high esteem in which the young man was regarded by those who knew him. The interment was made in the Catholic cemetery.

John Murphy

The funeral of John Murphy was held this morning from Duggan’s funeral parlors. The body of Murphy was identified by his cousin, Mrs. Patrick Lynch of Anaconda road. He is survived by his father and three sisters, Agnes, Margaret and Elizabeth, all in Chicago. Other relatives reside in Ireland. He had several cousins in Butte. High mass was celebrated at St. Mary’s church for the repose of his soul. He was a well-known young man and many sorrowing friends followed the remains of the Catholic cemetery, where interment was made.

John McHugh

The funeral of John H. McHugh was held at 2 o’clock this afternoon from the Sherman & Reed undertaking parlors. McHugh was a well-known resident of Butte for several years. He is survived by his wife and seven children, Harry, Beatrice, Helen, Thomas, William, John and Edward; two sisters, Florence Harrington and Mrs. W. A. McHatton of this city, and three sisters in Colorado, one in Canada, one in Pennsylvania, and two brothers in Colorado. Interment was made in the Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral of Ernest Sullau, the assistant foreman at the Diamond mind who died in the disaster of which he was the accident cause, was held this afternoon at the family residence, 1823 Wall street at 2 o’clock. The services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Hudtloff under the auspices of Calan the lodge No. 40 of the Knights of Pythias. Interment was in Mount Moriah cemetery.

Joseph M. McAdams

The funeral of Joseph H. McAdams, whose body has been the only one recovered from the four men who lost their way from the group of survivors Sunday, was held this morning at 9 o’clock from the Daniels & Bilboa funeral parlors at 125 East Park street. High mass was celebrated at Sacred Heart church and interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

The remains of John Bjornstrom were buried this afternoon at 3 o’clock from Richards’ undertaking parlors. Rev. Mr. Hudtloff officiated and interment was made in the Mountain View cemetery.

Funeral services for Thomas Pitcikos were held at 1 o’clock this afternoon at the Daniels & Bilboa funeral parlors and interment was made in the Mountain View Cemetery.

The funeral of Wilfred St. Jacques was held at the Sherman & Reed funeral parlors at 9:30 o’clock this morning, proceeding to St. Joseph’s church, where high mass was celebrated. Interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

The remains of Richard Vogel were forwarded today to Big Sandy, Mont., where interment will be made.

The funeral of Malachi Durkin was held from the Sherman & Reed funeral parlors at 9:45 this morning. High mass was celebrated at Sacred Heart church and interment was made in the Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral of Peter Barros was held at 1 o’clock this afternoon from the Daniels & Bilboa undertaking parlors. Interment was made in Mountain View cemetery.

The funeral of Fred Mangles was held this morning at 11 o’clock and interment was made in the Mountain View cemetery.

Funeral services for John J. Gately were held at 9 o’clock this morning at the family residence, 121 Capitol Hill avenue. High mass was celebrated for the repose of his soul at the St. Lawrence church and interment was made in the Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral of Daniel Budoinac was held from the Daniels & Bilboa funeral chaped [sic] at 9 o’clock this morning. High mass was celebrated at the Holy Savior church and interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral services for Jacob Jacobson were held at 1:30 o’clock this afternoon at the Swedish Lutheran church and interment was made in the Mountain Moriah cemetery.

The funeral of Theodore Mostoski was held at the Sherman & Reed funeral parlors at 10 o’clock this morning, proceeding to the Sacred Heart church, where high mass was celebrated. Interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral of Nick Simotovich was held this morning at 9 o’clock at Walsh’s undertaking parlors, proceeding to the Sacred Heart church, where high mass was celebrated for the repose of his soul. Interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

High mass was celebrated for the repose of the soul of Antone Ivisich at Sacred Heart church at 9:30 o’clock this morning and interment was made in Holy Cross cemetery.

The funeral of Albert Jigglin was held from the Sherman & Reed parlors at 12 o’clock today and interment was made in Mount Moriah cemetery.

The funeral of Charles Kovacich was held this morning at Duggan’s undertaking parlors, proceeding to the St. Lawrence church, where high mass was celebrated.

The funeral of Savo Vodovar was held this afternoon from the Duggan undertaking parlors. High mass was celebrated for the repose of his soul at St. Lawrence’s church.

Funeral services for Dave Nurmi were held this afternoon at Duggan’s undertaking parlors.

The funeral of Frank C. Curran was held this morning from the family residence at 629 South Main street. High mass was celebrated at St. Joseph’s church and interment was made in Catholic cemetery.

Source: The Butte daily post. (Butte, Mont.), 13 June 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85053058/1917-06-13/ed-1/seq-16/>