MOUNT LYELL FIRE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 44, 15 October 1912, Page 5

MOUNT LYELL FIRE.

RESCUE PARTY AT WORK. MINERS STILL ALIVE. (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Press Association.) Hobart, October 1-J. A rescue party penetrated to the 700 ft level and recovered live bodies, whilst a sixth was seen. The names of trie four recovered arc McArthy, McAshlaiul, Ryan and Bourke. The others are unknown. In a rescuers abandoned operations for a time, being driven back by the fumes. They report that they heard voices MANY PATHETJC SUhNfcS. HELP FROM MELBOURNE. Hobart, October 14. Later news from Lyeli is coining through very slowly, the telegrapn being inundated wicn private messages for relatives, which are given preference.

Many pathetic scenes occurred. Hero and at other townships crowds arc thronging the newspaper and telegraph cilices. ine scenes at the mine head are heart-rending, hundreds of weeping women and men anxiously watching the rescue operations. Everything possible is being done to reach those entombed. Eltorts were feverishly pushed forward throughout last night and to-day. Tne rescuers are oeing retarded by smoke and tne poisonous fumes rising in the shaft which are permeating tiiA workings. Great care is necessary, and there were many checks during cue forenoon. Relays of rescuers managed, by a hole through the engine winze, to reach the 700 ft. level. Subsequently an oincial notice was posted that five oodies had been lound. line men mid uied or suffocation. HELP FROM OTHER DISTRICTS. Labor a nhmbor of firemen with fire helmets' arrived from Launceston and entered tne mine. They report that voices were heard, which fends hope. it is believed by the mine officials that tne men in tha fewer levels may let be saved. A steamer with fire helmets and otuer appliances left Melbourne at throe this morning, and is expected to reach iiunne at midnight. A special train will convey the appliances to tne scene of cue disaster. Melbourne, October 14. A big crowd tiirouguout tne ' day waited for- news at tne LyeJJ offices, i here wore many sad scenes.

CLINGING TO HOPE. Hobart, October 14. Exports cling to tlio jiopo that die niK-u 111 too lower levels have taken reu.ge in tne drives. Compressed an is still being pumped in, largely to deep me fumes back. SYMPATHETIC mesages. Sydney, October 14. hi any messages of sympathy iiave been sent to die sufferers at LyelJ, lauding die heroic efforts of the rescuers, including cables from Cord Henman and Mr Eisner, noting the tardier progress of the rescue work. Tut difficulty and delay in obtaining news atfyg. tp. the. general .anxiety, and. lorobdaings are ofdiie^worst. : ’' GLAD TIDINGS AT LAST. MESSAGE FIIOM THE DEPTHS. (Deceived 9.55 a.m. Hobart, October 15. After, fearful ..suspense,,the, glad. tidings* Ti'-aW frdln* the s ItwQfd 4 level that a cord had been pulled up with a message attached that.,candles, snould be lowered to forty men iiTls'd.-’ 4U stope on tlie 1000 ft. level. The message was signed by Hyan. This is acyepetd as an intimation that the ■forty are alive on that level, though enviously some, if not nearly all, must bo in a pretty bad condition through entombment since Sunday morning.

Melbourne, October id. The message signed Ryan shows that the earlier information regarding Ryan's body having been found is incorrect. PRACTICAL MINER’S OPINION. FEAR OF POISONOUS GASES. Hobart, October 15. A practical miner who is with 1 the rescue parry, states : “I don’t give any hope except to the men who reach No. hi crosscut at the 1000 ft. level. That is the only place in the mine where they would be safe. They have air pipes there, and would be able to keep oh the smoke. The gases are very oau in the mine, and are said to be very powerful, even worse than smoke, ana very dangerous to work below the 50of c level. T'iie men are soon overcome by the gas and vapour in the stopes.” The latest cage was not working, being impeded owing to skids, but he hoped every minutes to have it free, in order to reach the men on the 1000 ft. level. He reported that the 1100 ft level would be flooded owing to the pumps not working, but he stated that it was unlikely there were any men there. Fire experts would arrive in a few hours, and he anticipated that then all portions of the mine would he .rapidly entered and the full extent of tiio tragedy revealed. Mr. I). V. Allen, director of the Zeehan School of Mines, who visited the scene, states that the mine is provided with air pipes intact. At present a large volume of air is being continuously supplied to the entombed miners, who, he assumes, have taken refuge in dead ends where they should ho practically unaffected bv the noxious gases generated by the lire.

SENSING FOOD TO 1000 FT. LEVEL. THE MEN IN GOOD SPIRITS. Later advices state that food was .successfully sent to the 1000 ft. level, and a note received from the entombed men statins that they are in good spirits and awaiting the cage. The Mount Lyell held is situated in Montague County, of which Macquarie Harbour is the port. The whole of the country is very broken and rangy, and is rich in gold, silver, copper, and other minerals. Mount Lyell is ono of the richest of the silver districts, if not the richest, in the world, and is connected by rail with Strahan. Extensive smelting works are in full o'M'ration. The bullion is sent to Hobart for transhipment by English steamers. On the west coast of Tasmania gold quart/ reefs are scarce, the precious metal occurring principal Iv in pvritic and hematite formations. It is won regularly as a eonstitutent of the argentiferous and cupriferous pyrites of Mount Lyell and the /inc-lead-silver ore of the Hercules mine at Mount Read. The blister copper produced at Mount Lyell in 1903 amounted to G 634 tons, containing GGO6 ton-

of copper, 660,091 ounces of silver, and 21,478 ounces of gold. Riant for treating a deposit of copper-bearing clay has also been erected. In 1909 the Mount Lyeli output was BG3B tons of blister copper, which contained copper valued at £516,G52, silver £64,73(5, and gold £56,993. The company paid during tho year £315,000 in dividends. The first recorded return from tne Mount Lyeli field was in 1886.