The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 10, 1901, Page 2

THE SUNDAY CALL. ENGINEER < j.C.MY LEANS 1 friends ack smoke rising mness of mid- mory he great - t fire, with ifs fearful loss ed 2 ing of a = level and efficlent work of > ne ring mines—all nteere etr services to 4o - go anywhere—the- thirtecn 1900 foot levels were rt time. The eleven 0 foot levels pe 00 ure alr that was forced e down the air pipe by on the 800 n the mine—one of % level and the other den and the p —— 5 cespssesccona of six miners on the 1500 level. The rescue of the men on the 1200 level by Lorenzo Pinagiia and William Scad- sing of the six men on 1500 level eraphically rks of George R. Wells in re- »ast, “Reminiscences of at the souvenir dinner in ration of the introduction of electrio wer on the Comstock ledge, on Satur- . October 20, 19 er and Gentlemen: The played Its part in and it will yet make history., It hare of joy and sorrow and d misery. It has been the ble action and true friend- has been the scene of 1i Some things great lode that 1 proud of his fellow man. devotion of miners rs is deserving & mere passing recognition. refer to one circumstance y is as fresh in my memory as was thirteen years ago, and it makes my blood le whenever I recall it. “Do you remember that sad day, Fri- June 24, 1887, when the fire in the nner shaft of the Gould & Curry took Do you remember that night of nd the burden of sorrow that it brought to s0o many homes? “Do you all remember Lorenzo Pinag- lia, John McLain and William Scadden, the three heroes? Is there a man, woman 1 in this place that does not feel proud to live in a town that can produce three such Comstock miners? “Do you remember Pinaglia and Scad- who went down the burning shaft in the cage into the very jaws of death, to res¢ue the men imprisoned on the 1300 1 a CHANGING THE SHIFT. PHOTO OF PAINTING BY R.FRENZENY POISESSION OF G.R.WELLS. SIGNALLING foR SoMETHING THAT COULD NOTCME e in the smoke and t Mercy, shal How that signa f the listeners AND THEN THESE MEN - REELING FROMTHE INFLUENCE OF THAT DEADLY GAS- FELL level of the Bonner shaft? “Do you remember John McLain, the engineer, whose hand grasped the lever, walting In that blinding, suffocating smoke for the touch of the indicator to tell him what his eves could not see? T would rather take off my hat to these three brave men than to the proudest king Europe ever produced. God mada these lion-hearted men, while ancestors and circumstances. made the King."” From the dawn of civilization bravery and heroiem have been admired, reward- ed and honored. Every land has had its heroes, and the song of their brave deeds has been the joy and pride of its people. Bravery has been the theme of the his- torian and the song of the poet, It has compefled respect and honor from kings and emperors. It galned the admira- “Billy" Scadden. miner, got on the north caga of the Bonner shaft and told “John- nie” McLain, (he engineer, to lower them to the 1500-foot level to rescue the six men who were working there. At the time these two men stepped on the cage the chances were against them single error was fatal. If I his nerve and gave the wrong siznal Johnnie got rattied and misunde Or if elther, or hoth, got 8o frig that they knew not what to do! “Larry” signal for the tion and love of women. The fascination the black -}mfl‘("‘v;\v’!‘ ro h‘:;g SO of ”‘: the men on the 1300 t ok inspired by the unsclfish triumph of “the fmouth of the ehaft and wheft they told . ..i¢ preservatic n strong arm 1d stout heart” is one of the Johnnk 12 o T e th"} K 10 5 vy touches of nature that makes us all akin. place it looked like suicide. Don't you tYime Or if the Of all men that the world has crowned know that men that could do that musg swallow u as heroes, none have risen so high as have hearts of oak and nerves of steel? tuUrn! The boys on ered the fire and were cage. They were craw the station floor, nearly heat and smoke. those who for humanity's sake have sought to save human life. The unselfish man, who imperils his own life to save Well, they went down that shaft and it was three to one they never would cofme back. “Larry” told me that after they LEFTA BURNING snakes iffocated by that of another, is infinitely grander than got below the lights of the 12M-foot level _In a moment they all got an boa is he who under the impulse and madness CANDLE the cage suddenly shot down into a blase SAge and were ed with | 5 o batile. dends Tan. Dt i of fire. As ho cxpressed it. “It was ong Weed [0 the SUTface. whert a mew furri: through storms of shot and shell. Tn the blaze of many-colored light=" He knéw i s P o e e tie of his engine wide open and the cage was flying upward with frightful speed. McLain knew that nine fainting men were language of the Holy Scriptures, “Great- that in a moment more the shaft would er love hath no man than this, that a man be burnt and the cage would not stay in lay down his life for his friends.” The the guides. The shaft was one mass of v '“f C‘;‘W; ij‘"" that lh’] :‘r:‘:"[ of ’11"4 n history of the Gould & Curry fire demon- fire. Quick as thought “Larry” jumped 3o 3.0t Pursuit, and he dared not strated that on the Comstock there were slow down. The smoke in the hoisting for the bell rope and tried .to stop the works had grown so dense that cage. After a few efforts he gave the sig- brave men, ready and willlng to submit to this cruel test. In their desire to save “John- nie’” could not see three feet in front of 3 s h nal and stopped in a circle of fire. He h||m. [T'kl)e indicator, lhon‘lnxblhE posi- otve human life volunteers hastened to go rang the signal to hoist to the 1300-foot !iom of the cage, was totally obscured ~ig ot 4 Vi ke e u fire, June 24, 18§ and on the reverse is where imost certaln death awaited \ - level where seven men lay on the floor L3¢ thick. sickening smoke that rolled out fire. june 21/ o lives of otbers of the station, guessing whether life or death was to be thelr fate. They knew ' n that the cage is within 200 feet of tne he imperiled his ow “The gods love “Larry” Pinaglla, surface, is rung. In ten seconds more the & brave man.” 3 tion tender, and