Miscellaneous newspaper articles about Las Animas County Colorado

By: Frederic Earle Winsor: Chronicle-News Staff.

Confronted with heaps of debris and wreckage mountains high, fighting death from a tomb of solid rock, brave gangs of trained men, thoughtless of their own danger, are today and have been since late Saturday night putting forth valiant efforts to reach the fifty or more miners who are entombed somewhere in the underground levels of the old Starkville mine. Beaten back by those invisible, deadly and suffocating gases resulting from the explosion, stumbling through the dank darkness, to fall unconscious and to be dragged out into the sunlight, white, stiff and nerveless, the men in oxygen helmets who are risking life to reach the buried victims are the heroes of one of the most horrible mine disasters in the history of the southwest. Up to this time the efforts of the rescue party have been fruitless and somewhere blocked in by tons of ? and dirt and splintered timber, dead or alive are the three scor..? ? ? unfortunate miners who...(becomes unreadable for a couple lines).

Another tragic chapter has been added to the industrial history of southern Colorado, and in all probability it will be many days before the first bodies are recovered and prehaps weeks and months before the last charred and mutilated corpse is taken from the ruins and the wreckage of one of the largest and most productive C. F. and I. properties in Las Animas county. The only means of egress into the old mine wherein the fifty or more miners are entombed is through a cross entry out of the new mine which runs parallel, but the work of clearing away the debris will be slow, and meanwhile the wives and the mothers who have been made widows and the children who have been made orphans will mingle their tears and hope and pray that their loved ones by some miracle will emerge alive from the awful silence which has engulfed them.

The indefatiguable efforts of the rescue crews received encouragement today when at a distance of some 7,000 feet inside it was discovered that the entombed miners might be reached in a few hours. At this distance two fans have been installed and telephone connections made, thus enabling the men on the inside to communicate with those on the outside. The path of the rescuers, beset by danger and difficulties, lost much of its terror for the brave men, and the confidence is expressed that before night they may be within reach of the entombed men. When this report was communicated to the sorrowing throngs gathered no great distance from the opening of the mine there was a demonstration pitiful to behold.
This afternoon, however, disheartening reports of conditions in the west stope through which the rescue party is working towards the entombed men, came from the mine. The debris is piled high on the track over which a portable fan is being hauled and progress is very slow. In the work of rescue, the C. F. and I (two lines unreadable) operated not only by volunteers, but of ? men from other coal companies operating in this county. One of the first of these outside gangs to reach the scene of the disaster Saturday night was from Cokedale, headed by W. B. Lloyd, one of the heroes of the Primero disaster. F. P. Bayles, manager of the Carbon Coal and Coke company, was one of the first to enter the mine and up to noon yesterday was tireless in his energies to advance the work of rescue. Charles O'Neill of Tabasco, Alex Robinson of Engleville, Charles Chambers of Sopris, Joe Haskey, Bill Easton, Charlie Spahr and Walter Evans all of Primero were among those who rendered invaluable service.

An incident of the day which has remained unrecorded is that of a shaggy black dog that volunteered his canine services in the rescue work. The dog without an oxygen helmet trotted in ahead of the rescue crew yesterday afternoon and was very soon seen to fall and turn his puppy toes upward. The fate of the canine creature was not unobserved and a member of the crew exhibited his humane instinct by picking the animal up in his arms and carrying him out. The dog gave a clever imitation of a dead bow-wow for several minutes but without the ? of restoratives soon recovered and took his place with the inconsequential human spectators.

A notable feature of the rescue work has been the devotion to duty displayed by James Wilson, superintendent at Starkville and who left a sick bed to aid the crews in the

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Recheck of the employees of the Starkville mine this morning, adds four additional names to the list of the missing, making it appear that fifty-five men are buried in the mine. Column:

THE MISSING

JOHN KLEMIC, Pole, aged 23, single.

GREGORY DEZIAMOLA, Russian, aged 28, single.

FELICE PORCU, (no data).

TOM UPPERDINE, American, aged 28, wife and two children.

ALBERT HAY, Pole, aged 25, single.

________ BARONOFFSKY, (no data).

JOE ZAPRANSKY, Pole, aged 29, wife and three children.

unreadable line

40, wife and four children.

FRANK CRAFTIE, Pole, aged 34, wife and four children.

JOHN CRAFTIE, Pole, aged 25, single.

NICOLI EOROUSKI, Pole, aged 40, wife and three children.

JOE TEBROWITSKIY, Pole, aged 35, wife and three children.

FRANCIS GOGGINS, American, aged 16.

EMIL HARROWWATH, Servian, aged 31, wife and one child.

JOE YEORICH, Servian, aged 20, single.

FRANK KLEMIC, Pole, aged 19, single.

JOHN CHUSE, Pole, aged 37, wife and three children.

ANTON MALACONE, Italian, wife and one child.

LUGI GIACOMO, Italian, aged 34, wife and two children.

VIT NEZIO, Pole, aged 34, wife and two children.

TONY VOSCHER, Pole, aged 35, wife and three children.

_______ LOUIS, Pole, aged 35, wife and two children.

JOHN LEBINSKY, Pole, aged 21, single.

JIM ZIMPAH, Pole, married.

PETE VIANCO, Pole, aged 32, wife and two children.

MIKE KORVORIC, Pole, aged 34, wife and four children.

LAWRENCE KOBARA, Pole, aged 50, wife and six children.

FRANK UCCACIC, Pole, aged 27, single.

JOHN TOBIAS, Pole, aged 31, wife and three children.

JOHN MEHORA, Pole, aged 50, wife and three children.

RUDOLPH KEMPENY, Pole, (no data).

RUDOLPH POTTASIC, Pole, aged 29, wife and three children.

LUKE UPPERDINE, American, aged 50, wife and five children.

FRANK BROCK, Pole, aged 37, single.

PAUL TUSNIC, Pole, aged 40, single.

HENRY LONON, Colored, aged 31, wife.

FRED SIPPIE, American, aged 21.

UMBERTO SANTA CRUZ, Italian, aged 19, single.

SAVIOR SANTA CRUZ, Italian, single.

ESQUFALA GALLEGOS, Mexican, aged 40, single.

CARPIO LOPEZ, Mexican, aged 22, single.

ALEXANDER GALLEGOS, Mexican, aged 19, single.

AMILO MAES, Mexican, aged 42, single.

FRANK GREET, American, aged 19, single.

ANTON MALACOME, Italian, aged 37, wife and two children.

GUILERMO BALDOSARI, Italian, aged 25, married.

STEPHANO MUSSATI, Italian, aged 24, wife and three children.

JOE SELANOK, Italian, aged 24, single.

JOHN FANCERO, Italian, aged 20, single.

TOM TOMOZINO, Italian, aged 35, wife and three children.

WILBUR HEDQUIST, American, single.

THOUSANDS GATHER AT MOUTH OF MINE

If there are any Trinidad people who have not taken one or two trips over to Starkville and the scene of Saturday night's disaster, their numbers are decidedly few. Nor would this apply alone to Trinidad but as well to all the surrounding districts.

Such crowds as visited the ill-fated mine have not been witnessed in the county in many years. Various estimates place the numbers who were in attendance at the scene on Sunday as high as 10,000 and some may even go higher than that.

Judging from the crowded conditions, (unreadable word), the interurban (unreadable couple words) must have nearly been reached. The street car office reports this morning that they carried in the neighborhood of 5,000 alone.

But those who went over on cars were by no means half of those to be seen on the grounds. The road between here and Starkville was literally covered from early morning until late at night with every manner of conveyance known to the traveling public.

Every available automobile in the city was drafted into service while carriages, surreys, and single rigs, bicycles and motor cars were out in great numbers, augmented by many travelers on horseback and on foot, all eager to get down to get a look at the crowd and the opening into the mine, possibly take a few pictures, and then assured that they could see nothing actually worthwhile, hurry back to make room for some one else. And thus the crowd continued to swarm back and forth all day long.

But notwithstanding the enormity of the crowd, the day was one remarkably free from accidents of all kinds and nothing of a really serious nature at all has been reported. The nearest to any thing serious that has been learned of was when one of the interurban cars, returning to Trinidad at about 6:30 o'clock in the evening, ran off the track.

The car, loaded with nearly 200 passengers returning from the scene of the explosion, only narrowly missed going over a steep embankment into an arroyo some twenty feet deep. The car was hastily brought to a standstill and inside of a few minutes had been replaced on the track and was homeward bound, but had it gone ten feet farther there would have been two big disasters to report instead of one, and the second possibly worse than the first. But, taking the day through and the immense crowds hauled, the street car company handled the business in fine style and many favorable comments were heard.

Babe Near Death at Mouth of Mine
first 5 lines unreadable

killed by a shock of no less than a marvel, as the baby bonnet came in contact with a track wire which runs along the ? ? into the mine. As it happens the child was merely slightly shocked and rendered deathly ill from the shock. The little one recovered last night and today does not suffer from the experience.

Mrs. Guiterrez, baby in arms, was walking down toward the mouth of the new mine, where a large crowd had gathered. The wire which is strung beside the track is not more than six feet from the ground and the top of the baby's head touched the wire, or rather a ruffle on the bonnet which the baby was wearing touched the wire. The contact with the wire did not produce death, as has been the report freely circulated, but merely caused the little one to become ill and vomit. When a few minutes after the incident, the mother returned home in the possession of sorrowing friends who with a show of hysterics insisted that certainly the child was dead. The baby today toddles about on the kitchen floor alive and well in good defiance to the natural laws which govern the force of electricity.

IN RE. REFUNDING THE BONDED INDEBTNESS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, COLORADO.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

WHEREAS, at a regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners held in the Court House, in the City of Trinidad, Las Animas County, on the 26th day of September A.D. 1910, it was resolved by the said Board of County Commissioners, that there should be submitted to the qualified electors of the County of Las Animas, who have or may have, prior to the date of the election herein-after mentioned, paid a property tax on property assessed to them in the County of Las Animas and State of Colorado for the pear (says pear) 1909, at the General Election to be held November 8, 1910, the question or proposition of refunding the bonded indebtness of said County, and

WHEREAS, it was further resolved by the Board that notice of such submission be given as required by law;

NOW, THEREFORE, Notice is hereby given that there has been and is hereby submitted, to be voted upon at the General Election to be held in Las Animas County, Colorado, November 8th, 1910, the proposition to issue the refunding bonds of said County in the sum of $155,700;

that said refunding bonds are to be used for the purpose of refunding the outstanding bonded indebtness of Las Animas County, as follows, to-wit:---

$36,200 of the bonds known as judgment bonds heretofore issued by said County and bearing date October 1, 1890, and maturing October 1, 1910, with privilege of redeeming the same any time after October 1, 1900.

Also that certain issue of bonds known as funding bonds to the amount of $119,500, bearing date December 1, 1894, redeemable after December 1, 1904 and absolutely due and payable December 1, 1914.

That the first issue of bonds hereinabove mentioned bears interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum; that the second issue bears interest at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum.

That the refunding bonds herein provided, when issued, shall be of such number and such denomination as may be hereafter determined by the Board of County Commissioners; that they shall bear interest at the rate of four and one-half per cent, per annum from date until paid, interest payable semi-annually at the office of the Treasurer of Las Animas County, or at some designated place in the City of New York.

That said bonds when issued, shall be exchanged dollar for dollar for the bonds hereinabove mentioned and outstanding, or at the discretion of the Board of County Commissioners may be sold for not less than par value, the proceeds thereof to be used in the liquidation of the said outstanding bonds.

All qualified voters within Las Animas County, who have, or before the day of said election shall have paid a property tax on property assessed to them in Las Animas County, Colorado, for the year 1909, are entitled to vote upon the proposition hereby submitted.

Separate ballots for voting on the proposition hereby submitted will be furnished for the use of the voters in each precinct within Las Animas County.

The foregoing proposition is submitted under and by virtue of an Act passed by the General Assembly of Colorado, entitled "An Act to enable the several counties of the state to refund their bonded indebtedness which has or may hereafter mature, or has, or may hereafter become payable at the option of the county, by issuing refunding bonds, providing for an election, and the payment of the principal and interest and the registration thereof, and repealing Chapter 67 of the Session Laws of Colorado 1895, and all conflicting Acts," Approved April 18, 1899.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of said County, the 26th day of September, A. D. 1910. (SEAL.) JUAN B. ROMERO, County Clerk.

Published Sept. 30--Oct. 11, 1910

A PROPOSED ORDINANCE

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TRINIDAD, COLORADO

Section 1. That any person, association, firm or corporation, asking or requesting any special privilege, grants or franchises, from the City of Trinidad, is required to deposit with the City Clerk such sum or amount of money as the council may deem sufficient to defray all expenses incident to the procuring of said franchise or special privilege or privileges; provided, that if any money remains in excess of said cost, the same to be refunded to the party paying the same to said Clerk.

(SEAL.) D. L. TAYLOR

Mayor of the City of Trinidad.

Attest: I. Q. MILLIKEN

Introduced, read and ordered published at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Trinidad, held on the 26th day of September, A.D. 1910

Published Sept. 30--Oct. 10, 1910

All persons having claims against W.J. Miller for material furnished or labor performed on the city hall building are notified to file the same with the City Clerk of the City of Trinidad, on or before 8 p.m., October 10, 1910. Claimants must state the full amount due, also name of contractor or sub-contractor by whom stance he furnished the material or labor. All claims must be duly sworn to and filed as aforesaid, as the city council intends to make full payment to Contractor W.J. Miller on said date.

City Clerk

Published Sept. 30--Oct. 11, 1910

A PROPOSED ORDINANCE

AN ORDINANCE PERMITTING THE RUNNING OF BOX BALL ALLEY'S; FIXING THE LICENSE THEREFORE; PRESCRIBING THE PENALTY FOR OPERATING WITHOUT A LICENSE.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TRINIDAD, COLORADO:

Section 1. Licenses may be granted to keep box ball alleys upon the payment by the applicant in each case of Twelve Dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) per quarter for each set of four alleys, and a proportionate sum for any alleys in excess of four. In no event shall license ? be less than twelve dollars and fifty cents (12.50) per quarter or fifty dollars ($50.00) per year.

Section 2. Any person who shall keep and operate a box ball alley within the City of Trinidad without first having obtained a license thereof for shall on conviction thereof forfeit and pay to the city for each offense the sum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).

(SEAL.)

D.L. TAYLOR

Mayor of City of Trinidad.

Attest: I.Q. MILLIKIN

City Clerk

Introduced, read and ordered published at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Trinidad, Colorado, held on the 26th day of September, A.D. 1910.

Published Oct. 6-17, 1910

Notice is hereby given that the member so the Trinidad-Las Animas County Fair Association will hold its annual meeting on Monday evening, the 17th day of October, 1910, at 8 o'clock, at the office of Mr. James McKeough in the Bell Block on West Main street, Trinidad, Colorado, for the purpose of electing a board of directors to manage the affairs of the said Association for the ensuing year and transact such other business as may properly come before said meeting.

Witness my hand, Trinidad, Colo., this fifth day of October, 1910.