From Hell to Heaven
Death-Related Mining Accidents in North Idaho

224 pages, 8 1/2" x 11", glossary and index,
Softbound, $19.95   ISBN 0-9643647-9-4

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Contents
Excerpt
The Author  

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Description:

Contents:

• The Beginning of The Silver Valley, 1851-1899
• Entering the 20th Century, 1900-1909
• Safety Improves, 1910-1919
• The Gold Hunter Mine Cave-In & The Unbelievable Rescue
• The Roaring Twenties, 1920-1930
• The Depression Years, 1930-1939
• World War II Years & The Forties, 1940-1949
• The Prosperous Fifties, 1950 -1959
• The Silver Years, 1960-1979
• The Sunshine Mine Disaster, 2 May 1972
• The Terrible 80s & The Final Years, 1980-2001
• Addendum
• "Safety First" Sketches by Sherman H. Ely
• Glossary
• Index

Excerpt from the Book:

Preface
The title "From Hell To Heaven" may catch one's eye as to what this is all about. It wasn't really "hell" to work in the mines, as many thousands of men have been employed in the mining industry in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District. It was not "heaven" either, but some of these courageous souls went there early in life. This book is a collection of names and the accounts of men who died accidentally while working in the mining industry. The accounts, with the exception of the 1972 Sunshine Mine disaster, which has been given its own chapter, are chronological by the date of the accident. Miners are a special breed which likes to work underground, as they find it challenging and much different from the outside world. One never knew what he would see the next day after "blasting a round." It was always something that no person on earth ever saw before, even if it was only the barren face of rock.

As the mines became deeper through the years, they increased in temperature about 1 degree Fahrenheit for every 100 feet of depth. Now that the mines of this district are several thousand feet deep, rock temperatures over 100 degrees are common and it is necessary to have large air conditioning units so men can work. Many men lost their lives in these "hotter than hell" mines, thus the name for this book..

This text is in commemoration of all those men who lost their lives working in the mining industry in North Idaho so that others could enjoy the fruits of their labors. High standards of living resulted from taking elements from the earth. Realize that of all the things we use, if not grown, must be mine.

Safety Improves, 1910-1919
Natural disasters took their toll at the beginning of the 1910s. Snowslides in Mace and Burke killed 22 people in March 1910. In August, forest fires burned 3 million acres in Montana and Idaho alone, including the town of Wallace. Another snowslide in 1912 took more lives.

In 1913, many mines were saving money by changing the lights by which miners worked. Miners were provided candles to see underground for working since the district started mining. Now they were provided with calcium carbide to put in their headlamps on their caps. Water dripped slowly on the carbide and made acetylene gas that burned for lighting. This better lighting cut down on accidents in the mines as the light was always with them and in front of their face.

As more mines were discovered and operating, fatal accidents in the mining district increased. Forty percent of deaths were from falls of rock, followed by premature explosions of powder at 28 percent. Another 24 percent of fatalities were from falling down chutes. The remaining 8 percent of deaths were from hoisting and shaft-related incidents.

In 1913 and 1914, the Coeur d'Alene Mining District averaged two fatalities per month. It was not until after 1930 that this rate of deaths in the mines of the district would decrease significantly. The mining companies saw that safety of their miners was of great concern. In 1915, a safety expert was employed to train miners in precautionary measures at work. This included teaching artificial respiration and use of respiratory equipment. This was also the year of the first Mine First Aid Contest held in the Coeur d'Alene district.

In 1915, the Washington Water Power Company had the only source of power in the district and was beginning to take advantage of the mining companies with their charges. The Day Brothers brought about competition for electric power by having Montana Power at Thompson Falls bring lines into Burke. Power costs were subsequently reduced.

Ventilation in the deeper mines was necessary for vigorous physical labor. Not all mines had connecting openings to upper workings where the natural flow of air could occur because of induced temperatures and gravity air pressure. In 1917, large fans were put into some mines at the portals. This additional fresh air along with what was coming from the compressed air lines for drilling greatly enhanced working conditions.

In this decade, electrically driven compressors replaced wood-fired steam boilers. This alone decreased heat underground and the risks of fire. Ventilation was of utmost importance and led to laws such as House Bill No. 25 in 1918. It was called the "dust bill," because men were breathing the dust from drilling in dry ground and contracting silicosis. This law required the mines to provide a water hose sprayer. Water from a container, used with compressed air, sprayed water aimed at the collar of the hole being drilled to reduce the dust.

In 1916, Bunker Hill began building its own smelter and it was in operation in 1917. Because of a former contract with American Smelting and Refining at the Tacoma smelter, Bunker Hill had to ship half its concentrates there until 1931. Through the years the local smelter processed concentrates from many of the local mines and remained in operation until 1981.

Wages were apparently satisfactory during World War I, but after the war and into 1919, prices of metals fell and unions returned to the district after being quiet for 20 years. A short strike by the International Mine Mill and Smelter Workers ended 9 October 1919 with nothing accomplished. Working conditions were not the issue, but wages and being paid from the time they entered the mine until they exited the portal were.

MILLER, JOE, miner, single, age 23
31 January 1910
Federal Mining and Smelting Company; Morning Mine
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
On the evening shift at the Morning, Miller was at work in his stope and a slab of rock fell on him. His neck was broken and his skull was fractured. He was taken to the hospital in Wallace where he lay conscious in bed for four days before dying at 8 A.M. on 4 February. He was of Russian-Polish decent and the only relative known in this country was a cousin in Wisconsin.

ZAKICH (VAKID), LAZAR (LOUIS), miner, married, age about 23
McKINLAY, WALTER, miner
14 February 1910
Arlington Mining Company; Arlington Mine; above Burke, Idaho; Shoshone County
Both McKinlay and Zakich were on a trail to the mine when a snowslide struck them and carried them 150 down the mountain. Suffocation was the cause of their deaths. Rescue crews found Zakich under six feet of snow at 7:40 A.M. the next morning. McKinlay was found 40 minutes later and, by evidence of 2 1/2 feet of thawed space above his face, indicated that he lived for some time buried in the snow. The rescue men built a toboggan out of skis and pulled the bodies to the top of the hill and down to the Great Western Mine, 2 1/2 miles above Burke, Idaho. A horse was borrowed from the Great Western and they reached Burke at 7:30 P.M., about 12 hours after the bodies were found. The body of McKinlay was shipped east, according to his mother, Mrs. Tom Barton, and his brother, Roy, of Mullan, Idaho. Zakich's body was held until word was received from his brother in Peoria, Illinois. He was later buried in the Grand Mound section of Nine Mile Cemetery at Wallace, Idaho. Zakich was a native of Hungary and had been in the country only a short while. He had a wife and parents in Hungary.

BERGLUND, GUS, age 44
HOLM, ERIC, age 32
27 February 1910
Carbonate Hill Mining Company; Carbonate Hill Mine; Willow Creek
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
Gus Berglund, Eric Holm and John Holm were contracting at the Carbonate Hill Mine. They were to come to Mullan on Sunday, their failure to do so caused suspicion, and a crew went investigating on Monday morning. A snowslide occurred at the mine and the bodies of Berglund and Holm were located and removed. John Holm was still missing. The two were buried 2 March in Mullan.

DRURY, ARTHUR A., miner, single, age 50
3 March 1910
Senator Group of Claims
Clark Fork, Idaho; Bonner County
On a Thursday afternoon, Drury was thawing dynamite near the Senator Group when it exploded. He was blown 30 feet, resulting in one hand shattering completely, the other arm was badly cut at the shoulder and his body was badly mangled. He was taken to the train depot in Clark Fork for transport to the hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho. Owing to the lateness of the train, Drury died at the depot, unable to get treatment for his injuries. Drury had a brother that works for John W. Graham in Spokane and he instructed those in charge to ship his body there.

LAFARRIERE, DAN, miner, single, age 32
16 March 1910
Federal Mining and Smelting Company; Morning Mine
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
Lafarriere was hoisting timber in a raise to a stope above. He was under the timber slide chaining timber together in the skip when a rock came down the timber slide and struck him in the head, fracturing his skull. He was knocked unconscious and taken to a hospital in Wallace where he died, never regaining consciousness. He had a mother and sister in Clarkston, Washington.

GROTH, JAMES, miner, single, age 23
29 March 1910
Snowstorm Mining Company; Snowstorm Mine; Daisy Gulch
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
Groth fell some 35 feet in the stope he was working and fractured his skull. He lingered in an unconscious state for two days and then died 31 March. He leaves a brother in North Dakota. He also had a cousin that resided at the Carter House in Wallace. A funeral was held 7 April. Groth was born in Norway.

COOMES, WILLIAM E., miner, married, age 49
31 March 1910
Gold Hunter Mining and Smelting Company; Hunter Mine
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
While at work in the Hunter mine just east of Mullan, Coomes had a heart attack and died underground in the mine. Coomes resided in Burke and left a wife and four children. His funeral was held 3 April at Ward's Undertaking Parlor under the auspices of the Western Federation of Miners of Burke. He was buried in the Miners Union Cemetery on Nine Mile Creek.

PETERSON, PETER, miner, age 52
4 April 1910
Alice Mining Company; Alice Mine; Ruddy Gulch
Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
Peterson's lifeless body was found on the No. 2 level of the mine at 3:40 P.M. on Monday. When he fell down the raise that led to his stope, some 126 feet, his head was crushed. It was surmised that he climbed down to the level to get powder for his round and fell down the raise when climbing back to his workplace. His body was taken into Mullan where V. A. Buchannan was in charge. The Odd Fellows and Red Men officiated at the funeral. Peterson was born in Guttenberg, Sweden. He had a son in Boston.

WALLI, MATT, miner, single age 36
9 April 1910
Gold Hunter Mining and Smelting Company; Hunter Mine; Mullan, Idaho; Shoshone County
Walli was working on the 14th floor when he fell seven floors down the ore chute. He had many broken bones and died soon after being discovered. Walli was a Fin and had been in and around Mullan for several years. He was a bartender for Andrew Lake. He was buried in Mullan 13 April.

KNUDSON, DAGFIU, oiler, single, age 59
11 May 1910
Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining and Concentrating Company; Bunker Hill South Mill
Kellogg, Idaho; Shoshone County
Knudson was making his rounds as the oiler in the mill and apparently stood too close to a turning shafting on some machinery. His coat was caught and wound around the shaft at high speed, dragging him around the shaft. His head hit against a beam numerous times before his coat finally tore loose. He lay dead from a fractured skull before anyone found him. He worked at the mill for about 10 years. He had a brother, Cornelius, who resided in Kellogg. Knudson was born in Norway.

Author:

Gene Hyde

Gene Hyde was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on 14 March 1929 to Sheldon and Eleanor Hyde. He has lived in Kootenai and Shoshone counties all his life except for time in the Army during the Korean War and five years spent in Moscow while attending the University of Idaho. His father worked primarily in the lumber industry but was also a mechanic. They moved frequently and lived in Rathdrum, Twin Lakes, Cataldo, Osburn, Hayden Lake and Coeur d'Alene. Gene graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Geological Engineering in 1954. After graduating, Gene married Beverly Marble from Hungry Horse, Montana. They met in 1953 while he was working on the Hungry Horse dam, after being discharged from the Army in December of 1952. In June of 1954 he began working for Hecla Mining Company and was employed there for more than 37 years until his retirement in 1991. As an employee of Hecla, Gene worked a number of years as a mine geologist in the Star Mine, Lucky Friday Mine and Silver Summit Mine. He also spent a great deal of time in areas of the district in exploration. He was a monitor at the Sunshine Mine for over 15 years, as Hecla owned a major share of the mine. He missed the fire at the Sunshine Mine in 1972 by one day.

While he and Beverly lived in Osburn and Wallace, they had four children: Sonya, Sandra, Shelly and Bret. They were involved in many organizations while raising their family. Gene was active in Boy Scouts for more than 35 years, Little League for 11 years, the Kiwanis club in Wallace, and the Osburn Lions. When Hecla moved to its new corporate office in Coeur d'Alene in April of 1986, the Hydes moved to Kootenai County from Osburn to avoid commuting.

He always had an interest in history and became a member of the Kootenai County Genealogical Society as well as the Museum of North Idaho. Gene wrote this book to honor his fellow mining industry workers, who have given their lives in the production of metals to benefit society.

Museum of North Idaho | P.O. Box 812, Coeur d'Alene, ID  83816-0812 | 208-664-33448 | museum@museumni.org