Mile Marker 64: Granite Mountain Mine Memorial

Join us as we wander north a bit to Butte Montana and visit the Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial. We recount the tragic accident from 1917 claiming the lives of over 160 miners as well as our visit to the memorial.

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Transcript

Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial

Key: Drifter, Male voice. Gypsie, Female voice

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another adventure. Today we wander North a bit and remove our hats in honor of some that have gone before us. Though this tragedy was not wrought upon soldiers on the front line, their service was paramount to making sure the efforts of the front line were well supplied.

(Gypsie) Over our birthday and anniversary week trip this year we went to Montana. Our first stop was to Butte, where we spent the night at the Copper King Mansion. Our host at the mansion was Aaron, she was just as sweet as could be and so very friendly and helpful. She gave us a brochure about some things to do and see while we were in Butte and suggested we go up to the Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial at the top of a hill. So after we unloaded the adventure van we headed out to find the monument. 

(Drifter) So before we tell you about the monument let's talk about what happened, giving cause for the memorial to be built. Butte was and still is a mining town mainly mining for copper. The mining done today is nothing like it was back when they first started mining in the area. Today they are mostly stripping the mountain where back then they had deep underground tunnels. At the opening of the mine was a headframe, this was used to lift the men, supplies, and materials up and down the tunnel. The mine was dark, and some of the mines in Butte were so close to a thermal hot pocket that it was unbearably hot. The men worked with toxic fumes and were in constant fear of a collapse. 

(Gypsie) This tragic event takes place in 1917 when butte was at a population of 91,000 people. They were one of the largest mining operations in the world and this meant that people from all over the world came to work here. If you were to go down into a mine in Butte during this time you would see “no smoking” signs posted throughout and in 16 different languages. By April that year the United States was involved in World War 1 and the demand for copper soared. The mines ran 24 hours a day 7 days a week with no time off for the holidays. 

(Drifter) On June 8, 1917 the night crew of 410 men arrived to work. They were lowered down the shaft for another backbreaking graveyard shift. Earlier that day a crew of men were working on installing a large electrical cable. The cable was 5 inches thick and weighed several tons, this was going to be used as part of a new and upgraded fire alarm system. The hope with the new system is that more lives would be saved if some sort of a disaster were to happen. Around 8pm the cable slipped from the clips and fell down the shaft about half a mile and landed at the 2,500 foot level.

(Gypsie) Around 11:30, 4 men went down to check on the cable to see if everything was ok with it. Back then the electrical cables were not like the ones we use today. Today our cables are covered in plastic to insulate them. This cable was insulated with oil-soaked cloth and paper. When the cable fell, the paper insulating it shattered into small pieces and scattered all over the mine. Keep in mind this paper had oil on it. 

(Drifter) So the next part of this story involves a Carbide Lamp. Many may not know what that means so we’re going to explain it a bit for you. Calcium Carbide comes in either a clump form or ground to a powder. On it’s own its relatively inert however when it gets wet it produces what is known as Acetylene. Welders use oxygen and acetylene for welding and cutting. The way a miners carbide lamp would work is there is a two chambered canister. The bottom chamber holds the carbide and the top holds water. A line drips water to the carbide, adjusting the amount of water by a valve. The chemical reaction takes place in the carbide chamber when the water hits the carbide, creating the acetylene gas. This comes back out of the chamber, often in front of a reflector plate & is ignited by a striker, much like a zippo lighter. Carbide lamps were an advancement in technology for the time, it consumed less oxygen and produced less soot while providing a brighter light than the previously used oil lamps and candles. Carbide was even used in houses for lighting, running gas lines from a large canister and running lamps with a mantle, like a coleman lamp.

(Gypsie) As assistant foreman Ernest Sullau attempted to retrieve the line, the carbide lamp on his head came in contact with the insulation. It burst into flames and then quickly spread to the chemically treated mine timbers in the shaft. The smoke from the fire spread throughout the mine and to connecting mine shafts. The fire itself stayed mainly in the main tunnel. Two months prior to this, a fire had broken out in the neighboring Modoc Mine, and was still burning at this time. On two separate occasions a smoke alarm was sounded and the men would flee to the Granite Mountain Shaft for fresh air. The Granite Mountain tunnel had a downcast shaft that brought fresh air into the mine. 

(Drifter) The men, seeing the smoke coming in, thought that it was coming from the Modoc Mine and started to move towards the Granite Mountain Shaft for fresh air. Little did they know they were heading in the direction the smoke was actually coming from. Also to prevent some of the smoke coming in from the Modoc Mine fires, they built concrete bulkheads in the High Ore Mine to limit the smoke. All of the shafts connected but you had to know what tunnel to take to get to the next shaft and you had to know what tunnels were not blocked off. The fire escape maps you find on your hotel room door did not exist for these fellas.

(Gypsie) At 1 am on June 8, men got to work trying to save those trapped inside the mine. The Granite Mountain Mine was connected to the Speculator mine, together it formed a powerful ventilation loop. Unlike most of the mines in Butte at this time they were hot, and had poor air ventilation, this mine had large fans on the top that were used to suck fresh air down the shaft of the Granite Mountain and through the crosscut tunnels to the Speculator shaft. On a normal day the fans brought the miners relief when the temperatures inside reached 90 degrees. But this system caused the fire to quickly move up the shaft and spread the smoke to the Speculator shaft. 

(Drifter) When the fire began in the mine, it was described as a geyser of fire shooting up the shaft faster than the hoist could move.  Two men, Mike Conway and Pete Sheridan were inside the cage as it was being brought to the surface but the fire was moving too fast and the two men were burned alive in the cage while other men had to watch, unable to help them. It was a considerable amount of time before they were able to pump water down the shaft to put the fire out. This meant those poor men were still inside the cage when water started to come down. This is just the start of many sad stories. 

(Gypsie) George Metcalf and Clarence Miller helped guide 200 men to safety. They were at the 1800 foot level of the mine and ran towards the Badger State mine. There was a concrete bulkhead blocking access to the Bader mine but the men took sledgehammers to it and were able to break it down. As they ran into the Badger mine the fumes followed with them forcing everyone inside to evacuate and the 200 men were safe. Metcalf and Miller went back into the mine shaft so they could help rescue George Wheeler who had passed out from the gasses. 

(Drifter) John Camitz and John Boyce were able to survive and wait for help when they were trapped on the 700 level. They found an air hose and cut two holes in it, giving them fresh air to breathe. A group of 29 men led by Manus Duggan were able to build a bulkhead and isolate themselves from the smoke and gas. As the men were trapped in the makeshift “safe room” they were losing fresh air inside it. (Gypsie) After 38 hours the men tore down the bulkhead and crawled to safety, 25 of the 29 men were able to make it out. When Manus made it to the shaft to get a ride in the hoist he decided to go back for the 3 men that were not able to make it to the shaft. He lost his own life trying to save the 3 men left behind. 

(Gypsie) Before he passed away he wrote letters to his wife while they were in the “safe room”. His first letter says.

(Drifter) “Sunday morning, 8:45. Have been here since 12 o’clock Friday night. No gas coming through the bulkhead. Have plenty of water. All in good spirits.” 

(Gypsie) His next entry reads

(Drifter) “I realize that all the oxygen has just been consumed. Everybody is breathing heavily. If death comes it will be caused by all oxygen used from the air in the chamber.” 

(Gypsie) The next letter he wrote reads

(Drifter) “By the time all the men were rounded together Friday night we were all caught in a trap. I suggested we must build a bulkhead. The gas was everywhere. We built a bulkhead and then a second for safety. We could hear rock falling and supposed it to be the rock in the 2400 skip chute. We have rapped on the air pipe continuously since 4 o’clock Saturday morning. No answer. Must be some fire. I realize the hard work ahead of the rescue men. Have not confided my fears to anyone, but welcome death with open arms, as it is the last act we all must pass through, and as it is but natural, it is God’s will. We should have no objection.- Duggan” 

(Gypsie) His last entry is his will, it reads

(Drifter) “To my dear wife and mother: It takes my heart to be taken from you so suddenly and unexpectedly, but think not for me, for if death comes, it will be in a sleep without suffering. I ask forgiveness for any suffering or pain I have ever caused. Madge, dear, the place is for you and the child. -Manus” 

(Gypsie) Manus’ wife, Madge Duggan held onto hope that her husband would be rescued.(Drifter)  When interviewed she said (Gypsie) “He was the finest looking man who ever walked the earth. I was crazy about him from the time I was 11 years old. I have nothing to say until I see either his dead body or his living one. I think he is still alive: anyway I won’t give up hope.” 

(Gypsie) The Butte Daily Post posted an article on June 13, 1917, in it they talk about finding his body (Drifter) ”The body, in a fine state of preservation, cause of death and high temperature considered, was in a sitting position, just as if the young nipper, after giving up the fight for his life as vain, had calmly sat down to die.”  (Gypsie) Manus was 30 years old when he passed away and was buried at the Saint Patrick’s Cemetery in Butte. On his headstone it reads (Drifter) “No greater love hath any man than that he shall lay down his life for his friend.” 

(Gypsie) At the 2254 foot level, 50 hours after the start of the fire, rescue crews were able to find 8 men. The men were able to build a bulkhead and wait for rescuers. Two of the men died shortly before they were rescued but the other six were able to make it out alive. 

(Drifter) One of the men that passed away before they were rescued was James D Moore. He wrote letters to his wife before he passed away and we are going to read them for you to give you an idea of what these poor men were going through. 

(Gypsie) His first letter was dated June 8, 1917 its says

(Drifter) Dear Pet— This may be my last last message you will get from me. The gas broke about 11:15pm. I tried to get all the men out, but the smoke was too strong. I got some of the boys with me in a drift and put in a bulkhead….. If anything happened to me you had better sell the house….. And go to California and live. You will know your Jim died like a man and his last thought was for his wife that I love better than anyone on earth….. We will meet again. Tell your mother and the boys goodbye. With love to my pet and may God take care of you. Your loving Jim, James D. Moore. 

(Gypsie) The second letter was dated June 9, 1917 5:00am

(Drifter) Dear Pet: well, we are all waiting for the end…. I guess it wont be long… we take turns rapping on the pipe, so if the rescue crew is around they will hear us. Well, my dear little wife, try not to worry. I know you will, but trust in God, everything will come out all right. There is a young fellow here, Clarence Marthey. He has a wife and two kiddies. Tell her we done the best we could, but the cards were against us. Goodbye little loving wife. It is now 5:10

(Gypsie) His third letter reads (Drifter) June 9, 1917 

7:00 am All alive, but air is getting bad.  Moore, one small piece of candle left, think it is all off.

(Gypsie) His last letter was written on the cover of a book

(Drifter) June 9, 1917 9am “In the dark, all is lost”

(Gypsie) Shortly after James wrote his last entry he passed away and the rescue crew found him and the 7 other men. Jame’s wife had his body sent to San Francisco where he was laid to rest. I can not find what cemetery he is in because his death certificate just says he was sent to San Francisco. It does not even list his birth date. 

(Drifter) 8 days after the fire had started the rescue crew had managed to remove everyone from the mine. Though the fire was intense only two of the men that died were burned to death, the rest of them were overcome by the smoke and gas that had spread throughout the entire mine as well the connected mines. The final death toll was 168 making it the nation's largest hard rock mining disaster. The death toll could have been more but the rescue crew did a remarkable job. They were able to search over 30 miles of drifts and crosscuts, at least 15 miles of stopes, raises, and manways. The townsfolk even came to help in whatever fashion they could. The rescue team was very fortunate, with all the carbon monoxide and dense tar ladened smoke in the area not a single rescue crew member was killed. 

(Gypsie) The families of those that passed away in the fire had a terrible time trying to identify their loved ones. The city put an order in place that the bodies were to be buried at once. The Butte Miner wrote on June 12, 1917 (Drifter) “In order to protect the public health all bodies removed from the scene of the disaster yesterday were transferred to the morgue at the North Butte and after identification of remains had been made complete, the bodies were prepared for burial by undertakers and interred. Funeral services at churches or residences within the city limits were prohibited. Bodies were taken straight from the morgue to the cemetery. 

(Gypsie) Everyday family members would line up outside of the morgue waiting to go inside so they could take a look at those that passed away. As they walked around, the sight of the men was so grotesque that many of them could not stay long.(Drifter)  The family members all hoped and prayed that they would not see their loved one and that they were still alive. Some men were only identified by the jewelry they wore or letters in their pockets. 

(Gypsie) Not only did the families have the horrible task of identifying their loved ones, they were also poorly compensated for their loss. Compensation was available but it was only given to miners who had wives or children. If they did not have either, then the company was only responsible to pay the 75 dollars for funeral expenses.(Drifter) (That’s just over $1,700 today) (Gypsie) If a miner was unmarried and were the sole provider of their elderly parents their parents got nothing. Also any miner whose family members were either not U.S. Citizens or not in the country they too received no compensation. In all The North Butte Mining Company paid only 39 families of the 168 that passed away. The families that did get money received 4,000 dollars (Drifter) (just shy of $93K today) (Gypsie) paid in $10 a week installments for 400 weeks. (Drifter) (about $230 a week today)

(Drifter) The effects of the fire continued to affect the town of Butte when the press as well as a representative of the North Butte Mining Company hinted that pro-German sympathies may have been responsible for the fire. A letter was sent out on the company stationery stating that carelessness caused the cable to fall. It continued on stating  that Ernest Sullau who was born in Germany and his parents who still resided there may have been on the side of the Germans. Ernest Sullau was not killed when the fire first started. He and around 50 other men climbed to the 2000 level and ran to the Badger Mine. Sullau was overcome with the gasses and passed away while trying to escape.Things in Butte were out of control before the fire. Three days prior, an anti war march turned violent and when the local government could not control everyone the National Guard was brought in. They tried to spin the fire as a cause from the protestors. We are going to get more into this at a later date when we talk about Frank Little. 

(Gypsie) Even with all the damage done to the mine from the fire, the Granite Mountain Mine continued to remove ore until it closed in 1923. A volunteer named Gerry Walter began to research information on the Granite Mountain fire. While doing her research she came across an article where the town folk of Butte had unanimously voted to erect a memorial “so that future generations would not forget the men who died.” Committees were formed, but nothing came from it, no monument was ever built. Well 79 years later, a monument was completed and dedicated to the miners. Butte started out as a mining town, and is still a mining town. A lot of money came out of those mountains and nothing was ever done in memory for those men. However, Butte is a prideful town that takes care of its people and holds on to its legacy. And that is what they did with the monument, they did a wonderful job at paying tribute to those men, as well as the families affected by the disaster. 

(Drifter) So let's talk about the monument and what you will see when you go. The Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial is an open air monument that allows you the ability to see where all the mining was done, and is still being done, it lets you see all of Butte, as well as the headframes that were used during Buttes mining heydays. The monument has a floor made of brick with the doner's names engraved in them. It has three walls around it and on the walls are cut outs of miners working in a mine shaft, flags from around the world, and plaques talking about the terrible disaster. On two of the plaques it lists everyone that passed away in the mine. 

(Gypsie) The neatest part of the monument is there is a speaker system set up with buttons. When you press the button it tells you all about the disaster, stories about the men that were involved in the fire, as well as an interview from the last living survivor of the fire. They did a phenomenal job with it and had different people say the different mens parts, and if you listen closely in some of the speeches you can hear men working in the background. The town of Butte did an amazing job at paying tribute to the men that lost their lives that day. The monument is free and well worth the stop, we spent about 30 minutes there listening and exploring. Plus the view of the town is an added bonus. The memorial is just shy of 2 miles away from the courthouse in the historic area of Butte.

(Drifter) You can help support the memory of these men by having a brick engraved which will be placed in the floor of the memorial. The price starts at $35 bucks. I’ll put a link in the show notes if you’re interested.

(Drifter) Alright, I think that wraps up our stop to the Granite Mountain Speculator Mine Memorial. We said after the heavy October episodes we were going to lighten it up a bit, but that didnt happen. So, do you have something to make us, or at least you, laugh?

(Drifter) Dad Joke

(Gypsie) What do you call a belt with a watch on it?

(Gypsie) A waste of time 

(Drifter) Alright then, Thank you all for joining us once again. If you want to stay up to date with us we are most active on the Instagram (Gypsie) @rebelatlarge, (Drifter) we post photos of our adventures on our website, (Gypsie) rebelatlarge.com where you’ll find links to our Patreon, Merch store, email and other social deals. (Drifter) We mentioned in last episode that we were going to try our new supporters segment we called Checking In. We did do it, it’s on Patreon, it needs some work. However it was fun and we’ll be working on making it a better addition to our support feeds. At the moment it is available on Patreon, the first effort is available to the public however as of recording this, it needs some tweaking, hopefully i’ll have that straightened out by the time you hear this. (Gypsie) So, if youre interested in additional content and can spare a few bucks a month, follow the link in the show notes or the website.

(Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple weeks.

(Gypsie) Safe travels, (Drifter) we’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.