Twelve men were imprisoned. One man was rescued by company men, who, in seven hours, drove a drift 15 feet in country rock without shooting. Source document 1. Source document 2. Twelve Miners Buried in Eureka
Ogden Standard, Utah
September 18, 1914
Eureka, Sept. 17. -- A cave-in in the Oklahoma slope of the Centennial-Eureka mine shortly after 3 o'clock this afternoon hopelessly buried twelve miners. At 8 o'clock tonight the body of John Knipe was found near the edge of the slope covered but lightly with dirt. At midnight the body of Jack Hewson was recovered from a spot near where Knipe was found. Hewson was buried under a mass of ore and timber. Both men had probably been instantly killed by the concussion that followed the cave-in. In addition Hewson's neck was broken.
The rescuing parties say that it is absolutely useless to hope to rescue any of the men alive and at first it was generally believed that none had even survived the cave-in. However, shortly before midnight faint tapping was heard coming from the slope, indicating that someone was alive.
The tapping only added to the general horror of the situation, because of the impossibility of rescue and it is thought that the men or men, who are still alive will have smothered before rescue can be effected. All air pipes were broken by the cave-in.
Thirteen men had entered the slope with the day shift. John Wick, a Finn, escaped. He attributes his escape to the fact that he is superstitious and says that he had a "hunch" when the lights went out. He dropped his wheelbarrow and ran into the main tunnel. The concussion knocked him down, but he was uninjured.
Those who were caught in the accident are:
Edward Allen, 32 years, married
Edward Barrick, single
Thomas Bottrell, 28 years, married
Jack Hewson, married
William Knipe, single
John Knipe, single
Bert Lossee, 28, years, married
Earl. D. Brison, 27 years, married
Frederick Sunquist, 42 years, married
Mike Rosa, 47 years, married
Jacob Timperella, 25 years, married
Kurt Zierrolo, 42, years, married
The exact cause of the cave-in has not been determined.
