A fire at the base of the shaft resulted in the death of 11 miners who were lowered into the shaft after the noon hour and before the blaze had been discovered.  Only two men escaped as the blaze spread rapidly in the timbering.

Drifts connecting the Fremont and Gover shafts were bulkheaded; the collar of the latter was boarded up to smother the flames; and, then the mine was flooded.  Later, a rescue party including the mine superintendent descended the Gover shaft; dynamited the bulkhead; opened the Fremont shaft; and descended in the skip to the 300 foot level before they were driven back to the surface by the stifling smoke.

Other attempts to return were similarly thwarted because gas accumulations from burning timbers blocked passage.  Steam was used to force the gases out since cave-ins caused by fire weakened support timbers made normal ventilation of the mines impossible.