Most Devilishly Done

Chicago, Dec. ].- The Heruld's Hancock, Mich., special saya the Calumet and Hecla mine was d'.'liberately set on fire nt 1 1 o'clock Tbursday nïgi.t Of thB 200 or 300 men on duty at tbe time, all but eibt escaped unharmed. As soon as the fire vrtis disrovered the men began to -fork their wuy up, and when they reached the fire itss f, made an attempt to turn on the water, but the pipes i bad been disconnected and no water was to be had. The signal wire had also been cut, and there was notbing left but to figlit for life. Under the guidance of cool-headed leaders the men worked tlieir way aröund the buruing tunnel to other conneetions with the main eugine shaft, and thenca to the 8nrface. Wbile the scènes below were being enacted tbe cry above that the mine was on fire had reached tbo homes of tbe miners, and the wives, children and friends of tbe men below soon crowded around the shafts, wild with grief and anxiety. As oach man came üp out of the death trap he was seized by weeping wlfe and children or anxious friends, and cries of griet were changed to sbouts of rejoicing. The men kapt comin? up until it was known that all but eight had been rescued. For these no possible hope remains, as the only avenue of escape is cut off. They were doubtless smotuered between tbe sixth level, where the fire originated, and the surface. Their names are: Aiitouy Langin, Andrew Hansen, Joe Roe, Antony Kulskie, Gustav Tava, John Flick, J ?e Mossoglie and JoLa Vanderbilt. At tbe spot wbere the fire originated no one was working, andthis tact, taken in connection with thb disconnecting of the water pipes and the breaking of the signal wire, leaves no room to doubt that the fire was the work of an iucendiary. JuBt one year ago the mine took fire under circumstances which pointed strongly to incendiarism. It is hinted that an interested syndicate is at the bottoin of the fires, and tbat the work is that of their hired accomplice for tbe purpos of checking the pro luction of copper, and henee booming the price. Tbe management bad a standing reward of $2,000 for the discovery of the man wb,o set the fire a year ago, and if human agency can discover tbe perpetrator of this deed it is openly declared that he will be burlad headlongdown tbe burning shaft. Anotber tbeory is that the fire was caused by tbe carelessness of the man in charge of the donkey pumps, whteh are run by com pressed air. Unless the moving parts of the machinery, for wbioh air furnishes tbe motive power, are kept warm tbey are likely to freeze. Cotton waste saturated with oil ts hurned in the troughs of the pumps. Thia tl eory is that the cotton waste feil f rom the ti ugh anS ignited the timbera in the shaft The underground fire is fed solely by the timbers which support the overhanging walls and roof, and this amounts almost to a forest. It would take years to burn it all, and to save it fr jm burning is a task whicb may well be called herculean. Carbonic acid gas will prob.ibly be resoitedto to put out the fire, as was successfully done a year ago when 10i),000 oubic feet per day wero forced down the burning shaft.