Quincy, CA Grizzly Creek Tunnel Landslide, Apr 1926

Tunnel Cave-In Near Quincy Traps Six

Rescue Squads Pierce Fallen Rock In Shaft

Hope Held to Reach Entombed Gang Sometime Early Today

Victims Thought To Be Caught In Pocket

Workers Change Shifts Each Hour to Reach Imprisoned Friends

Special to The Journal.
Quincy, Calif., April 18.-Rescue crews working in 30-minute shifts were trying desperately tonight to reach six hard rock miners and tunnel men entombed in a cave-in in the Grizzly Creek tunnel of the Feather River Power company’s project above Buck’s ranch, 30 miles from here.

It is believed the men were trapped in a pocket in the tunnel with cave-ins on both sides of them, but little hope is held for their recovery alive due to the fact that the ventilation pipe line ended on the safety side of the rock falls.

Five Names Unknown

William Cope, foreman of the shift, is among the party of trapped miners but the names of the other five were unknown here at midnight tonight.

Approximately 15 feet of the 35-foor cave-in remains to be pierced, and the rescuing crew expects to break through at about 8 o’clock tomorrow morning.

The cave-in occurred 40 feet from the tunnel entrance between 9 o’clock and midnight Saturday night, and was not discovered until the midnight shift reported for work.

The construction camp of the R.C. Storrie company of San Francisco, the contractors, is at Buck’s ranch, approximately a mile and a half from the tunnel where the entombed gang was employed.

Small Tunnel

Due to the smallness of the tunnel, it is declared to be impossible to put a large crew to work and the danger of further cave-ins requires [illegible] as the rescue work progresses.

Superintendent Dick Scott is changing his men on the rescue crews whenever one shows signs of weakening and an entire new gang goes into action every half hour.

Officials declared that despite faint hope of finding the men alive, every effort and facility of the company would be used to reach them as soon as possible.

Nevada State Journal, Reno, NV 19 Apr 1926

Continued