1 dead, 23 rescued in Mollie Kathleen gold mine | News

CRIPPLE CREEK • One person died, four were injured and 23 were rescued after an equipment malfunction during a tour of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek on Thursday, according to the Teller County Sheriff's Office.

At 7:15 p.m., the twelve who had been trapped at the bottom of the tourist mine in the east of the city for more than six hours completed their 300-meter climb to the surface after workers repaired a broken elevator. Eleven others were rescued shortly after the accident at a depth of 500 feet.

The sheriff's office received a report shortly after noon that an elevator carrying visitors to the mine had malfunctioned and stopped halfway, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

Officials didn't know what was wrong with the elevator cat or whether the people in the elevator were descending into the mine or coming up from a tour, Mikesell said.

Officials said they believed the death occurred during the disturbance.

Officials said during a news conference the evening after the rescue that all 12 were uninjured when they returned to the surface and four made it up in the elevator. Mikesell said the group was provided with a pizza meal at their request.

Officials confirmed that all the people were tourists from other states and were provided hotels for the night. None of them were made aware of the situation while they were stuck underground, other than being told about a “broken elevator.” As they climbed, officers said they were “grateful” they weren’t told anything.

Those stuck at the bottom of the mine had blankets, chairs and water and were in contact with responders above while they were stuck, officials said.

Officials did not say what went wrong with the elevator, but after checking that there was no debris blocking tracks or cables and a test run up and down, it could be used to bring all 12 people back to safety.

Officials reported earlier in the day that at least four initially suffered minor injuries, including back and neck pain, and were treated at the scene. According to officials, two children were among the first group rescued and received psychiatric help.

Teller County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Renee Bunting told The Gazette that the mine did not collapse but had no further information about the incident.

The body of the deceased was recovered from the mine but was not identified by officials.

According to its website, the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is a former gold mine converted into a tourist destination that takes guests into a vertical descent 100 stories underground. Tours take place at an altitude of 1,000 feet, but the elevator shaft is deeper.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department, among others, dispatched heavy rescue and rescue personnel to the mine.

Gov. Jared Polis' office sent out a news release Thursday afternoon saying he had committed state resources to assist Teller County authorities with rescue efforts.

The state had a Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management field director on site and the state Emergency Operations Center was activated and supporting resource requests. According to the governor's press release, both a mine rescue team from the Department of Natural Resources and a transportation inspector from the Department of Labor and Employment were called in.

“We are extremely grateful for the quick response from all agencies involved and keep everyone in our prayers,” said Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham.

The mine has two shafts and uses a conveyor elevator, said William Snare, a former promoter of the mine. The elevator can carry nine to 15 people depending on the total weight.

Snare said the 1,000-foot descent takes two minutes, while the return trip takes four to five minutes.

According to Mollie Kathleen's website, the last day of tours this season was scheduled to be Sunday.

The mine was named after Mollie Kathleen Gortner, who was the first woman to discover gold at the Cripple Creek Gold Camp in 1891 and staked a claim on her own behalf, the website says.

The mine closed in the 1960s, but since mine tours were doing well at the time, it was decided to continue the tours, the website says.

Revenue from the tours is used to maintain the mine and ensure it is in a “safe, operational mining condition,” according to the website.

This was not the first mishap at the mine.

Officials on Thursday night referred to an unspecified incident in 1986. According to Gazette archives from the Pikes Peak Library District's digital collection, the elevator failed twice in the summer of 1994, stranding visitors for hours.

According to records, the state requires daily testing of tourist mines.