2 Die In Abandoned Mine With Bad Air

Two men suffocated after entering an abandoned silver mine that was marked with a large sign that read: “Keep Out - Bad Air.”

The two bodies were found Sunday about 75 feet inside the tunnel of the New Savage Mine, one of the maze of shafts beneath this city that are notorious for their large pockets of carbon dioxide due to stale air.

Dead were John Montgomery, a Virginia City High School music teacher, and friend Jonathan Reece of Winters, Calif., both 35. In addition to ignoring the sign, they also went around a fence to get inside the mine, Tyson said.

The New Savage Mine operated between 1978 and 1983. It’s one of hundreds of mines on the Comstock Lode silver vein.