Libby man dies in slope collapse near old mine shaft

A Libby man died in a slope collapse Sunday near an old mine site in Lincoln County, the sheriff’s office announced Monday.

Cliff Auge, 54, of Libby, was caught in a dirt-bank slide Sunday near the entrance of an old mine in the Granite Lake area. Emergency crews spent five hours using heavy equipment to recover Auge, who did not survive the collapse.

Auge was working on an excavation project near the mine with the property owner when the disruption caused the slope to collapse. The property owner was buried up to his knees while Auge was completely covered. According to the sheriff’s report, a nearby worker responded to the property owner’s calls for help and was able to free the owner’s legs from the dirt. The property owner sustained only minor injuries.

The property owner was able to call 911 around noon on Sunday. Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies, Libby Volunteer Fire Department and Libby Volunteer Ambulance crews responded to the scene within minutes.

According to the report, the area was still unstable during initial extraction attempts, drawing the process out to about five hours. Emergency crews used an excavator to remove Auge’s body.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said this is the first incident he can remember in recent years involving an old mine site on private property in the Cabinet Mountain area.

“There’s a lot of old mine shafts all over there,” Bowe said Monday. “We had someone up in that area several years ago; some kids playing in (an old mine) and one slipped down a vent shaft.”

That incident did not include a slope collapse and Bowe estimated that rescue effort might have taken place about 20 years ago.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.