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• May 20, 2008 6:43 am US/Pacific
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  3 Die Trying To Re-Open Abandoned Gold Rush Mine

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3 Die Trying To Re-Open Abandoned Gold Rush Mine

O'NEALS, Calif. (AP) ― Three men are dead after trying to reopen an abandoned Gold Rush-era mine in Madera County to dig for gold.

Twenty-five-year-old David Alan Alison and 23-year-old Matthew Terry Alison -- both from Prather -- and 26-year-old Brannon David Scharf of Madera were found dead inside the 20-foot-deep mine during the weekend.

Cal Fire officials say the men were using a gasoline-powered pump to drain underground water from the mine in O'Neals, about 20 miles south of Oakhurst.

Authorities are doing autopsies to determine the cause of death. A Cal Fire spokeswoman says it had a high level of carbon monoxide and little oxygen.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)