Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-07-24
FRIGHTFUL CASUALTY.
A Miner Falls Eight Hundred Feet
Down a Shaft and is Literally Torn
to Pieces among the Tfmbers.


Down Shaft and Is Literally Torn
TO Pieces among the Timbers.
The Gold Hill (Nevada) News of the 18th
ult, has the following
About seven o'clock last evening-the
hour for change of shifts-Robert Pow
ers, a miner, was killed in the Imperial
drift, at the 900 feet level from the shaft,
where the air is very close and warm, not
withStanding the arrangements for forcing
fresh air down there fiom the surface. He
had drank considerable cold water, and.
half an hour before coming up complained
of not feeling we'll Just before getting
upon the cage he took another drink Of
water, and Immediately yomited it up
One of his companions remarked to him,
'sBob you're sick.
He replied, Eyes, that's SO; but I'll be
all right when we get to the top" He put
on his shirt threw his coat over his shout
ders and got upon the cage, starting up
with five Others When within about hun
dred feet OF theI9p he complained of being
faint and sank iowa. Those next to him
caught hold OF his coat and if it had been
on would have saved him, but it came off
his shoulders ANA the unfortunate miner
rolled from the side OF the cage, between
the sets of timbers and fell to the bottom
of the shaft, distance of 500 feet or more.
Mr.. Colcord, the superintendent, got upon
the cage, as soon as its arrival at the sur
face made thenews of the accident known,
and descending to the stump or well-room
at the bottom of the shaft, fished
for the body, and after some
little trouble succeeded in finding it. When
it was brought to the surface, horrible
sight was presented. All the clothing was
gone, with the exception of one leg o. the
pants; one hand and one foot were torn
completely of, and nearly the whole rear
portion of the skull torn open, so that the
brain had all come out. Both legs and
arms were also broken. The shaft is tim
bered with twelve inch square tirnbers in
sets few feet apart, and the body passing
from the cage between q couple OF these
sets, the hand and foot, and perhaps the
edge of the timber and the cage. The foot
was still hanging by its lascerated and
bloody muscles to one of the tim
bers, but the hand had not been
found at last accounts. 1t probably
went to the bottom of the stump. An in
quest was held upon the body at noon to-
day, and the verdict of the jury was in ac-
cordanee with the above, it being also clio
tied By testimony that deceased was ma
tive OF Waterford, Ireland, So years of age,
unmarried, and has no relatives in this
State. He has a mother living In Syracuse,
N. T., brothers in Illinois, Iowa and Wis
consin, also sisters in some of the Western
States he came to this State from Kansas
in 1859 and has been working at the In
perial Empire shaft since June LIST, having
arrived recently from Aarora, Esmeralda
county. This is the first fatal accident that
has occurred at the new shaft. The testi-
mony agreed that the cage WIS passing up
the shaft only at the usual rate of speed,
and. nothing was adduced casting the slight
est blame on any one.
California WHEAT CRoP.-The San
Francisco Times or the 18th of June, says:
We can remember no year until the pre-
sent, when the papers of the interior have
not, about this season, contained more or
less predictions of O short wheat crop. -
These forebodings have indeed become
such a matter of course, as to cause very
little alarm, and they generally receive
slight attention. This year, however, we
have failed to find, among al our exehan-
ges, anything like complain of the condi-
ton or prospects of the grain fields of the
State. On the contrary, from every direc-
ton we receive the welcome assurance of a
coming harvest of unprecedented abund-
ance. The Santa Barbara Post mentions
the appearance Of rust in one single field,
crop of that county looks better than for
many years past. If our farmers do not
coin fortunes this year. it win not be for
lack of abundance Of wheat. The area un-
der cultivation is much greater than ever
before, and the yield from present appear
ces, promise to be immense.
To FREsHEN SALT FIsH.-Many persons
who are in the habit Of freshening mackerel
or other salt fish never dream that there Is
right and a wrong way to do it Any per-
son who has seen the process Incorporation
going ofkat the salt works knows that the
salt falls to the bottom. just so it Is IN the
pan where your mackerel or whitedsh hes
soaking; and, as it lies with the skin side
down, the salt viii fall to the skin, and
there remain; when, if placed with the
flesh side down, the salt falls to the bottom
of the pan, and the fish comes out freshen-
ed as it should be. In the other case, it IS
nearly as salt as when first put in. sA