Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-04-30
o OF TIM DAY.

day contains the following in its sdi-
torisl column:
The cause alleged for recent destruction
Of life in the mines at Gold Hill-as given
by our correspondent-was undoubtedly the
real explanation Of the tragedy. Under date
Of the DIST our correspondent writes from
Virginia City: "Inyestigations in the
Kentuck eorrobate my statement about
the powder. The Ksntuck magazine was
blown TO pieces and . miner, who SAW the
ruins and informed me about 1t, stated tnat,
at the time Of the disaster, there were Tort,
kegs Of blasting powder and two boxe: OF
giant powder in the vaults. Az tothe SKY
kegs reported to have been sent down .
short time before the disaster, / have two
GOOD. reliable witnesses to the fact, and the
Companies dare not deny il. You will never
see a statement direct OF this fact IN either
o, the papers published in this county; but
il is vain that they deny the truth OF the
statement" We do not understand why
the officers Of these companies should feel
sensitive about the facts appearing. II 1t
was necessary to have so large a store OF
powder Immediately at hand in the mine,
the catastrophe was perhaps unavoidable.
More care will undoubtedly be exhibited IN
the future, respecting the amount OF powder
left in the mine magazines; and the con-
struetion Of the vaults should be such that
in case Of FIRE in any OF the drifts the powder
will not be exploded, or in the event OF an
explosion, the harm will all DO confined TO
the magazine itself. The FIRE in this case
may not have originated in a powder maya.
zine, but the rapid spread OF tho flames and
the suiFocating gases came from the burning
Of the blasting material. II there had not
been any powder in the mines, tho majority
Of those who fell victims to the awful disas-
ter would. in all probability, have escaped.
The whole and exact truth in regard to the
matter should be known to the public. It IL
unwise, for many reasons, to attempt to con-
ceal the facts in the case from the COM
munity,
Hero, now, is something in tangible
shape, coming within our jurisdiction.
So long as such wild, ~nonsensical
stories are confined to street reports or
the letters Of unreliable, sensaiionally
ambitious correspondents, they come
beneath respectable criticism ; but
when they receive the editorial indorso-
ment of II leading newspaper like tho
Herald, tho matter becomes indeed a
serious one. That our editorial cotem-
porary has been unwittingly led into
the Endorsement Of u truly grievous
wrong, is Of course apparent to all SEN
sibls men-therefore our remarks are
simply directed to the source - the
wrong i,solf.
In the name Of John B. Winters,
Superintendent Of the Yellow Jacket
and Kentuck mines, G. F. Kellogg, the
foreman of the same, John P. Jones,
Superintendent of the Crown Point, and
W. II. Smith, foreman-also Of the
secretaries and all others responsibility in
authority in or about the three niues in
question, and with their full knowledge
and authority, we here unequivocslly
deny every word and every line Of the
lying statements of the HeraLd's Virginia
correspondent, and not only ask, but
demand that he either produce his
lying informants, those very " reliable
Witnesses" or else come forward per-
sonolly, like a man, and shoulder the
iufallible odium and disgrace Of those
palpablo ~falsshoods himself.
We will not Charge him with mali
ciously thus pcrvertiug the truth, for it
ia difficult to conceive Of what his
motive could be in doing so; but as
we are ~credibly informed that the
aforesaid correspondent has not been
nearer the mines than Virginia since the
FIRST day of the disaster, we will char
itably infer that he has allowed himself
to be bliudly misled by tho many crazy
sensational street reports, or willfully
false and malicious stories told by
irresponsible individuals. DESTROYS
that "the whole and exact truth in
regard to the matter should be known
to the public" and fully realizing that
ait is uuwi.e for many reasons to con-
ceal the facts in the case from the COM
muni,y," we have taken the trouble to
fully inform ourselves relative to this
alleged explosion, not only through the
officers of the mines themselves, but
from the underground workers also-a
privilege the aforesaid correspondent
also possesses, but has not awaited him
self OF.
In the first place, 1t is II ridiculous
absurdity in any practical man TO sup
pose or assert that q magazine or any
considerable amount Of powder would
be kept down in tho depths Of u miue
like either Of those, exposed to the natu-
raj damps and dangers Of foundation.
Sensible miners, like good soldiers,
always believe in keeping their powder
dry. Each Of those mines has ono regu-
lar magazine at or near the surface,
where all their powder is stored and
kept, with the exception of small quau-
titles, just enough for present use, sent
down to the miners only when called for
or known to be required. The Yellow
Jacket magazine is in what is called the
Usage brush or upper level Of the
mine, $50 feet west from the south shaft,
and $50 feet below tho surface. The
drift is not timbered, aud, it being a
dry place remote from all apparent dan
ger, the powder is stored there rs a safe
place. For similar reasons. the maya
zine OF the Crown Point 10 in an old
tunnel in the hillside back Of the hoist
ing works, on. of and away from tho
mine altogether. Tho Kentuck maya
zine is in the hosting works Of the
mine, above the surface of the ground.
About II week before the fire, the Vel.
low Jacket magazine was replenished
with so kegs Of common blasting pow
der, but no Giant powder, that being
used 10 q limited extent, only in the
Kentuek mine. About 40 kegs still re-
main in the magazine, unhurt except by
the steam. huge volumes of which were