Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-05-14
-uNwARnANrAB1E ATTACK.

ter, after deliberately retailing Il lot OF
trashy, nonsensicAl and u%nias: rumors
and unfounied suspicious relative to
the origin of the late fire in the mines
of Gold Hill, which he says - our sub
sidized press will not, and dare not,
give publicity to-as their duty rs pub
lie journalists require them to DO he
goes on to perpctrate a most unw"r-
rantable and ~eowardly attack upon Mr..
Kellogg, the foreman of the Yellow
Jacket and Kentuck mines, He directly
charges him with being culpable in the
matter, and responsible for many Of the
lives lost. Hear the fellow
"Why dom, the Enterprise and Gold
Hill News publish the testimony elected
by the Coroucr's %juries, that held in
quests over the bodies recovered from
| the burning mines? Why is the testi
mony Of honest Frank Smith, foreman
Of the Crown Point, withheld from the
public? lie SwosG at the Coroner's iu-
aasst that many more of his men could
| have been saved hud it not been for the
fact tina, 20 of the Kcutuck men went
down on the Crown Point cages be-
cause they were afraid to ride on the
Kentuck cages; that the brakeman
employed Mt the Keumck waS eccentric
and subject to fits, aud had recently been
discharged from the LunaIic Asylum at
Stockton. The Kentuck miners told
their underground foreman, Owen Mon
ahau, that they were afraid to ride on
the cages while said crazy man was on
the brakes. Monahan swore before the
jury that he told James Kellogg, foreman
Of the mine, Il few days before the fire,
that the men were afraid TO ride on the
cages with said crazy man ut the brakes
aud that he himself shared their fears,
and requested Kellogg to discharge him,
but that Kellogg paid no attention to
his request. If the next granc jury will
honestly aud %importially investigate this
subject, and have the evidence of men
who worked on the day and night shifts
at the time of the fire, the odium which
suspicion now attaches to this man KEEL
logg will, if he is Innocent, be cleared
away
We published ia the News the fullest
and most correct account Of this terri
BILE calamity in all its details, and but
for the great length Of the testimony
taken nj the Coroncr's inquest we would
also have published that in full. We,
how ever, ever advertised that it was
published in the San Francisco Herald
in full, and all any one had to do was
simply to get i and read it. Gle who
runs may read" unless no is some moo
dle-headed Democratic political aspi-
rant. A, to the particular portion Of
the testimony referred TO by this very
" Honest Miner" we herewith publish
it, and the public can see for themselves
how well posted this malicious perverter
of the truth is in what he is talking
about. Mr.. Kellogg is u very captbic,
square dealing, responsible man, enjoy
ing the fullest confidence Of the niue
proprie;ors aud all honest, sensible men
connected with either of them. That
brakeman had been employed but n
| day or two, and Mr.. Kellogg deemed
| him capable, otherwise he would not
have placed him there, and when his
real incapability should have been
proven he would doubtless have
been discharged. As to the matter
being brought before the Grand Jury,
nothing would suit the officers
Of the mines better, Mr.. Kellogg es-
pecially. II tue writer Of that mcnda-
cious letter really believes what he has
written, his extreme g%ullability is much
to be piticd, and he is fur crazier than
he says that brakesmnn WAS. The fact
of il is, that he is no honest miner
at all, but simply some spleeny fellow
who owes Kellogg II spite because he
never thought him worthy of employ.
Honest miners appreciate all of his kind
al their true worth. He hHd better read
tina, little story about the ass who
dressed himself in q lions skin, and
profit thereby.
Testimony Of w. II. Smi;h-Am a resident
of the town of Gold Hill am foreman OF
the Crown Point mine ; | went over to the
mine at about nalf.past 6 o'clock, or 20 min
u,cs of 7 O'Clock, on Wednesday morning u
large number Of Crown Point men had al
ready gone down the shat. there were some
Kentuck men waiting to go down the Crown
Point shaft when | got there; | went down
] with the last batch Of men, including the I'M
dcrground foreman Of the kentuck and the
underground foreman of the Crown Point
and two Of the Kentuck miners; they want
| ed to stop at the 700.foot station; | stepped
| off to let the kcntuck men get off; | made a
remark Us soon rs | stepped of, that there
was FIRE; one Of the men said it must be a
candle.bo ! turned around and remarked
that there was certainly a fire in the lower
stations, judging from the smoke in the
shaft, and Immediately rang the bell to lower
the cage; my intention was to go down to
the l,O0O.foot level, but when | reached the
500 foot station, l was stopped in my descent
by the bell being rung by the boys at the 500
foot station at the S00-foot station l found
the men generally excited; they all seemed
anxious to get on the cage; | told them to
keep cool and would run two cages to the
station !; | go, on all the men on the cage that
I could the men said the fire was near the
line between the Kcntuck and the Yellow
Jacket; l sent the cage back immediately on
nv arrival at the surface, but at that time
the smoke and heat was so intense that men
could scarcely stand i. to run up and down
the shaft when the last cage was sent to
the S0O-foot station, John Il. James went
with i, for the purpose Of calling the men at
that station; he received no response; the
men were all probably s,iacd at the 600
foot station he saw three men, and he said to
them, "For Gods sake, get on the cage and
90 up" Two Of them refused, for the rea-
son that there was too much smoke in the
shaft ; the third he forcibly pulled on the
cage aud took him up; the name OF the third
man was Charley Benn. who Is now alive;
Immediately after the cage had reached
the top there were six bells rung to lower
the cage to the 600-foot station; it was low.
cred, and three bells given to hoist hoisted
about 20 fee, when bell rang to stop; l or
dcred the engineer TO lower back to the sta
ton again waited about five minutes, and
then. supposing the men might have become
insensible, or bell wire given out. | gave or
ders to hoist; the cage was hoisted II short
.-- ~. Ar ooutDonr rnp,arl.aI that