Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-01-16
HI EVENING NEWS
saturday Rvsnlnx---.-.Jnnuarv 16, 1869
Coroner's Inquest.


Coroner Symons held an inquest at
Gold Hill last evening upon the body Of
Michael Mcclure, the miner who was
killed in the shaft of the Kehtuck mine
yesterday afternoon. In our hurry in
getting the item in time for the paper
before going to press, it seems that our
information relative to the particular
manner in which this sad accident &C.
Cured was not altogether cur /;
therefore we condeuss from the testi-
mouy elected before the Coroner the
following evidence having direct bear
ing in the matter:
A. u. Ranger, sworn-Am u miner by
occupations; have known deceased about
two months; work in the Kentuek
mine ; deceased has worked there about
two months; whom the accident &C.
Cured I was coming up the shaft on the
cage with him /; VIC started from the
100-foot level on an empty car to 90 up
to the 400. footleve rang four bells,
aud we started up at the i00-foot level
we stopped, as far as | can judge, not
more than three or four seconds de-
ceased passed his leg over the car to
get out, jus, as the cage stopped |
only had time to say "Let me get out
6rst," when the cage started up with a
jerk about 20 feet and stopped again 4;
as it stopped | heard some one groan
below me, and thought he had fallen
into the station ; us soon ss | could get
hold of the bell wire, | rang the
q Q down, and then | heard him
falling down the shaft ; | then rang
three bells to be hoisted to the surface;
[ afterwards went down the shaft on the
cage again, with Tom Smith and the
boss carpenter ; we went 10 the 100
foot level, and there found deceased at
the bottom Of the shaft, lying on his
back at full length crosswise Of the
shaft ; we pulled the body out on the
switch, and after aus preparations were
made deceased was boosted to the sur
face; I cannot attach any blame TO any
one ; the cage was in good condition |
WAS Tug Oul1 OuC NaNh ~ NY SNsaHNS
to ring the bell at the 400.foot station !;
this accident would no, have occurred
bad the cage not started up when it did.
Robert Marshall, sworn-Am under
foreman Of the Kentuck mine | am
positive that the cage o not have
been raised at the time OF the accident
unless the bell was rung, or some mis-
take occurred ; | think toe killing Of
deceased was purely accidental the
brakeman told me he thosght the bell
had been rung.
Michael McCarty, sworn-Am brakes
man ut the Ken,uck mine have worked
there since last August was at the
brakes at the time the accident &C.
Cured ; they rang four bells for me to
hoist the car up to the fourth station !;
stopped the car there about FIVE min
utes, her there was q bell rang, and |
hoisted the same cage; it is so arranged
in the mine that | could not have made
a mistake only by neglect; | am posit-
i've that | heard u bell ring the bells
in the shaft do not sound alike | am
certain that the bell rung was the bell
Of the north shaft there was nothing
to divert my attention from the bell that
was rung.
The balance of the testimony
elected the further information
that deceased was about 80 years
Of age, unmarried, WAS born in County
Monahan, Ireland, leaves II brother and
no property.
The jury, after due delibsration, re-
turned a verdict in accordance with the
above testimony.
Judging from the evidence, rs well AS
personal observation and idquiry, we
are of the opinion that this terrible ac-
cident would not have happened II
there had been two brakemen employed
there instead of one. Where II man
thus attends two separate shafts and
has to manage two separate sets OF
brakes and keep run OF two separate
series Of bell signals, even the most
careful man in the world might easily
bscome confused, and sometime-as IN
this case-get hold Of the wrong brake
The saving Of one mans wages at the
expense Of another mans life is, to sny
the least, very questionable economy,
and the stockholders should so consider
1t, even though they should fall short
one dividend a year.