Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-12-20
A TERRIBLE,M MINE ACCIDENT.

Four Men are Precfpitated Down a
Shaft at the PeyvaT1ie MIne and In
stantly NiIIed-Miracgslous Escape OF
one Other.
From the Houghton Nake superior) Gazette, Nov.
23d.
Last Monday afternoon an accident
occurred In the skip -skaft at the Pewa-
bic Mine, which was more dreadful in
it's effect than any which has before
happened in the Lake Superior coun-
try. Sometime late in the afternoon of
that day, the captain of the Pewabic
placed In one Of the rock cars, or skips,
three sticks of timber which were to be
used in the 100 fm level of the mine,
and which was let down the shaft, the
car arriving at it's point of destination
IN a satisfactory manner, but minus one
of the pieces of timber. The timber
man of the mine, who had sent after
the material, thought it a little singu-
lar that his order had not
it was inconvenient to send
the full complement of sticks at the
time, and so dismissed the matter from
his mind. Subsequent events, how
ever, proved what had become of the
missing piece Of wood, as it was the
cause of a most direflll calamity. The
car containing the timber before al
luded to, passed down the shaft all
right until it reached. it is thought,
the 60 I'm. level, where one of the
sticks, by some unaccOuntable means,
was lifted from the skip, and, instead
of falling to the bottom of the shaft,
lodged in it in the immediate vicinity
Of the 60 I'm. level. The car, after
arriving at 1870 fm. level, (about 1,3OO
feet from the surface), was allowed to
remain, and was there when the miners
employed in that level were leaving
their work. The timberman, Mr..
VIM Reed, together with four miners,
had no inclination to crawl up TO the
100 fm. level, (where the "man-en-
gine," used for taking the employees of
the mine to the surface, was), so they
all got into the empty skip
at hand-the four miners crouch
ing into the body of it, and
Mr. Reed seated on what it called the
bale, and hanging on to the rope used
in pulling the car up-when the signal
was given for "hoisting' The car
started and went as usual until it
reached the point where the missing
stick Of timber had stuck, when it tip
ped in s'.ch q manner as to pitch all of
the men out four of whom were cast
headlong down the shaft to death and
destruction, at distances varying from
100 to 700 feet, the timbermen escaping
a similar fate most maryelously. 1t
was found that the four unfortunate
men killed We're terribly mangled and
crushed every one of them had an arm
and leg broken and skull smashed.
One poor fellow was caught in the shaft
about 100 feet from where the mishap
befel the car, and the others lodged at
different points below, the farthest one
discovered down the shaft having fallen
700 feet. Mr.. Reed, being on the bale
of the car, was thrown forward and
stunned, but not sufficiently
to destroy all sense, and he succeeded
in catching hold of the rope, or some
part of the skip, thus saving himself
from going down the shaft. At the
time of the accident, the light which
the men had with them, was put out,
and all was total darkness; but owing
to the timberman's superior knowledge
of the mine, he was able to reach the
surface, which he succeeded in doing in
a short time, and gave an alarm, when
willing hands carried the remains of the
dead miners to the surface. The men
killed were all married, and natives of
Cornwall, England The following are
their names
John Jones Ceaves wife and five chill
dren).
Thomas Basewarren 0eaves wife and
three CHI rem
Samuel Hooper Qeayes wife and two
children).
William Bellemy Qeaves wife but no
children).
No particular blame can be attached
to any one in connection with this fear
full calamity. The fact is well under
stood IN all mines in the country that
men employed therein are not to at
tempt to ride in skips or kibbles under
ground, and if they do 50 it is at the
imminent risk of their lives and limbs.