Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1874-08-14

YESTERDAY Sam Jones, brother of Sen
ator J.. p. Jones and Superintendent Of
the Crown Point mine, in company With
George Williams, station tender, ana MI.
Chase, underground foreman. had mar
row escape from death while ascending
the main shaft of the Savage mine. The
men got on the cage at the l3-foot level,
which is the bottom Of the perpendicu-
lar shaft. and taking hold OF the bell
rope struck three bells. which being in
terpreted means =" Hoist, with men,"
Obedient to the signal, the engineer
began hoisting the cage. All went well
until the cage had ascended about 400
feet, when it suddenly jumped out of the
guides and was loose In the shalt. 1t
was dashed from side to side SO violently
that the lanterns were knocked out OF
the hands of the men. their specimens
of ore were thrown from the cage, and
they must all have been shaken of but
for the peculiar construction of the cage,
which has cross bars at each end which
may be grasped. Up they went, banging
from side to side, Mr.. Chase trying ali
the time to seize the bell-rope and strike
the signal for stopping the cage. This
iOtc III u COIucI vi tbo bbuitt Dut
when Mr.. Chase did occasionally get
hold of it be was unable to make the
signal, owing to the rapid and irregular
manner in which they were ascending.
Thus they were dragged up the shaft for
distance Of over 300 feet. expecting
every moment that the cage would catch
on some projection in the shaft, the
cable be broken and the cage and
themselves precipitated to the bot.
tom of the shaft. which would have
been instant death. Finding that they
could not signal the surface by means OF
the bell-rope, they began yelling, "stop
the cage! stop the cage" in the vain
hope that they might be heard above.
Sam says he "yelled like horse-thief."
All the yelling was of no avail, however,
as Lot whisper was heard on the sur
face. The banging about of the cage
caused the heavy iron cable to be swayed
violently and this was at last observed by
the carman at the surface, who called
the attention of the engineer to it and
had him stop hosting, it being apparent
that something was wrong. By means
of the ladders man from the surface
then climbed down the shaft, and, ascer-
tanning the situation of the men on the
cage, returned and had cage sent down
another compartment to their relief
The three men were kept suspended OIL
the cage for over an hour before they
finally got out of their perilous position,
Even after the cage had stopped they
were not safe. They feared every mo.
ment that some OF the men at the bottom
of the shaft would ring the bell and start
them either up or down the shaft. Tt
prevent this, one of the men got hold o.
the bell-rope, and, winding it two o.
three times around his hand. thus hel(
it until the relief cage reached them
When they finally reached the surface i
is said that oil three of the men looked
like the last run of shsd. They wer,
drenched with water and covered with
mud; Chase had cut in his head, snt
Sam Jones had his left shoulder badly
bruised from his being jammed sgains
the cross-bar OF the cage. Sam says I
single unexpected jar in cage sufficient
ly frightens almost any man, but to b
dragged and banged to and fro for dist
ance of 300 feet is simply terrific. Virg
Enterprise, 7th.