Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-09-04


ago it was overhauled and put in use
again; it was closely examined and
tarred previous to being put in use
| regarded it MS safe as any cable we
had; it is an inch wider than some
we are now using; l do not know
that the cable had ever been broken;
l think, however, that it had been
parted ut some time, toward the end
we had on the reel; l was present at
the examination by the Savage rope
men; have been five years using
wire cables; my experience with
cables is confined entirely to that
time; the cage attached to the cable
was the latest style Of improved
safety cages; it was nearly new; there
was no bonnet on the cage; bon
net is seldom used. l believe, when
sinking; the cable is about five inches
wide by half an inch thick.
Juror-How far from the surface
did the cable breakl
Wituess-I do not know.
Juror-If you had had bonnet
on the cage do you think it would
have saved Wilson's lifel
Witness-I do not know; it might
have done so.
Juror-Why did the Savage pep
pie set the cable aside and not use itl
Witness-It was too short for their
purpose; Frank Asbiston was super
irtendent Of the Savage al the time
we purchased the cable.
Alexander Delmas sworn-1 am 4
miner at the Dayton; know deceased !;
was working in the mine when he
bottom of the shaft at the time; |
heard deceased halo when he was
coming down on the cage for us TO
look out; presently | heard a noise
above As of rocks falling; when the
noise ceased we saw the cage about
ten feet above us, and heard Wilson
speak; we went up the pump shaft
to where the cage was and released
him by throwing the cable that WAS
on him into the other compartment;
he told me his leg was broken, but
said nothing about how the accident
happened; should think there were
700 or 800 feet OF cable on deceased
when l went to him; do not know
exactly where the cable parted: in
shafts where | have worked there has
never been a bonnet on the cage
while sinking.
Juror-Do you think bonnet on
the cage would have saved deceased's
lifef
Witness-I hardly think it would;
| think the cable that fell down
would have dem olished any bonnet;
the following mentioned as eminat-
ing from deceased when he was near
the bottom was for us to look out.
that he was coming down; 1t is
usual t. give warning thus.
DR.. +. j. BIaekwood sworn--1
found deceased in a state of collapse;
that was about an hour after the ac-
cident; found the right leg broken
and the bones protruding through the
flesh, the femUr was also broken. ust
below the hip joint; the second and
third rib on the lett side of the ster
num were broken, COMPRISING the
heart and important blood vessels;
death resulted from these combined
Injuries.
Charles Owen sworn-l am a
miner and work in the Dayton; was
working in the mine at the time this
acci lent happened; heard deceased
hoilo "Iook out below!" and the
next thing l beard was the cable
coming down the shaft; the lantern
that deceased had fell in the shaft; I
went up to the cage and found the
cable ON deceased; We threw the
the cable of of him and set him on
some wall timber and left him there
while we climbed up to the 700-foot
level and got the north cage and
brought him up, when We lifted the
cable off IF him he said he was gone
tina, he would live but few hours;
he said nothing about how he got
hurt; have worked in several of the
principal mines Of the Comstock and
have never seen bonnet used on Il
cage while sinking; | think heard
one or two miners say that the cable
had broken once or twice at the Saw
aye; | think il there had been bon
net on the cage the chance for de
ceased's escaping fatal injury would
have been be ter, yet l do not know
much about this point; think there
were about 500 feet of cable ON de-
ceased when we found him-the
cable having broken near the surface.
The superintendent of the mine,
Mr.. Mat Caravan, testified that he
examined the broken cable and found
that the break occurred at former
splice, made, perhaps, at the factory.
THE VERDICT.
The jury returned a verdict in &C
cordance with the foregoing evil
dence, without laying censure upon
any one.
FINGERS HuRr.--Charles Thayer,
miner employed at the Silver Hill