Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1877-08-16

or Destroyed.
An inquest into the matter Of tho death
Of Maurice O'Connor, accidentally killed
day before yesterday in the Savage mine,
was held last evening in Virginia City by
Coroner Hodges. The first witness Of i'm.
portance was John Mullen, who testiaeda a.
follows: I was In the Savage mine; knew
decreased for about six years; we went
down to raise the pump; We have q signal
arranged with the engineer TO ring ten
bells, so that he would know that We are at
that business; fivc Of Us In oil went down
to the i9OO-foot level: went down to raise
and lower aud liz the pump in place; the
bell was no, working we'll that day; II Is an
electrical bell; ten bells mean to u
slowly. cautiously; we kept 3 man at the
tenth station. where tho battery 10 placed.
on account Of the bell not working well;
he WAS 10 ring the bell ia case the battery
did not work; tho other o men went
down in the car to the pump; a. the last
.Jnan got out Of the car ! began ringing the
signal: I rang about i've or six bells and
the car went up the incline before ] had
finished the signal; I heard them shouting
to stop her; I stopped her IS soon as posi-
BILE: she went up. I should judge, twenty
feet. before I could stop her; ! knew some
ono was hurt by tho way they cried out
below. and askeL II I should bring the
car back; they said, 'Yes," aud l took
her back: I got out OF tho car and
went 10 the bottom OF the incline and
found tho men and O'Connor there;
assisted In getting 0'Connor into the car
and then took him up to the tenth station.
which Is at the bottom Of the vertical
shaft; O'Connor was caught by this truck
that the pump stood on; the truck runs
below tho car he was standing between
the truck AMI the giraffe when the truck
started up he was caught under II j sup
pose that the bells lid not sound and the
engineer took what hs heard for q signal
to hoist : l hal only struck iive or SIX bells
and suppose half Of them did not ring (;
! don't know that they did. The bell has
failed to ring several times before; that
morning IL was ringing worse h ! ever
saw II for that reason we put the men of
at tbs tenth station the bell had always
answered the purpose very well before thai
morning.
Michael O'Brien testified: work In
the Savage mine I; last Tuesday -four OF Us
sent down TO the i9OOLfoot level to move
the pump ; the pump was on q truck and
we fastened the truck By q chain 10 the
giraffe : all At once I heard them hollow,
and when ! looked ! saw the truck coming
mn AMI Jaw O'Counor caught ly II we
- " H
be .topueI IL. anal vo v.nt 10 tho truck
and found O'Connor fast under Il We saw
no way Of getting him out but by running
the truck down the incline again. which
We did. when We got him out carried him
10 the giraffe and took him 10 the tenth
station, thence sent him TO the surface I;
there was room for deceased TO have got
ont of the way had he seen tho truck ; lac
hal alantorn i'm his hand AZ the time /: the
truck was some fifteen or sixteen feet be-
low the giraffe We we're getting ready for
the truck TO start when IL moved and
canght O'Connor ; think he was not hurt
any during the time the truck was being
lowered back to release him.
William Holland. n Of the men who
Was In the Incline at the time of the acct.
dent. testified: When We reached the 1900
all got out but ths man who was to ring
the bells said, ITS all ready To con.
meet now. Is itf' They said II was and
Mr.. Lowe assisted me In connecting the
truck n giraffe; we then went dow y
examined the chain that connected the
pump and truck oConnor Was ahead, ]
think; just before We rot TO the pump II
started without any warning to US what.
ever the first ] heard WAS tho chain
tightening and jumped out OF the way ;
the deceased Was just before me and was
caught under tho truck we called nut to
the bellman to stop after stopping we
tried TO get the deceased out We found II
impossible to get him out without aver
ing tho giraffe ; ~ soon as she lowered q
little the man slipped out from under the
hind axle aud rolled down the incline
ahead OF the truck We then carried him
up and sent him to tho tenth station.
John Lowe gave tho particulars OF the
case much the same rs Mr.. Holland.
Henry Lea, the engineer. said Was
ueh' ccsur,,u = aen' !" no's 49, ~ III,