Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-01-04
The OCCIDENTAL EXPLOSION.
TWO MEN KILLED ON NEW
TEARS DAY.

CAL '"0 VACGiWS-F6rCl or
the Accidental Reasonable Elk.
PLANTATION - The Funeral Last
Thursday.
About 10 O'Clock last Wednesday
morning, William M. Solomon was
instantly killed and Delaware Sewell
80 seriously injured that he died
within a few hours. At the hour
named smoke was seen issuing from
the main tunnel OF the Occidental
mine, where the two men were work.
ing. This was followed by the re-
ports Of two explosions. Mr.. Solo,
mon, the father Of the deceased and
OF J. q. Solomon, Superintendent Of
the Occidental mine and mill, ran to
the tunnel and looked In. He could
see nothing but heard means. Co.
ing into the tunnel he found Sswell
lying speechless on the ground, his
clothes torn of. He walked up the
tunnel to where the two men had
been working, looking for his son,
but did not find him. On returning
he found him lying between the
rails, under two-inch plank, dead.
The plank was a section of the floor
ing of the track; one end of it was
still nailed to the sill, the other was
loose. 1t was evident that tho ex-
plosion had raised the plank and
1t had fallen back just as Solomon
reached the spot, in endeavoring to
escape. The bodies of the two men
wore removed to neighboring
house, at once, while J. Y. Solomon
jumped on horseback and came to
this city after physician. w. M.
Solomon being dead nothing could
be done for him. Some hopes were
entertained Of saving Sewell's life,
but they were not retained long. AS
soon as the physician had examined
him, he pronounced his case hope
less and he died about Ave hours
after the accident.
The physician who attended the
men states that Solomon was found
entirely uninjured, apparently, as he
had not wound on his body, and
that he died by asphyxiation. Sew
ell, however, died from inhaling
poisonous fumes, and from extreme
cold consequent on the loss OF the
epidermic or outer skin, which fell
in large scales whenever the man
was moved. He had also suffered
compound fracture OF the third rib
OF the left side, the rib having been
forced out of place over three inches
and a piece having been broken off
which penetrated into the lung.
Through the opening thus made and
through the pores of the cuticle or
true skin exposed by the removal Of
the outer skin, air was admitted.
This would doubtless have caused
the unfortunate man to literally
freeze to death.
A REASONABLE THEORY.
The cause of the explosion is not
known, aud must therefore be guess
ed at. As usual in such cases, many
theories are advanced, but that which
is most generally accepted by the
miners Of this city is that the un-
fortunate men went to the magazine
without a light; that they there
struck a match to look about; that a
piece of the match fell into the key
of black powder, which stood close
to the door; that, the powder having
been wet and hardened into cake,
it began to sizzle, and (the fire hav-
ing penetrated the "cake" to the soft
powder beneath) an explosion fol-
lowed. The conclusion resulting
from this explosion then caused
thu giant powder to explode.
This part of the theory, at least, is
reasonable enough, as two reports
were undoubtedly heard. Now, as
to the men: Upon hearing the siz-
cling of the black powder they be.
came aware of what they had done,
and started on run for the entrance
of tue tunnel. Sewell being ahead ;
but the explosion occurred before
they could get out, and they were
found as stated, but about seventy
five feet apart. Had the explosions
occurred while they were in the
drift, they would undoubtedly
have been reduced to atoms. The
fact that they took no light
to the magazine is shown by their
lantern (they could not use a candle