Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-09-21

what Foreman fsss
to ssy-rbe Old Ropemau On she
ss.sd-I.que.s Adjournsd.
At 10 o'clock to-day Coroner Brodsk
proceeded with the inquest Continued
from Saturday, on the bodies Of the
nine men killed ct the Imperial BY the
recent breaking Of the cable and fall Of
the cage to the bottom Of the psrpen.
dicular shaft. The examination Of the
witnesses was conducted chiefly by coun.
sci representing the relatives and friends
Of the dead. The cross-eIamination
was by counsel for the Con. Imperial.
Denis Pendsrgsst testified thar Joseph
Hanrahau, deceased. was 81 or SO years
OF age, Q native OF County Kilkenny,
Ireland, and o single man.
]. B. Benefits testified that Noah b.
Farnum, deceased. was . native OF Ohio,
40 years OF age and q single q
Jerry Sullivan testified that John Sui
Ivan, deceased, was q native OF Ireland,
SO years Of age. Q married man. aud lett
vile and three children.
George Maloney testified that William
Corbett, deceased, was q native OF Quinn
county. Ireland, 80 years OF age and
single.
William Murphy testified that Patrick
j.. Murphy, deceased. was IS years Of
age. q native OF Canada and single.
Roger Penderaast, foreman OF the
Con. Imperial. testifed: At the time OF
the accident we had no ropeman; Mr..
Eugene Jones was ropeman up to the
9Th or 9Th Of this month; he had been
there since about the LIST OF May; Mr..
Louis Beckman was ropeman before Mr..
Jones; the rope in use at the time
OF the accident was one OF those
in use at the time Mr.. Beck
man was ropeman /; he was the last
man who repaired it he left the latter
part Of April OF this year; the overhaul.
iue Of this rope was about the last work
he did /; IL was OF the reel aud in the
rope.bouse then ; II was bought in 1878
some time; my recollection IL that It was
q Nswhall rope, manufactured at Man.
chester, England. and bought OF Mr..
Krause, on the Divide /; there are four
compartments In the Imperial shalt to
the 1900 level /; this rope was used In
what We call the south compartment. blu
there 10 one compartment further south
used as q pump compartment; this COM
partment Is used sbou. like the others;
this rope / have called AZ BY q rope;
there was about 1000 pounds on the
rope, I should Judge. when II broke. be.
sides the two cages |; this estimate IL OF
the weight Of the men.
The counsel for the deceased mems
friends and for the Imperial mine here
stated that II was agreed that the weight
upon the cable at the time OF the 90.
cident should be considered a. SOoO
pounds.
Mr.. Beckmen nor Mr.. Jones never
complained that this rope was defective;
IL they had made . complaint about the
rope il would never have been In use.
and " the company asked me to use Q
bad rope l would never have used one.
but they never have.
O.-Do You know how often II 10 Gus
tomary in the mines Of the Comstock to
take the ropes from the reels to have
them examinsd2 A.-That depends on
the condition Of the rope.
Q.-Is there a certain time beyond
which it Is considered to be unsafe to
forbear to take the rope from the reel
for examination? Al do not know
that there 10.
/ did not examine the ends Of the
broken rope particularly. because the
Coroner has them in his possession;
Mr.. Jones gave them to him; there were
s~afsties only on one deck; this 10 Gus
tomary; that is, to have them on the top
cage; don't think you could run cages
In n shaft With ~saieties on both; II
would be an impossibility. because
shafts in use for any time get crooked
and a double cage going round Q bend
one would be liable to DO checked aud
the safeties on that cage would nsiur-
ally catch the guides; this Is my theory;
examined the shaft after the accident 10
ASCERTAIN IL the satellites on the cage
worked; could not see any indications
that the s~afeties caught on that particu.
lar occasion; think from the amount OF
rope above them that the safeties could
not catch; the cages were ascending
when the rope broke near the
reel or on the reel: the rope broke be-
tween HOO and 1900 feet from the cage;
the cage was about HOO feet from the
surface when the rope broke-between
1000 and HOO feet: when . rope breaks.
n cage will instantly drop some distance;
II ia about 80 or 40 feet from the reel to
the mouth Of the shaft: the broken cable
would not interfere with the descent oil
the cage till the broken end reached the
mouth OF the shaft: II there 10 no strain
ON the bolt s~afeties will act before the
cage has dropped over SIX inches; the
strain being taken Of. I do not know
that the arst action would be o rebound
inc on the part Of the cable, the effect
of which would be to prevent the cable
from keeping the kinR-bolt tsut and sus-
pepdsd: saw Mr.. Wilson examine the
saf,ties three or four days before the
accident he il the boss black.
smith, who has the care OF the
s~ateties +; / did not examine the saisties
afterwards +; have no idea how long the
ssieties had been in use; think Wilson.
whose business IL to take care OF them,
overloaded them ; he Is very attentive ;
/ think the safety was In good order;
Mr.. Wilson tried 1t and Il worked. three
or four days before the accident / do
not think any saisties would work under
the conditions under which that Cable
broke /; the cage and load on 1t being 30
much heavier than the rope and on the
, end Of the rope the cage would be the
first to drop.
Explain how 1t could be possible that
, the cage could descend with greater
velocity than the rope when they were
attached. A.-There was more resist
sncs to the rope than to the cage ; the
rope was over the shsave; 1t broke above
? the sheave; 1t would have been much
better IL 1, had broken below the sheave;
Beckman pronounced the rope in good
order when be finished o~verhauling II;
This was some four and Q halt months