Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-06-22

fell mostly in the middle compartment;
some in the south compartment, o few;
do not think the rock. being heavier than
the drills. could have tipped the cage
and thrown the drills out; have loaded
cars in that way hundreds Of times; have
been station.tender in the shaft since
they opened ont the 6rst station; did not
loosen the rope by trying Il; the tighter
the rope was pulled the tighter those
half bitches would get. Two men were
looking at witness when he tied the
drills; they were John James and Patsey
Pollard; there was Q tank Of water I'M.
der the cage.
The witness here illustrated how he
made the half hitch at the end Of the
rope, and II was q Glove hitch or two
half bitches.
The car was In good condition; the
door Of the car was next witness and
there was no possibility OF Q drill pro.
isctipg under It; the cars were iron cars
and belonged to the Jacket Company;
examined the hooks OF the cars; the two
cars were hooked properly, and to the
best OF witness knowledge the hooks
were sound; the longest drills were
about six feet; some Of them reached the
eccsntric bar and soms did not; there
was q tank OF water weighing about five
tons under the cage; this would keep
the cage from tipping; 1t held about
1900 gallons Of water; the accident could
not have occurred by any misleading or
anything OF that kind; witness had often
been up and down the shaft; the vibra.
ton OF the rope whom near the surface
and when the engineer shut Of some OF
the steam made the cage rock q little;
never knew q cage to get struck In the
Jacket shaft.
John James, q miner ct the Jacket,
saw Hurley load the car and lash the
drills, and after he dashed them witness
went back to work In the $500 DRIFT; be
said nothing to witness; have seen drills
dashed before, but never did 1t; they
looked to be dashed in the right way;
Hurley tried them, and he could not
move them, they were 30 tight; DO used.
I think, an inch rope; 1t looked to DO In
good condition; he put no lashings
around the drill besides the one around
the crosshead; four Of the drills witness
knew reached the crosshead, and there
might have been more; the Others were
lying against them; the lashings were
around all the power drills-the drills
which came above the top OF the car
and they were dashed good; they were
lashed to the up and down bars; all the
drills witness saw were lashed.
Here Mr.. Hurley was recalled and
illustrated how the drills were placed;
they we're dashed together and then tied
to the perpendicular bars OF the cage on
both sides; shorter drills could be thus
lashed as well a. longer ones; the lash.
ing was low enough to reach the shorter
ones.
Patrick Pollard also testified that he
felt nothing unusual in going down the
shaft in the morning; witness was filling
the water tank; saw Hurley put his cars
on the cage as usual and saw him tie the
drills on; paid no ppre attention to 1t;
did not see how he lashsd them; be Ia
considered competent for the place; wit
ness had worked in the Jacket about
eleven years and Hurley had been there
about az long; he appeared to be sober;
never saw him drunk in the mine.
Here the inquest wal adjourned till G
o'clock this evening.