The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-02-11

Explosion in tiie Martin White Mine
at Ward.

-
an explosion in the main tunnel of the
Martin White mine at that place. It
appears that work was prosecuted i'm
the tunnel day and night, and that the
custom was for each shift to charge and
fire the holes drilled during the shift,
just as they quit. OF seven holes,
chaged by shift which quit at 3
o'clock in the afternoon, one did not
explode. The men who relieved the
shift were informed of that fact, and
they avoided the place where the unex-
ploded charge was in the rock. The
shift which went ON at Ii o'clock at
night, it appears, were not. aware of
this, and while drilling the charge ex
ploded. The Reflex says:
The explosion put out all the lights
and all was darkness for minute or
two. j. G. Campbell and James Innis,
who were a short distance off, struck a
light and made for the face where the
unexpected explosion had occurred.
The sight they saw beggars description.
Ira W. Logan was half buried and life
less. Richard Pilkington had been
thrown to the end of the car track,
helpless and groaning; the heavy drill
columns lay across Thomas Edwards
and George Trowbridge, who were
thrown back diagonally across the tun-
mel.
Ira W. Logan got the full force Of
the charge, and was instantly killed.
His chest was crushed and torn into
the cavity, his head crushed like an
eggshell, the spinal column broken, a
large portion of the right thigh and
| half of his face blown of, and, in fact,
there is hardly a bone in his body
which is not broken. Several rocks
entering his chest, passed through him,
coming out near the right shoulder. 1t
is supposed that he was thrown against
the roof Of the tunnel, and that the
force with which he was thrown crushed
his skull, as his brains were spattered
over the roof.
Richard Pilkington was fcarfully cut
UP about the hands and face. Both
eyes and several teeth were blown out,
his nose literally riddled by small frag-
ments of rock, and his face otherwise
rendered shapeless mass. Several
fingers on the left hand, up to the Sec
I ond Joint, were torn and laceratcd, and
will have to be taken off. He received
severe cut across the left forearm,
and it is also thought that his skull is
fractured. 1t is difficult to tell whether
| he will live or not.
George Trowbridge's injuries, though
not so numerous, are quite as severe as
those of Mr.. Pilkington. He was in
charge of the drill on the south side Ct
the tunnel, and, in addition to many
scalp wounds, was struck on the right
cheek bone by rock weighing pound
or more, that crushed the bone, pol
ton passing into the mouth and right
nostril A large piece of rock was also
| taken out of his mouth. 1t is not
known, to certainty. whether he Will
lose his right eye or not.
Thomas Edwards was running drill
on the north side. Almost the full
force Of the explosion came directly at
him, but he being behind the column
and drilling apparatus, and at the same
| time being III a STOPPING position, watch
ing the drill is all that saved nm from
instant death. His injuries consist OF
sprains and bruises, caused by the con-
cassion, and the drill column falling on
| him.
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