Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1881-05-28
THE FATAL GAVE.
Full Particulars of the Golden Terri
Disaster.
From the Pioneer o..

CdNlilg III blIC NOlbSn lNIih III
was the principal theme Of conversation
OF the streets yesterday. Hundreds of
people hocked to the scene of the
catrastophe during the evening and all
through the day. We give, for The bene-
fit of our readers Il full ard com lete &C.
count of the fearful disaster. Thursday
evening, shortly after the night shit
had gone into the mine Superintendent.
Dave Mason, was informed by the shift
boss that the timbers in the minc were
cracking and giving way. ar. Mason
Immediately ordered him to go into the
mine and call the men out, while he
went up on top to see how the ground
looked. Mr.. Mason says that after he
reached the top of The hill he noticed a
crack on the west side OF the claim, Il
few minutes afierwarA he felt the
ground under him culver and shake; a
-mOment more it commenced TO sink
under him. He jumped toward the
bank and caught hold of the grass roots.
After he had regained his footing the
ground caved with him again. Jumping
again, he reached a firm footing. His
first thoughts were that the shift boss
had not reached the mine in time to
save the men. Mr.. Mason SAYS he
thought the whole mountain was gong
down into some unknown cavity. Upon
reaching the entrance to the mine he
found that q number Of the miners had
got out in time to escape the cave. The
miners at work in the Highland mine,
on the Lead side were fist appri,ed Of
the accident by having their hats blown
off their heads and their candles put
out. They know at once that something
terrible had happened; s. they left
their work, and Fastening to the header
joining the Golden Terra mine. an al-
palling sight met their eyes. Tinbers
mashed into one another aud packed *
tight as the solid rock above them.
They set to work with a viii to make am
opening into the mine so that the i'm
prisoned miners could be rescued. The
shift boss, after leaving Mr.. Mason,
went into the mine and ordered the
men out. There were at least thirty
men in the mine at the time. Some OF
them came ont through the cut, while
the others took the rou'e ont through
the tunnel. Thomas Green WAS ont OF
the mine, standing III the chamber from
whence the tunnel runs into the mine +
distance of fifty feet, when the concus
sion struck him, which must have pick
ed him bodily and thrown him face fore
most against the wall Of the chamber.
killing him instantly. His nose and
the rest of the face was mashed badly.
The force Of the air picked up large
timbers and shot them ont through the
tunnel like so many pieces Of kindling
wood.
The following is a list of the miners
who were in the mine 1T the time the
ave occurred: Thomas Green. John
Beakey, James Farley, VIM. Eddy, Joe
Hoskins, Thos. Thomas, John Dutcs.
Charles Rouse, Tim Sullivan. Pat King.
Pat Calvin, Nat Plunkett, Louis viz
gins. John Miller, Angus Mclean, John
Wedlock, Mat Lago, VIM. Uren, John
Hall, X. w. Thomas, James Everett.
An interview with r. J. Rouse in re
gard to the accident disclosed the fol-
lowing:
He bad been up on the fourth floor
with John Hall, assisting in the timber
ing of the mine. When the miners
were called out, he anne down to the
first floor and was standing about ten
feet from the mouth of the tunnel when
the mine caved in. The conclusion
threw him in Il crevice under the hang
ing wall, where he WAS held fast by the
timbers being pushed in under the wall
by the weight above. He escaped with
a few bruises. The workers on the
Terra end of the cave got him out hy
working along the hanging wall. He
says he heard Farley, who was lying
some seven or eight feet from him.
severa times aStiEg ~ 5Y.ous iy- i,e>r. -
being crushed TO death. Farley, when
found, was lying under Il chute, which
had caught him and thrown him under
il. The huge mass of timbcrs were
piled upon him. He was dead when
found. He had evidently taken out a
loaded car and was on his way back
with an empty one, as the car was found
near him mashed all out of shape. Tim
Sullivan was in the tunnel on his way
out when the conclusion picked him up
aud carried him about fifty feet. James
Everett was badly bruised By being
thrown against the timbers. AS soon
as the accident became known a large
force was set to work to rescue the men
who were yet in the mine. From the
Terra side not much headway could be
made owing to the compact position Of
~horS. they were comDciled IN