Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-06-07
MINING ACCIDENT.


james 0elones 6orAlo 1anoerS ma
Patrick Hunter. miners working In the
Andes mine. Virginia, were sufoeatsd
yesterday from gas arising from the Are
In the Con. Virginia mine.
It was payday at the Andes. and the
men mot coming to the surface ct che
usual hour. . man VA sent down the
shaft after them. He soon returned
With the information that thsrs wal Q
great deal Of gas on the 400 level. Two
other unsuccessful attempts ven msds
to reach the face OF the drift. whore Ne
men had bean working. When In .
| distance OF $50 feet they came upon the
lifslsss body Of Hunter. and II was With
great dihaculty the sssrohsrs fstraesd
their steps 70 the shait with his r.
mains.
Findingit impossible 10 reach his men
Superintendent Eesn, who vas one OF
the men who sought TO and the miners
underground, hurried TO the Con. Viz.
gipia ofios TO give notice Of what had
occurred. and see II anything could Be
done at that point to draw OF the gas.
For some two weeks the top Of the old
Consolidated Virginia shait had been
partly closed. and the vent was at o
made larger by removing some portion
Of the covering. Meantime men from
the O. & @. shaft had been sent up Into
| the old Latrobs tunnel, and encounter
ing Q heavy dow Of gas from the Andes
had torn some planks from . oonnssttsg
| drift and allowed Il to dow through to
and up the Consolidated Virginia shaft.
As soon - these obstructions were
removed the gas began to leave che
Andes and In Q short time men YER. able
to descend the shaft and enter the
drift on the 400 level. whore the bodies
| OF Landers and Malone were recovered.
The drift runs north about 500 feet
from the shaft, and ct or near the end 10
Q winze which is down atty feet. From
| the bottom OF this winzs q drift 10 being
run eastward. II was In this drift that
Hunter and young Landsrs were as
work. The superstition 10 that the gas
broke In at the end Of this drift through
some old workings, or through crevioss
leading 10 such workings, and that the
men rstreated before Il. II 10 supposed
that when Hunter got out to where Ma.
lone was at work be told him what had
happened, and also told him that young
Lapdsrs was behind and probably In
need Of assistance. Something Of this
kind must have happened, a. Mslone's
body was found q considerable distance
to the northward OF where he had been
ct work, showing that, while hs might
have saved his own life. hs had saorihced
10 In trying to assist others.
GAS yRoM TEE CON. VIRGINIA.
Superintendent Egan Is quite positive
that the gas came from the Con. Virginia
through the crsvices Of an old connso.
ton, and his views are sustained by the
fact that 20 soon % the covering was
removed from the old shalt Of the Con.
| Virginia the Andes was Immediately
cleared OF foul air. The closing OF the
Con. Virginia shaft wa changing the
Andes from o downcast to an upcast,
and the foul gases were by that means
drawn into the Andes from the former
mine.
Several OF those who frst went down
into the mine inhaled 70 much Of the
gas that they were made quite sick.
Michael Quill was almost suffocated. and
for . time was 20 sick that 1t was
necessary to call 10 medical assistance.
Thomas Nevin and Vim. Anderson were
also made very sick, and Supt. Eean
inhaled such Q quantity OF the gas that
II gave him . severe ct Of vomiting.
A TRUE HERO.
James Malone was at ons time Chief
oi the Virginia Fire Department, and
was q OF the pioneers Of the Com.
stock. he Was . native Of Ireland, atty.
seven years Of age. aud . widower. He
was highly esteemed by all who knew
him, and all old C~omstockers will regret
to hear. OF his death. The fact OF bis
body being found . considerable dis
lance northward OF where he had been
at work on the ear track 10 conclusive
evidence that he Was trying to do some
thing for the assistance OF his COM
panions when overcome BY the gas. No
doubt hs would have been able to get to
the shaft and ave his own LIE had no
hastsasd thither a. soon a. hs became
aware OF the influx OF gas.
Gerald Lsndsrs was q nephew OF John
Landsrs, OF San Francisco, the we'll
known mining operator. and was but
twenty years Of age. he has an aunt
and uncle In this city-Mr. and Mrs.
lessee @. Piver-and leaves Q widowed
mother In Berkeley. Californis.
Patrick Hunter was Q native OF Ire.
land, thirty.four years Of age, and leaves
. wife In this city, but no children.
An inquest into the matter will Be held
by Coroner Conn at 6 o'clock this even.
ing.
Work was suspended at the Andes on
the recovery Of the bodies Of Malone
and Landsrs and will not b resumed for
. day or two.. On the resumption Of
work Q thorough examination OF oil the