New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-26
pprCIpiTATED DOWN 4 SHAFT

An accident orcurrcd on Saturday at Brewster's,
n which resulted IN lie death OF one man ana
which inflicted injuries OF more or less serious ma
tnIe uunu nine hers. IL caused Dy the break
ing o. "A hosting rope in the lilly Foster IRON mine
and by the falling vi ten mlnerS up0n Heitht-car
lo,d,d with IRON ore. The town OF brewster ~ on
fne I.e OF the New. Haven and llarem halliOad
and the mine in winch the accident happened is
ni,nut two miles ffum the railroad station. The
s,nnri,,tendonI of the Thly Foster employs about
200 men, who with their families 1--we IN brewster s.
they arc OF various natOnalltlcS, inc 6erGlaus ana
Swcdes among them being the most numerous Al
~ quarter af,or three O'Clock on saturday after
NOON train of three cars, TWO OF when were
loaded with ore were attached 10 the steer holstng
cable aud were dragged toward the NOUN OF lle
shaft The middle car Of the train was hlled with
miners who had finished their work and were re-
tnruiuu 10 their homes wO iloIght cars each weigh
Ing with its contents aOOut fifteen tons were on the
end of the train. The cable bad been tested 10
bear n weight OF eighty tons. The ascent to the
mouth OF tue shaft was up series OF lncilucd
ullups placed at lies TO each other The cars are
dragged 10 the sCrtaCc by dummy engine and 1t
is one OF The rules Of the mining company to "hicn
tho rilly Eos rr belongs that not more than Two
loaded cars shall hUlstod NJ the same time. lhe
train bad ascenued thuty teet. when with crash
th,. cnupl,Iy OF the rear broke and 1t started
down the shaft 10 the bottom The cable sustaining
the second car also broke, ami WIN It's human
frccIt II shot down IN incline OF thirty feet iii
rectlv on top of the last car The INST car Oi the
tram rem iiuel hanging above by only Few strands
OF he parted cable.
AZ ,6on as the accident occurred wreckers were
cent dow the shaft and there they found that every
prrson that had been IN the car had sus aimed some
injury Edward ETOumele. a SNeOe age thirty
.ix lad been damned bet cen the two cars, and IN
nddltlon to several internal injuries his breast
had been crushed ana his collar bone broken. Au-
uuStu~ Swanson. n ~wedr. thlriy wears OF age hdd
Tecriyed severe contusOn5 about the head and
body and he remained unconscious for seven hours.
William IIcItTich, a German age thirty -iOnr hai
received q conclusion OF the spine ami had spralDcd
ms ankle The seven other med we're cut ana
bruised. but their injuries were not serious. lhe
,uiured men were muiedate.y boosted TO the mouth
of the snaft and with two exceptions, swanson
and nerirch, sent TO their homes. fromuele, alter
regaiuing cons iousntss, fingered uhfiI sunday
AT y. IN, when br died. swanson ana neftllch
were sent 20 this city tram of the Harlem Rail
road aud from the Grand Central Depot they we're
taken to the New-York Hospital. Ii was Then
rertalned that their injuries were not fatal, and
that they would probably recover.
A tribune reporter called at the hospital yester-
dsy afternoon The hOuse-surgeon SAID That the
INJURIES of bOth men were siight. HWansPh was
questioned by the reporter ana he toid the following
story OF the accident: | had finished my Gay s
wOik aud was proceeding up the shait, wien l
heard a cracking sound, like that which ire-crack
ers would make. The dun my engine at the mouth
OF the shaft seemed 10 put Oh more power anu SUD
denly like the report OF pistol the coupling OF the
rear car broke / saw FIOmInelo on the descending
car and noticed that he fully realized his dangerous
position He the only man on the car, and al
ter 10 had made double turn III TIE shalt saw h'm
rawl over tho tack of the car aud hang on with
his hands. If his intention was to drop AT that
moment orr cable parted ana our car wnlIleu
down the shaft. don't think there was single
man sad Nv God, we're lOst' IL seeued as
though we were hours falling. suw fr0Dmele stlll
clnrlng to the rear of his car unconscious OF the
danger approachng-tte noise of his car drowning
every other uolse-and then both heard anu felt
the crash. | remember more | think that the
coupling which parted was hot maue OF wrought
but OF cast iron. and its weakness was the main
canse o the accident. The strain and then the re-
coil were what broke the cable, which was really
heavy one and was capable OF sustaining much
ereater weight than 1t subjected to at the time.
The strain OH the cable was redOubed by the lrreg
ulat pull OF the dummy en zine at the mouth OF the
shaft ] have no complaint to make against the
sunerlutendcDt Of the nine, other than hat lie dd
moi know " hat kind of material the car couplings
we've made Of. FrOmInee had wife and child al
Brewster's. ! think that all Of the men, including
myself were married"
tiertrich. who of tho two men brought TO this
city WAS the most seriously Injured SAID that the
rapidty of the descent deprived nm OF both speech
and notion He was confident that the weight on
the wire cable at the time ot the accident was
greater than eighty tons and that is parted not be
Cause of the IecOil after the first had broken
Loose bnt because IL was unequal To the strain upon
IT, be men were all, SAID he, first class MIN
ers and had lust been paid Oft. The SO
BADLY broken that tho iron wheels were ground to
powder and of the woodwork don't think there wss
= niece left foot IN length The superintendent is
responsible but we are all poor miners and We are
anable To obtain any redress. Our tamlues " Ill III
al probability starve while we are lying here help
less"