The Evening critic., 1884-01-30
WAS THERE PROPER PROBATION

|
lied ne she brown Inquest To-day.
The inquest over the remains Of the coll
orcd man Brown, or Miner, was resumed
before Coroner Patterson at the Fourth
Precinct Station to-day.
John Condor, young white man, whose
duties are to attend to the pump, was called
to the stand. Witness stated that before
each blast it was his business to take off the
suctionpipe and hose and put tho pump ia
| working order, and after tho blast TO put
the attachments of the pump on again. lie
did this on the night of the accident. Wit
ness finding when In the shaft that the
timbers were giving way,
Got Ont az Soon as Possible.
Witness said he lef5 the mine Saturday
evening, about z o'clock, aud tho pump was
| In good running order. He found II still
working we'll when he returned, about
o'clock that night. He resumed work vt 3
o'clock In the morning and continued until
the man was gotten out. The pump at no
time failed to perform its functions. The
| pump was run ON au average Of 10 minutes
each hour.
Henry Kings Important Evidence.
Henry King, colored, employed on the
works, testified that he went on duty on
the morning after tho accident at o'clock.
/
had any experience in that business, no
Never Been Given 10 Understand
That There was Any Danger
attending such work. When he left tho
shaft Saturday morning at @ o'clock the
timbers were croaking and tumbling be-
hind the curbng. There were no timbers
from the bottom to about or feet above.
Witness said that early Saturday morning,
Mr. heton, the foreman, said that the
first duty Of the foreman who relieved him
Qreton) that morning would DO climber
up" This the witness sand was not done
because
There Was No Timber on the Ground
with which to do il. The timber did not
arrive that night until past o'clock, two
hours after the accident.
To q Juror: The crumbling he heard was
behind the timbers, on the south side Of the
shaft, where the accident occurred. Wit
ness did not tell the boos after he left the
shaft that he had heard tho falling of
rocks behind, because
The Boss Himself Had Called His
Attention TO IL
and said it would be "timbered up" Henry
Wilson, another workman, had called the
attention of the boss to the fact that it was
dangerous to work in the shaft.
Harrison Jones, colored, one Of the men
who were in the shaft when the accident
occurred, was the next witness. His head
was bandaged, showing that he had suffered
by the accident. Witness had only been at
work in the shaft about Ave or six days.
Had never before engaged in such work.
| Had never been told by the bosses that
there was any danger. Had never received
any instructions whatever. Witness went
down after the blast. Was down in the
bottom, working beside. Brow and the
other four men. Dirt and rock logan fall
ing, but did not feel any particular alarm.
Witness had been working in the shaft
since o'clock that morning, but had not
seen any rocks or earth fall until after the
blast. Witness corroborated King in that
there was
Nine Feet Between the Timbers ana
the Bottom of the shaft.
leaving that space unpyotected. Had not
been told that the timber would DO ex-
tended down to the bottom. Witness knew
the distance between the timber and the
bottom Of tho shaft must have been Mt least
nine feet, because he could reach within
some distance of the timbers.
Richard Genias, another one of tho men
who was caught in the shaft when the ac-
:, | cident occurred, took the stand and testified
that he had never been cautioned that there
| was danger. When he went down he no
ticed
A Piece OF Timber Swinging 20 and
fro,
the rocks behind il having been blown on,
by the blast. The loose timber was Sc
high he had to get on another mans
/. | shoulder in order to reach it. 1t was just
before quitting time" when the crash
came down. The noise made was as loud u:
: thunder. Neither one of the bosses was in
!, the shaft ut the time Witness remarked
|, early Saturday morning that the open space
! ought to be tinibercd made the remark be-
/, fore and after the arrival of the foreman
i Mr.. Simon Cullen.
Elias Wyles, colored, another employee
testified that he was down in The shaft
Saturday and didn't like the appearance o
!. the timbers. He thought they ought moi
. | to go down more than four feet without
/, bracing. He believed the distance from
; | the bottom to the first timber at least ter
. feet
I Toa Juror Heard one of the boys say
!, the sides ought to be "timbered up" Didnt
: know whether or not this was said in thI
presence of the boss. Witness leg was hur,
, by the accident and had some difficulty il
!. getting out.
. Randolph Bruce, who was at work in tn,
shaft Saturday, said
The Timbers Were Loose and Hang
ing all That Day.
I Witness did not believe il was unsafe unit
after the blast.
To juror Williams: Did not hear Genia
say to any one that day that it was danger
!. GUS to work in the shaft. Witness did no
Z believe that II timbers had been put dow
I within five feet of tho bottom that the acci
. dent would have happened. He said !
!. was thiee-quarters of an hour after tn
= crash that any assistance reached himsel
: and imprisoned companions. Tho light
had all been put out. Witness was hur
about the leg and body.
i Joseph Hubbard, colored, q "night-shift
d | hand, testified that he left work Saturda
; morning at Z o'clock. Said the shaft TO
: eight OF nine feet from the bottom
\ Was in n had Condition.
!, The tmbers nom the top down, exceptin
!. the next to the last one from the bottom
were in good condition. This one had be
y gun to settle. Barring this piece, the shat
r was very well braced He did not Sc
4 enough danger to drive him out of tn
: shaft. Witness did not call the attention
Of the boss to the condition of the timbe
, referred to.
John Mcpherson, colored, employed as
Waterman ON the public works, testiiie
that he resides near the shaft, and hearin
of the accident, proceeded with his son an,
!. another man to the shaft, He heard plain
q ly the cries Of the distressed man. He wa
y praying aud beseeching to be taken out