The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-05
SAD DEATHS.
Two Miners Suddenly Killed
In the Lexington Mine
FROM
brave Conduct Of the Associates of
q Men in Attempting
Rescue,

.ss.eroay morning about 3 O'Clock the
AoAihgton mine was the scene ~ . sod
GIageoy, by which two miners Lost tba;r
nses, q a third was seriously Injured
Ins Partlcuiarly sad portion of the accident
Is 'ua1 one OF the deceased lost his life
nus associates. From the statements made
~ appears that Henry Murrish and Jerry
vel, VINO were working on one Of the
leveis OF the mine, after boring eight holes
charged and fired them, and without waiting
tor the smoke and gas to disaunear'
..ey' contrary to express orders, entered
the level, Murrish first and O'Neil follow.
ing. Ihey had not proceeded far when
m' 1Irls 1eii, overcome by the gas, and
Nell attempted to get him out, but feel
lug mat ne was also being overpowered he
u 20 desert his comrade and crawl al
most insensible to the shaft, where he sig
nailed Tor the a It was immediately
lowered and the man hoisted to the surface.
wnere ne managed to explain what had be-
fallen Murrish.
TO THE RESCUE.
Almost before the story had been told
John Hale and William Phelan, both en-
ployes OF the mine, volunteered to 20 to the
rescue. and they were Immediately lowered
down the shaft and entered the level. The
men above waited as long as they supposed
was necessary for the signals to hoist, and
failing to get them another party, consist
ing Of Oscar Baum, Thomas Warren and
J. Wilkinson concluded to take the risk
and 60 after them. The cage was lowered
and the party weresoon brought up having
with them the dead bodies of Hale and
Murrish. and Phelan in an insensible condi-
ton. Medical aid was Immediately secured
for the latter, and the dead bodies were re-
moved to the homes of the respective men
1T Wa 1korui11o nrJ Nop%or;Vo Tbo ~1-
oner was promptly summoned, but being
unable to attend, Justices Lippincott and
Nichols visited the two towns for the pur-
pose OF holding inquests. As Phelan, the
only witness to the death of Hale, wal I'M
able to testify, the inquest was postponed
until to-day. In the case OF Murrish, JUS
tice Nichols summoned the following jury
and the case was proceeded with: NJ.
Smith, Ben Howell, Jonathan Blake. Jas.
Maslin and George Robinson. After hear
ing the testimony of O'Neil the jury re-
turned the following
Verde
An inquisition holden at Centerville, in
the said county of Silver Bow, on the first
day of September, A. D., 1885, before me,
E. A. Nichols, a Justice OF the Peace and
Acting Coroner of said county, upon the
body of Henry Murrish, there lying dead.
by the jurors whose names are hereunto
subscribed, the said jurors, upon their
oaths, do say that the said Henry Murrish
came to his death Oh the first day of Sep.
TENDER. A. D., 1885, at the Lexington mine
in Walkerville, in said county, from suffo-
cation after blasting, and it appears to the
jurors from the testimony OF the witnesses
that death was produced by the deceased
not using the necessary ]precaution required
by the overseer.
THE VICTIMS.
John Hale is an American by birth, about
35 years old, and leaves a wife n three
children. He was All experienced miner,
and was at one time a foreman at the
Alice.
Henry Murrish was only rs years old, is
a Cornish miner, and leaves q wife and one
child. He bore an excellent reputation
among his associates and neighbours. The
scenes at the residences of the two men as
their dead bodies were taken home were
heart-rending in the extreme. and it was
hours before the bereaved families could be
quieted.