The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-01-09
AFRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
Two Miners Lose Their Lives In the Magma
Charta.
Inter- Mountain, Jan. 8.

Inter Mountain, Jan. 8.
A frightful accident occurred in the Magma
Charta mine this morning by which VIM. ID.
Bray and James Tippet lest their lives.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES,
as near as can be learned, are as follows:
John Bray, VIM. III. Bray and James Tippet,
who had contract for sinking in the Magma
Charta, were at work this morning IN the
stump, at depth of $50 feet from the surface.
At about six o'clock they fred some shots,
and at about seven o'clock went down to re-
sumo work. While loading up the car they
were all more or less affected by the
SMOKE AND FUMES
from the blasting, and when the car was
loaded they decided to 70 up with 1t, as they
were unable TO stand the bad air in the bot
tom of the shaft. Sc, after the car was load
ed, they rang for the cage to come down. 1t
was accordingly lowered, and after running
the car upon it the men also got on. The
cage was then hoisted. As they passed the
6OO-fost station James Bullnan, whs was
working there, heard the men complaining
Of
BAD AIR AND OF DIzZINEss.
pullman also noticed that the car occupied
the center Of the cage, that John Bray stosd
at one side of the cage by the guard bar
(which was in Its proper place., and that
VIM. H. Bray and James Tippet stood to-
gether at the other side of the cage, but that
their guard bar had not been swung down as
1t should have been. The subsequent occur
rsnces are largely conjecture. 1t was SO dark
in the shaft that John Bray could not see
Ahat was transporting at the other side of the
cage, and besides he was in much distress for
air. When the cage was at about the 300
foot level the engineer noticed that there
came such
A STRAIN UPON THE CABLE
that the gallows frame was partly turned
around. 1t is conjectursd that one Of the
two men standing side by side tainted and
fell, and there being no cross bar to keep
him on the cage, that he rolled against the
side of the shaft and was vedged In between
1t an the rapidly rising cage. Between the
cross timbers, which are about five feet
apart, there is a space of some IA inches from
the cage to the side of the shaft.
sUPPOsED
that one of the two men rolled into this place
and in trying to save himself dragged the
other in after him, both falling distance of
about 450 feet to the bottom Of the shaft.
When the cage reached the tsp John Bray
was its only occupant, and he was in an al
most fainting condition. Superintendent
Hall was at once sent for, and on his arrival
men were sent down in the cage to investi-
gate In the bottom of the shaft 1.-THE sump)
the two unfortunate men were found.
BOTH WERE DEAD.
and terribly mangled Bray's head was torn
from his body, presumably by the rising cage
while he was wedged against the side Of the
shaft. The bodies were hoisted to the sur
face and removed to the Alice hospital,
where an inquest was held by Coroner Whit
ford The company was exonerated from
blame in the matter, it appearing to the sat
isfaction of the jury that the accident was
entirely due to carelessness on the part OF
the unfortunate men in not seeing that the
guard bar was properly secured.
Tho dead men were both Englishmen, and
about 30 years of age. They had just come
to the camp. Bray has three brothers living
in Butte, and Tippet one. The funeral will
take place at l o'clock Sunday afternoon,
from the Alice hospital in VAUDEVILLE.